Gaming addictions have increased in Japan, according to recent reports from counseling services and treatment centers. Counseling services have received hundreds of requests for consultations over the past year.
Futoko Shien Center, a Nagoya-based association offering counseling services for various youth issues, said it had received 327 individual requests for consultation for online game addiction from the beginning of this year to July.
Zenkoku Web Counseling Kyogikai, a nationwide organization providing counseling services for Internet-related issues, said it had received about 150 similar requests for counseling. The Kurihama Medical and Addiction Center, known for its treatment of alcoholism, set up an outpatient division specializing in Internet-related addiction earlier this year that has treated 85 patients, mainly male middle and high school students.