Cam Adair, a video gamer in recovery, has made his life’s purpose to prevent others from reaching the same depths as he did. Cam’s life took a dramatic turn at the age of 11 when he began to experience intense bullying, leading him to drop out of high school and escape into gaming. He never graduated, and while all of his friends were off to college, Cam was playing video games up to 16 hours a day.
Struggling with depression he reached rock bottom when he wrote a suicide note, and it was this night when he made a commitment to change.
INTENTA
The stated goal of INTENTA is to equip mental health professionals with resources on digital disorders to empower an intentional digital culture. It provides internationally accredited training that covers a comprehensive overview of problem and disordered gaming, allowing mental health professionals to understand the context, dynamics, mechanisms and special issues that present with gaming clients.
According to INTENTA’s website, professionals lack the tools and training to effectively screen clients, which greatly increases the risk of misdiagnosis and ineffective treatment. Without training, professionals cannot effectively communicate nor relate to clients who engage primarily in digital spaces.
Distraught family members of loved ones with gaming issues may seek help from mental health professions, who lack the training to assess and counsel families to provide effective interventions. Without comprehensive education, these professionals can cause harm by
making ineffective and counterproductive interventions.
Another challenge is the rapid rate of change and evolution in video game technology. INTENTA helps professionals stay current with ever-increasing game innovations and their client’s struggles.
After completing the INTENTA training, professionals will:
- The bullet list is messed up. Should read:
- Improve quality of care and reduce potential risk of harm for clients
- Understand the psychology of gaming and recent innovation trends
- Have validated screening tools to identify at-risk clients
- Be abel to implement practical strategies for prevention, treatment and recovery
- Be a valuable source of knowledge among colleagues
- Be an international recognized specialist in gaming disorder
For more information about INTENTA, visit intenta.digital.
GAME QUITTERS
Game Quitters is the world’s largest support community for video game addiction, which currently serves members in 95 countries. The Game Quitters website (gamequitters.com) provides a wealth of information, including more than 200 videos about video gaming addiction and a list of ideas to replace gaming. The site also provides an addiction test for gamers, lists of resources and support groups, and other information to help those with a video game addiction as well as parents and concerned others.