More than 2bn people play them worldwide but can you really get addicted to video games?

Video games are now played by more than 2 bn people worldwide — but despite affecting up to 8% of players, addiction still isn’t widely recognised, says Ferris Jabr.

Charlie Bracke can’t remember a time when he wasn’t into video games. During his childhood, his passion for them didn’t cause him any serious problems. But in college at Indiana University Bloomington, everything changed.