A 14-year-old boy who became hooked on a crypto phone game called Hamster Kombat has been admitted to a psychiatric unit in Russia.
Players assume the identity of the rodent boss of a cryptocurrency exchange firm and earn money based on the number of times they tap the hamster.
Followers earn coins and build a VIP lifestyle depending on how many times they log into the app, which is said to have millions of followers on Russia’s Telegram social media platform.
Local media reports that the teen was so hopelessly addicted to the game he set his phone alarm to go off every three hours to remind him to play.
The youngster, from Tyumen, is said to have developed hallucinations and psychological distress triggered by sleep deprivation.
His problems were so acute, say reports, that he was hospitalised in a psychiatric institution.
Players are understood to be able to exchange their in game tokens for a crypto coin the app’s creators are said to be due to release, even though it has not yet been launched.
The game is said to have more than 100 million users worldwide, but some experts fear the app is simply a giant data mining scam.
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