Hooked on Games: The Lure and Cost of Video Game and Internet Addiction

"As is true with many addictions, overuse of video games steals our valuable and limited time and minds." - Christie Morse, MD (Pediatric Ophthalmologist)

"Shocking insights into the minds of hardcore gamers." - Daniel Hunt (Former Competitive Gamer)

About the Book

The multi-billion dollar video game industry is in the business of creating fun and enticing games that can be addictive. As addicted gamers feast on digital indulgences, real life is neglected and their reality crumbles around them.

Headlines related to video games

"New Mexico mom gets 25 years for starving daughter." - Fox News

"China used prisoners in lucrative Internet gaming work." - Guardian News

"Online gamer killed for selling virtual weapon." - Sydney Morning Herald

"South Korean dies after games sessions." - BBC News

Hooked on Games is written by Brooke Strickland and Andrew Doan, MD, PhD, a physician with a research background in neuroscience, who battled his own addictions with video games. Dr. Doan was an addicted gamer, who at his peak, invested over 20,000 hours of playing games over a period of nine years. Dr. Doan's reckless compulsion to play games transformed him into a monster that almost destroyed his family, marriage, and career. He shares his expertise to educate others on the dangers of video game addiction and to provide hope for video game addicts and their families. Dr. Doan shares steps for gaming addicts to achieve recovery and steps for families and loved ones to intervene. Without attention to this quickest growing addiction, our society will suffer from the creation of Generation Vidiot, millions of people devoid of innovation and skills to live in the physical world.

Dr. Doan practices comprehensive ophthalmology and eye pathology and is board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology. Dr. Doan treats a broad range of eye disorders including eye cancers and tumors. Born in Saigon, Vietnam and raised in Oregon, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from Reed College. He completed his MD and PhD degrees at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Doan completed both an Internal Medicine Internship and General Clinical and Surgical Ophthalmology residency at the University of Iowa. After his ophthalmology training, he completed his fellowship in eye pathology at the Jules Stein Eye Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Doan volunteers as a clinical provider at the Temecula-Murrieta Rescue Mission, serving patients with the help of the team at Eye Associates of Southern California. He is an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Loma Linda University.

Dr. Doan teaches medical students and residents, is published in peer-reviewed academic journals, is managing editor for the Journal of Academic Ophthalmology, and speaks at national meetings. Dr. Doan has served as Chair for the Young Ophthalmologist committee, Ophthalmic News & Education Network Deputy Editor-in-Chief, and an OPHTHPAC/Congressional Advocacy Committee member for the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

After being freed from his addiction to video games and living by Biblical principals, Dr. Doan launched several companies, including a publishing company, Medrounds, Credential Protection, Eye Associates of southern California, and VireoMD to serve the medical community and patients. Dr. Doan is working on his second book with author Marie Hunt, The Biggest 24: Harnessing Your Full Potential In the Digital Age .

When not pursuing his career interests, Dr. Doan enjoys spending time with family and serving at Rancho Community Church as a Celebrate Recovery 12-Step Leader for Gaming and Internet Addictions.