Goblin game weaves sinister spell

By BRIDGET CARTER

Che Newman used to fight goblins for 16 hours a day.

At night he dreamed about them.

He would even rush home from work to battle the small creatures as the knight Lowdbumm in the computer game "EverQuest."

That was until the 27-year-old realised that his addiction to the game was putting his relationship, his Kingsland hairdressing salon and his sanity at risk.

"'I was thinking about it all day. I started to dream about it and found it hard to sleep at night."

The game he calls "EverCrack" because it is so addictive entices computer enthusiasts into a world like the Middle Earth of Lord of the Rings. Players from around the globe - up to 2600 at a time, round the clock - fight each other online to rise through the game's ranks.

The friend who introduced him to it three years ago destroyed his own CD because it was becoming so destructive in his life.

Mr Newman conquered his addiction after speaking to a heroin addict and recognising the symptoms in himself.

Auckland University senior lecturer in applied behavioural sciences Peter Adams said there was no comparison with the impact of tobacco, alcohol or compulsive gambling.

But psychologists were concerned that young people obsessed by computer games could have a gambling problem later in life.

Mr Newman says he now plays "EverQuest" for only one hour a day and is thinking about starting a support group.

And in place of his marathon "EverQuest" adventures?

He has restored his old car, spends more time with his girlfriend ... and "I am working on a concept for a similar game."