Psst... video game addicts, help is on the way

Are you neglecting loved ones to sneak in a few extra rounds of Halo? Are you squandering the rent money on PSP games, and want help? Well, help may have arrived in the form of a video game addiction clinic in Amsterdam. Addiction specialists Smith & Jones reckon that 20 per cent of all gaming enthusiasts can develop a dependency on gaming. To hear them tell it, the hooked gamers need serious help.

"Many of these individuals have neglected family, romance, school, and jobs; not to mention their basic needs such as food and personal hygiene… all for a video or computer game," says Smith & Jones, who also treat drug addiction, alcoholism and eating disorders. They apply some of the same principles from their other 12-step treatment programmes to treat video gaming addicts – all in eight weeks. (We can only presume the late-night TV adverts on Dutch TV promise "your money back if not completely satisfied".)

The first programmes – dubbed "survival camps" set in Holland and the forests of Germany – began on July 10. But lest you think that assembling a bunch of gamers will be just an excuse to swap Counter Strike tips, Smith & Jones promises full self-evaluation of how gaming addicts are hurting themselves and those around them. As the website says, "Our goal it to teach them new skills that will help them to enjoy life apart from their addiction. We will show them that real adventure is better than fantasy adventure."