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November 14, 2018 9:14 pm
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Updated on November 14, 2018 at 21:14
Billy Brown says that he has been locked in his own home for seven years. He suffered from a strong addiction to video games.
"For years and years, I sat in a dressing gown in front of the computer and went home for my medical appointments," she told the BBC.
"I never went out to socialize or interact with other people, my whole life was on the Internet."
Brown had a difficult childhood. He was hospitalized several times because of his mother's frequent stays in the hospital because of medical and physical complications.
In high school, she attended 13% of students, but it was the stress of preparatory exams at the university, combined with a few broken ankles, forcing her to lock herself at home and away from the world .
Then came the addiction to video games.
Brown, who is now 24, left college and spent the following years at home playing video games and reading about politics.
Video game addiction is treated as a mental illness by the WHO | GETTY IMAGES
It's immersed almost completely in an online world of "echo chambers" (echo cameras, the phenomenon of social networks that amplifies information so that people read only what they are linked to).
Locked in this virtual world, he felt the pulse of extremism and cybercrime, he said.
Suicidal thoughts
Brown, originally from Ashton, a small town in southern England, states that he has become more and more "eccentric" and that he has lost touch with reality.
"I can not count on my two hands the number of times I've left home over a period of seven years," he said.
"I did not take care of myself, I only took care of my mother".
"Sometimes I had suicidal thoughts, the truth is that it has affected me a lot."
The young man says that it was hard to find meaning in life: "I realized that if I did not do something, I would not continue to live the next year or two."
Brown (presiding at the table) created a role play. Through this he seeks to encourage young people to socialize
Finally, he decided to ask for help and ended up participating in the program. Game changerof Organization of real ideas (RIO, for its acronym in English), a British institution that carries out educational projects.
This initiative aims to motivate young people to develop their skills and overcome the problems they may face before finding a job.
Now, just 14 months after leaving his confinement for the first time in years, Brown has decided to create his own path to help improve the lives of those who have experienced the same thing: a board game.
He hopes that through him, young people will feel more inclined to socialize with other people, instead of spending hours in front of their computer.
Change a video game for a role play
The game Billy has created is designed for small group participation.
Players meet once a week for several weeks or months and improve their social skills while playing.
It requires nothing more than a pencil and paper, in addition to the dice and cards that describe the characters.
Brown says he wants to "give power to the community"
The idea is that participants earn points by reaching a series of goals. They can improve their characters by earning extra points for actions in the "real" world.
There is a digital part in which the participants exchange the tasks they have accomplished, but almost all of the game is based on the offline part.
"It's my way of giving back to the community, getting people to interact and socialize," says Brown about the game.
"Something had to change [en mi vida] and I do not want people to get to that point that I came to make a change. "
The power of the group
The game addresses not only video game addicts, but also those who suffer from isolation for other reasons.
George Hardwick, a consultant at RIO, has been working with Brown since he "joined" the non-virtual world and he said: "It's wonderful to see young people interact, smile and have fun, it's a big win. "
George Hardwick works in the organization that supported Brown. He says his progress has been "incredible"
For Hardwick, seeing Brown lead the group was a very moving experience.
"Billy had been living in pajamas for seven years," he says, adding that his progress was "incredible."
Hardwick, who helped the young man launch his role play, said that Brown "has gone from a mere agoraphobic to creating a game that helps young people explore their gifts and talents and to share them in a healthy way with the world ".
"This shows his determination and courage, as well as the support he has received along the way."
Kirsty Atkinson was also isolated
Kirsty Atkinson, who also lived in solitary confinement, was one of the volunteers who participated in the game test session created by Brown.
"I did not have friends because I had several toxic relationships and so I stayed at home," said the 22-year-old. "I did not do much, I did not want to leave."
Atkinson says that Brown's game is "very funny" and that it is "safe" to be able to help other people in similar situations.
"I feel very connected to the group," he said, adding that it was a good way to meet people.
Brown, who started his first job as a youth social worker, saw his horizons expand in ways he would not have thought possible a few years ago.
For him, the role play is based on "the redeeming power of the community".
"People spend hours playing games to see if their characters are evolving," he says.
"But, what if they could see that they are evolving themselves?"
Mr. Brown says that he feels motivated when it comes to helping people
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