Britta Sarbok-Heyer has always loved magic, powerful characters and losing herself in a different world. She was a fantasy role player before moving on to online videogames, which quickly had her hooked.
When in her early 40s and unemployed, she started gaming for 12 to 16 hours a day, neglecting her two children, her husband and herself.
“I wanted to be the Princess of Alsius, a magical woman with so much power,” recalls Sarbok-Heyer, an intensive-care paediatric nurse in Germany who’s now 53. “It’s super easy to be a hero in these games.”
Earlier this year, the World Health Organisation added “gaming disorder” to its International Classification of Diseases (ICD), describing it as “priority given to gaming over other activities” that results in “significant impairment” of a person’s personal, family or social life, education or occupation.
The inclusion of gaming disorder in the ICD has brought a measure of comfort to people like Sarbok-Heyer. “You’re no longer just some videogame junkie – you’re suffering from a disorder,” she says. “It sounds different, and it feels different.”
“The most important thing is that sufferers are now entitled to treatment,” notes addiction therapist Christian Gross of the Hanover-based Professional Association for Media Addiction. It also means that more public funds will now be allocated for prevention, including media-literacy education in schools.
The association estimates that between 0.5 and 1% of the population is addicted to online games, mainly boys and men. Those aged 12-20 are especially at risk.
The association advocates minimum legal age limits – similar to those for tobacco, alcohol and amusement arcades – for videogames, at least for the likes of World of Warcraft, which studies have found to be highly addictive.
After about three years of excessive gaming, Sarbok-Heyer was at the end of her tether and attempted suicide. Then came a turnaround. Since she had a drinking problem on top of her online videogame addiction, she was admitted to a rehabilitation clinic.
“No one really knew how to deal with my online addiction,” she says of those days back in 2009-2010, when treatment for the condition was still in its infancy. “I quickly realised I could live fairly easily without alcohol, but not without videogames.”
For two years, Sarbok-Heyer received in-patient treatment from psychiatrists and therapists. “You need at least as much time to come back up as you needed to go down,” she remarks. “I also had a relapse.”
After completing her treatment, Sarbok-Heyer returned to her family, resumed paediatric nursing and trained as a volunteer addiction rehab worker. She now runs a self-help group for other recovering addicts.
Online games are now taboo for her, but computer use – and magic and fantasy – aren’t.
“At age 50 I fulfilled a dream of mine,” she says. “I make handicrafts, sew felt slippers and costumes, and in this world I continue to be involved with magical things.” — dpa
Win a prize this Mother's Day by subscribing to our annual plan now! T&C applies.
