The WHO listed and defined gaming addiction as a condition in the 11th edition of the International Classification of Diseases, but not many places offer help to children addicted to video games. One is the Yes We Can Clinic, in the Netherlands.
Yes We Can Clinic treated 30 people for gaming addition in 2016, and 90 in 2018. This year, already 55 young people have started the program. The clinic is located in Hilvarenbeek, a small town south of Amsterdam. Originally the clinic only treated Dutch nationals, but in 2017 it opened a small international facility with 24 places. It charges 64,000 euro for the duration of the 10-week program, and 16,000 euro for a 4-week after-care program.
Patients are not allowed mobile phones, laptops or other devices, and coffee and fizzy drinks are also banned. In the first five weeks they don’t have any contact with their family, but after that, parents are invited to a bonding week.
Many patients travel to the clinic from Britain, where NHS facilities do not cater to people with gaming disorders.
Read more about this treatment and the clinic in TheGuardian.