Ever since the World Health Organization officiallyclassified gaming disorder as a mental illness, there has been increased attention on video game addiction and its impact on society. While the vast majority of gamers will never become truly “addicted” to video games, we’ve seen cases of specific individuals who become addicted to games and let the rest of their lives fall apart around them. So is the case of Carlito Marvel from Nueva Ecija in the Philippines, who plays video games like the battle royale gameRules of Survivalfor days straight at the local Internet cafe.
Carlito’s mother, Lilybeth Marvel, first noticed that her son’s gaming was getting out of hand when he was 11 years old. She and her husband attempted to restrict Carlito’s access to the Internet cafe, banning him from the establishment. This didn’t work, and Carlito continued to find ways to sneak out of the house and spend hours upon hours playing video games at the cafe.
After the “rough approach” didn’t work, Lilybeth and her husband opted to go a different route. They decided to pull the now-13 year old Carlito out of school and focus on treating his addiction. “I try to make him feel that whatever is happening in his life, I am his mother who loves him and takes care of him,” she explained. They have started asking for help online, an effort that saw the release of a viral video where Lilybeth literally hand feeds Carlito as he is in the midst of aRules of Survivalgaming binge that supposedly lasted more than two days.
There are those who have criticized Lilybeth’s approach, with some comments on the video accusing her of enabling Carlito’s behavior. It’s unclear if Lilybeth and her husband are giving Carlito the money he needs to keep playing games at the Internet cafe, or if he is acquiring the funds through some other method, however.
With gaming disorder just recently recognized as a legitimate mental illness, there hasn’t been a ton of research into how it can be properly treated. Currently, it seems to be treated like alcoholism or substance abuse addictions, withkids sent to rehabto help them battle their addiction to games.
Whether or not Carlito’s situation calls for rehab or some other form of intervention is unclear. However, withgame addiction increasing depression, anxiety, and other forms of mental illness (not to mention the consequences for Carlito’s physical health) here’s hoping he gets the help he needs sooner rather than later.
