A Vancouver man who once played video games for a staggering 64 hours over three days is speaking out about the dangers of gaming addiction.

Andrew Macdonald first got involved in a popular online role-playing game when he was 19 years old. Within a year he was hooked, often playing from the time he rolled out of bed until late at night, when he would nod off at the keyboard.

“It literally just consumed my life,” Macdonald said. “Everything just kind of fell around my feet.”

What started as a fun hobby had turned into a powerful addiction. And the more skilled Macdonald became in the online world, the more he found himself drawn to it.

“Amongst the people in the game that I played, I was seen as a god among men. I was a tyrant. I could do whatever I want,” he said.

Unfortunately, the rest of his life was crumbling. Macdonald eventually lost his job and his girlfriend, and watched his relationship with his family deteriorate.

Stories like Macdonald’s aren’t unique; he’s just one example of what counsellor Ben Wong describes as a growing trend of young people falling into video game addiction.

“Studies tell us roughly 10 to 12 per cent of the video gaming population fit the criteria to be considered problem video gamers,” he told CTV News.

Wong, who works with the Richmond Addiction Services Society, said there are three warning signs to help spot a problem gamer: control, compulsion, and consequences.

Problem gamers’ lives seem controlled by their games and devices, not the other way around, and they feel compelled to constantly play or check on their progress.

Those symptoms often lead to serious real-world consequences, such as trouble at school, poor performance at work, even health problems.

“In the midst of these consequences [if] I continue to engage in the behaviour to the same extent, then I’ve got a problem,” Wong said.

When Macdonald finally realized he had a problem, he went to Wong for help. Much like a drug addict, he suffered withdrawal transitioning to a lifestyle less dependent on video gaming.

Because most of his friends were primarily gaming relationships, stepping away left him feeling depressed, even suicidal.

But meeting new people and setting goals for himself helped him learn to enjoy his life away from the keyboard more than his life online. He now has two jobs and is working toward a career in the health care field.

“I have a lot of really positive friend relationships now outside of the games. I mean, it’s awesome. I’m so happy,” he said.

With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Michele Brunoro