Addiction expert Keith Bakker hopes the serenity of a 16th century townhouse on one of Amsterdam’s canals will coax those snared in the fantasy world of online games back to reality.
The townhouse, where sunlight warms the honey-colored wood of the centuries-old floors, houses Europe’s first clinic for people hooked on playing online games.
It is run by addiction consultants Smith & Jones, who felt there was a need for treatment even though experts are still debating whether excessive game playing is an addiction.
“We started seeing it about two years ago, people started coming in with gaming as sort of a secondary problem,” Smith & Jones director Bakker, 45, said.
Jared Moya
I've been interested in P2P since the early, high-flying days of Napster and KaZaA. I believe that analog copyright laws are ill-suited to the digital age, and that art and culture shouldn't be subject to the whims of international entertainment industry conglomerates. Twitter | Google Plus
I've been interested in P2P since the early, high-flying days of Napster and KaZaA. I believe that analog copyright laws are ill-suited to the digital age, and that art and culture shouldn't be subject to the whims of international entertainment industry conglomerates. Twitter | Google Plus
