By Ashleigh Fielding | posted on August 10, 2017
THE WA Department of Communities has awarded Great Southern Employment Development Committee (GSEDC) support to deliver an innovative program aimed at assisting youth with video gaming addictions.
Get Your Game Off is a 45-minute interactive and educational information program for 10 to 18 year olds.
The objective of the fully-funded session is to help young people understand how and why video gaming can be addictive and its effects on relationships and school work.
Get Your Game Off sessions will be followed by free access to youth support group Zombie Gamers Anonymous, where gaming addicts can monitor each other’s progress and support one another.
“The issue of how destructive gaming can be is a sleeper in communities,” GSEDC Executive Officer Janelle Price said.
“It has not been diagnosed as a clinical disorder quite yet, but shows all the hallmarks of other destructive additive disorders.”
The program was instigated by a young gamer who recognised that gaming was having a negative impact on her life and her sleep.
Get Your Game Off sessions will be delivered in late August to mid- September and again in the fourth school term.
Primary and secondary schools can host Get Your Game Off sessions and after-school support group Zombie Gamers Anonymous by booking with GSEDC.
