A new book has hit shelves that explores the growing problems of net addiction in Japan. Titled 「ネトゲ廃人」(ne-to ge hai-jin), the book explores online game addiction, a problem once thought to be confined to Korea, China or Russia.

ネトゲ廃人 is a shortening of ネットゲーム廃人 (ne-tto gee-mu hai-jin), a phonetic spelling of “Net Game,” and hajin, which means “disabled person.” A haijin is someone who is completely dependent on online games, to the point where they cannot leave their homes or function in normal society. Although the term is becoming commonplace along with the ever-increasing number of Japanese suffering from net addiction, 廃人 (hai-jin) on its own is also used in the gaming world as a derogatory term against perceived addicts. Much like “elitist” or “noob” in among English-speaking gamers, “haijin” singles out players from the crowd in scorn.

Perhaps the most interesting find by author 芦崎 治 Ashizaki Osamu, is data that flies in the face of gamer stereotypes. The author states that the commonly held image of haijin – pudgy, shy anime otaku – is incorrect. The data collected during research for the book indicated a large number of addicts were woman in their 30s, and the amount of housewives was also well beyond expectations.

The author found there was a shocking reality beneath the surface of Online Game Addiction and there were times that subjects could barely separate their fantasy world from reality. He also claims to explore the positive aspects Online Gaming can provide as an outlet for those truly disabled in the real world. Still, he reiterates his goal is to bring more attention to this problem in a society of people who tend to be very private and ashamed of admitting fault. Overall, it sounds like a very interesting read.

Source: Sankei News
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