A 14-year-old Australian boy became so addicted to gaming he gave his mother a concussion when she attempted to take his PS4 away.
Logan Ford has become so reliant upon Fortnite he hasn't gone to school for two years - only shambling forth from his bedroom when he needs to feed or excrete.
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Australian current affairs show 60 Minutes aired an interview with his mother, Sydney woman Britta Hodge, who listed the traumatic effects his gaming has had.
Ms Hodge says Logan was once an adventurous little lad who enjoyed playing sports and frolicking at the beach.
But his life fell devastatingly apart at the age of 12, after he decided to spend his savings on a gaming console. He quickly became hooked on such dangerous games as Minecraft, Call of Duty, Destiny and Fortnite.
"I can't get him outside," Ms Hodge told 60 Minutes.
"An addiction is an addiction. It doesn't matter if it's drugs, sex or online gaming. We've been to doctors who have said 'I don't think we've seen such a chronic case'."
Whenever she's attempted to intervene, Logan has become violent. She says she's been assaulted and forced to call the police when she tries to take his gaming devices away.
"It's not as simple as taking the cord away and going, 'Oh well, bad luck, you haven't got the internet',' Ms Hodge explained to 60 Minutes.
"Because the repercussions from that - angry, aggressive - we've had to call the police. I have been headbutted, I've had concussions."
Now, Logan only leaves the 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 recently told 9Honey.
But she was met with a lack of sympathy from the Australian public, who accused her of failing as a parent.
"Cut the power cord! Drag the lil sod to school and make him go! How weak and pathetic are the parents! Who's in charge here 'cause they certainly aren't!" one raged.
"You are the one who brought them the console, you are the one who introduced them to video games in your home, you are the one who buys them the games and allows them to play them," another said.
"You are the problem. Stop trying to blame video games for your lack of parenting."
Logan has defended his actions, saying he was "depressed" after his parents' marriage breakdown and gaming helped him cope and "feel happy again".
But he says he isn't addicted and is in control of his behaviour, arguing he just chooses to play continuously.
Newshub.
