The first specialist NHS clinic to treat gaming addiction in the UK will open at the start of November in London, allowing children and adults who are seriously addicted to computer games to access free treatment and support, according to NHS England.

The move comes at a time when the gaming industry has experienced enormous growth over the past decade. Recent figures show that there are approximately 2.2 billion gamers across the world and the global video games industry is worth about £110bn, a number that is estimated to rise to £140bn by the end of 2021.