CASE STUDY

Trystan Cook, 37, developed carpal tunnel syndrome, a painful and debilitating arm condition, because he was playing games 12 hours a day when in the grips of computer game addiction that developed after he finished a job and ended a relationship.

“I started playing games when I was about seven and continued into my twenties,” says the talented chef. “But when I had a bad year it really took over and I was playing virtually every hour.

“When you have nothing to do, gaming can fill up the time and it becomes a crutch and you don’t work towards anything else. It puts your life on pause. I just fell into an abyss.”

Trystan realised he needed help after developing the injury in his right arm and signed up for a GameQuitters, an online course, that helped him ditch the games.

“It was hard because the game is there in the background baying for attention. It is always there,” he adds. “But they gave me various tactics to do things like build confidence and that really helped me re-evaluate my life.

“Games are fantastic; it is the relationship with games that is a problem. They have a place and don’t need to be banned but more should be done so everyone can have a good relationship with games.” Trystan, who runs Hot Pot Shots a Chinese restaurant in Cardiff, now only has a basic computer in his home and is committed to staying clear of intense computer games.

Symptoms of potential gaming addiction

Weight fluctuation combined with poor nutrition.

ll Lack of care about appearance. l

Pledges to reduce game play time repeatedly broken.

Lying about the amount of time spent on computer games.

lIrritation and anxiety when not playing.

llUKIE advice: askaboutgames.com