Our local Internet gaming cafe closed its doors on September 28 after fourteen years in business. If you follow this blog you may assume I’m thrilled at the news. If you made this assumption, you’d be wrong.
I met Carol, the owner of the cafe, last November at the time I was doing a lot of national media on gaming addiction. Our local newspaper wanted pictures of me with a game running in the background, so Carol agreed to let us shoot photos in her establishment.
Not every gamer needs or wants to quit, and Carol’s Internet cafe provided a safe, clean social gathering point for hundreds of gamers who would otherwise just play at home, perhaps alone. And while her policy may not have been perfect, Carol did tell gamers to take a break now and then.
What I attempted to convey last year, and continue to believe, is that entrepreneurs like Carol are not the enemy. I wish Carol well in her future personal and business endeavours.
Tags: compulsive computer gaming, compulsive online gaming, computer games, gaming addiction, Harm Reduction, London Ontario Canada, online gaming addiction, Video Game Addiction
