Chinese esports org offers extreme $1.4K training program to curb kids’ gaming addictions

A Chinese esports organization is selling courses that put kids through the rigorous training of a true pro gamer in an attempt to break their gaming addiction.

The company, owned by Su Chenha, first opened in 2018 with the aim of recruiting and training players to compete professionally.

However, he created a side hustle in 2023 after realizing just how rare top players really are. In fact, the odds of someone becoming a professional gamer are just 0.1%, and while tournament prize pools are seeing a significant increase in some circuits, only the creme de la creme of top players and teams earn six figures.

From the outside, the life of a pro gamer seems like a luxurious one, especially to young kids who grew up watching their favorite content creators play games online. Chenha’s program is giving gaming addicts a reality check and teaching kids just how much discipline is needed to be the best.

Chinese esports org puts kids in rigorous training program to curb gaming addiction

As reported by the South China Morning Post, Chenha’s ‘gaming addiction’ program offers week-long and 22-hour-long courses to help kids kick the habit. The shorter course costs 10,000 yuan ($1,400 USD), while the week-long course runs upwards of “several thousand yuan.”

Of course, these fees vary depending on the intensity of the child’s addiction and any special instructions from their parents.

To dissuade kids from gaming too much, Chenha makes them dive headfirst into the exhausting schedule of a professional gamer. This means practicing the game every single day from 9 AM to 12 AM, only taking breaks for a jog or meals.

Chenha claimed that one child started getting muscle cramps from playing so much on the very first day, while another tried to go home on the second day due to the strict routine.

“Such a high-pressure atmosphere makes gaming a task more arduous than studying,” he explained.

His reverse-psychology course has served over 4,000 clients over the last seven years. 85% of which he says were addicted to gaming.

Although research surrounding gaming addiction is still sparse, the phenomenon has become great enough that it prompted the American Psychiatric Association to consider Internet Gaming Addiction as a potential category in the DSM-5. Statistics show that 1.7% and 10% of Americans struggle with gaming addiction, with the average age ranging from 18 – 34 years old.

In 2019, a German clinical trial found that cognitive behavioral therapy, combined with “partial abstinence” from video games, could be a cure for gaming addiction.