cam adair

Published in Psychiatry Research

Thank you for taking this quiz.

My name is Cam Adair and I’m the founder of Game Quitters.

I understand how you feel because I was once addicted to playing video games. My addiction caused me to drop out of high school and while my friends were going off to college I was living in my parents basement playing video games up to 16 hours a day. I even pretended to have jobs.

This story might sound familiar, but it does have a happy ending and I’ve been off video games for over seven years.

Since overcoming my addiction, I have been working with thousands of families to help them and their families overcome it as well.

“One of Canada’s 150 Leading Canadians in Mental Health”
– Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)

Should you be worried?

An at-risk gamer means your loved one is playing for several hours a day and it’s beginning to impact different areas of their life (school, work, hygiene, relationships).

They want to play more and more while putting less effort into school or work, and when they can’t play they are irritable and moody. They have lost interest in other hobbies and activities, and are becoming increasingly isolated from real-life friends and the family.

You are concerned over their lack of hygiene, tired from constant arguments over gaming, and deep down you feel like you are losing them to a virtual world. You don’t understand why…

Is this just a phase?

If you have been seeing the following red flags for some time, it’s not just a phase. You are seeing a repeated pattern of behavior that is telling you something is wrong. Listen to your gut!

Being irritable or moody when they can’t play
Constantly needing to play more and more (“it’s never enough”)
Losing interest in other activities (e.g. sports, exercise)
Being deceptive (e.g. stealing money to buy things in game)
Jeopardizing school, work, and/or relationships (in order to game)

If you are reading this and realizing your loved one is at-risk, then you want to follow the advice below. There are specific steps you can take to prevent an even bigger problem. Don’t wait until it gets worse!

Prevent the problem from getting worse:

Here are two resources I want to gift you…

1. If you want to learn more about the difference between a healthy gamer and an unhealthy gamer read this article.
2. Here is a checklist on what you can do to prevent gaming from becoming a problem.

Reclaim Your Loved One

A step-by-step program to help you reclaim your loved one from gaming:

  • Practical: Build a real action plan to limit or remove gaming
  • Gain: Clarity, confidence, and peace of mind
  • Avoid: Common mistakes parents make
  • Set: Boundaries without feeling guilty
  • Printable: Worksheets, posters, and more
  • Click here to gain instant access to our practical action guide to stop video game addiction
LEARN MORE

“Reclaim is brilliant. We strongly recommend Reclaim to parents seeking help and solutions for their kids struggling with digital media overuse.”
– Andrew Doan, MD, PhD and Julie Doan, RN

“It’s been three months without games for my son Jack. So far so good.”
– Katrina Kenison, Mother

“We followed the strategies you suggested and tension in our house has lowered considerably.”
– Maria, Mother

“Game Quitters changed everything for me and my teen.”
– Kate, Mother

I’m really happy you are now apart of our community.

Over the coming days and weeks I will send you some of my best content to your email so you can stay educated around this issue, and also help other parents or loved ones you know who may have a gamer with a problem as well.

I hope you have found this helpful today. We’re all rooting for you and your family.

– Cam

Disclaimer: This test is an informal screening tool. It’s not here to diagnose a disorder. For a proper assessment, please seek the support of a professional.