Hong Kong father abandons daughter to play games

Author: Joe Martin
Published: 17th December 2007

Chan Sing pleaded guilty to child abuse charges after abandoning his daughter to play video games.

Chan Sing, a 31 year old single father, has pleaded guilty to charges of child abuse after abandoning his daughter in order to play games at a Hong Kong arcade.

According to Earth Times, Chan left his daughter alone in a busy Hong Kong street when he was told that minors were not allowed inside the arcade. He then came out an hour later, sat her in a nearby restaurant and returned to the arcade. Three hours later staff at the restaurant called the police and were able to track him down.

When confronted by the police, Chan admitted to being a gaming addict, telling the police "I have to play video games."

Chan pleaded guilty to charges of child abuse and has been sentenced to 120 hours of community service as a result.

The case has re-ignited discussion about whether or not computer game addiction should be classed as a psychological disorder or not. Previously psychologists have been divided on the topic and have been reluctant to give game addiction status as an official disorder because of a lack of conclusive proof and the massive effects it could have on the insurance industries.

The Chinese government has previously tried to prevent gamers becoming addicted to games after it was revealed several Chinese people had died of exhaustion in mammoth gaming sessions. The government has tried to discourage young gamers from becoming addicted by limiting the amount of time they can play MMOs for.

Have you ever suffered from gaming addiction, or do you think the whole thing is just a bunch of rubbish? Let us know in the forums.