Gaming addicts in the UAE will be able to receive treatment from a specialized outpatient clinic in Abu Dhabi from next year.

The National Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) will open the clinic at its premises in the capital and it will serve Emiratis and expatriates, according to a report by Emirates News Agency (WAM).

“The NRC is welcoming all patients (who are addicted to any behaviour) to come and seek help from us. Gaming addiction is mainly a behavioral issue and we are building the capacity and training our workforce to deal with any sort of additive behaviors,” said Dr Hamad Al Ghaferi, director general of the NRC.

The UAE is consistently ranked amongst the world’s top 100 gaming markets based on revenue source, with more than 80 percent of smartphone users in the country identifying themselves as ‘mobile gamers’, said a study by the gaming analytics firm Newzoo in 2019.

However, the NRC has not treated any cases of gaming addiction as of now, Al Ghaferi revealed on the sidelines of the sixth meeting on Public Health Implications of Behavioral Addictions, in Abu Dhabi.

Meanwhile, the NRC is working with Japanese experts, who have conducted a study about gaming addiction. “We will work with them and utilise the studies they conducted,” said Al Ghaferi.

He added that the NRC would modify the findings of the study and try to apply them to the UAE community to find out the extent of the problem.

The NRC has been offering treatment for alcoholism, substance abuse and other behavioral addictions since 2002.