Video game addiction, now a globally recognised illness, seeks a treatment


Kim, founder of Infinite Screentime, watches her daughters play Minecraft in Hong Kong, China. Kim advises parents to play video games with their children and encourages kids to decide how long a game session should last before it starts and plan for intermissions. — Bloomberg

Arcadia Kim devoted her career to video games, until one hit her in the face. The incident happened several years ago when Kim, a former studio operating chief at Electronic Arts Inc, was trying to peel away her then 10-year-old son from a game of Minecraft. He threw the iPad at her in frustration.

Kim, 48, said the experience inspired her to start a business in 2019 advising parents on forming healthy relationships between their kids and their screens. The work took on greater urgency this year when the World Health Organization began formally recognising video game addiction as an illness for the first time.

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