Logan Hodge was just 13 when his life as a healthy and active boy dramatically shifted to one consumed by video games.

He is now housebound and unable to attend school.

It’s been two years since the Sydney teen spent a full day at high school – roughly the same amount of time he’s owned his Sony PS4.

His mum, Britta Hodge, thought nothing of letting Logan spend his savings on the gaming console. It seemed like a good outlet for him as she coped with the breakdown of her marriage.

However, the harmless distraction has turned into a debilitating addiction for Logan and emotionally drained his mother and his five siblings.

“We can’t get him to school, he doesn’t leave the house. He comes out and eats and goes back to his room. We’ve tried everything. We’ve tried doctors,” Ms Hodge told 9Honey.



“My concern is that he’s in year eight now, and he hasn’t had any formal education for two years. So, what’s going to happen later on in life for him?



(AAP) Logan's addiction to Fortnite is so severe he leaves his house once a week.



“He says to me, ‘it’s the only thing that gives me happiness’… He’s engaged in a fake world.”

Ms Hodge said her now 14-year-old son’s addiction is so severe he has stopped socialising with the outside world and leaves his house once a week. He has also been diagnosed with ADHD and suffers from high anxiety.

The obsession

“He was a normal healthy active little boy. He loved sport, being with friends, going to the movies and the beach,” Ms Hodge said.

“If I take him to the beach now that would be forcing … he’d have his head under a blanket he’s very introverted.”



In answer to those who suggest she should just send him to school, Ms Hodge says it's sadly not that simple.



"An addiction is an addiction. It doesn’t matter if it’s drugs, sex or online gaming," she said.



"It’s chronic. We’ve been to doctors who have said 'I don’t think we’ve seen such a chronic case'."



(AAP) The Sydney teen has been addicted to Call of Duty, Ark and Minecraft.

Over the years Logan has been addicted to games such as Call of Duty, Ark, Destiny and Minecraft. His latest obsession is the controversial multi-player shooter game, Fortnite.

Ms Hodge said there are nights where she and her family wake at 3am to Logan screaming and shouting out orders like “quick, they’re going to raid us” as he’s playing the game.

“I actually blame the manufacture of the game (Fortnite) because they do it in such a way that if you don’t get to a certain level you drop back,” Ms Hodge said.

“The only people who he socialises with are people overseas or who have a similar addiction. There’s no way of controlling it.”

According to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, there are six million mobile wireless connections across the nation out of the 13.5 million connections overall. Of those who use the internet to play games, children under the age of 18 constitute 23 percent.

Desperate search for help

Ms Hodge said one way to have an element of control over Logan’s addiction is to limit the amount of time he spends on his device– something she admits is not an easy task.

“We don’t let him have it until 4pm… but he’ll make up for lost time. To try and take it away at any other time, he can get aggressive and I’ve had to call police,” she said.

“My partner and I have researched and found a product called Parent Power. It controls every single device.”



(AAP) Britta Hodge says she's tried everything to help her son and has set up a Facebook support group for answers.

As well as attempting to limit Logan’s access to the device, Ms Hodge has been forced to leave her job to become a fulltime carer and mum.

She has also, very reluctantly, followed the advice of doctors and tried her son on a number of different medications.

The golden ticket

A glimmer of hope shone in January this year for families like Ms Hodge’s when the World Health Organisation classified "Gaming addiction" as a mental health condition.

The international body's International Classification of Diseases stipulated that abnormal gaming behaviour should be evident over a period of 12 months or more before it is classed as an addiction.

Despite this Ms Hodge has experienced firsthand how support for parents in her situation, including financial support, is like “a golden ticket”. It has compelled her to set up a dedicated Facebook group to find a solution.

“What help is available? The government does the child and youth mental health, but that can only take you so far,” she said.

“I just need the government to try and recognise that we need support, we need to be subsided for the help for our children.”

Contact reporter Kate Kachor at kkachor@nine.com.au