Youth Novel about Gaming Addiction: “Hero Days”
Online gaming addiction is the theme of Martin Schäuble’s latest youth novel, “Hero Days.” Twelve-year-old Nilo forgets to eat, do homework, or even shower. He is completely immersed in his virtual world. In a fight, his single mother smashes his phone – and Nilo threatens her with a kitchen knife. A shocking moment, right at the beginning of the book, for the mother, for Nilo, and for the readers.
The mother takes Nilo to a psychiatric facility, where he has to give up all digital devices. On the first night, Nilo watches a girl climb out of a window in another psychiatric ward and flee. He decides to follow her, impulsively wanting to help her.
The experience of not being able to use tools like in video games initially turns the real forest into a horror forest for Nilo. There are real dangers lurking, he has no flashlight, no directions, and he can’t make an emergency call. Nilo, along with two other children, goes on a sort of road trip, showing that the three of them are much less lost together than they may have thought.
The author describes the addiction to digital devices rather casually, without a didactic approach. The focus is on his young protagonists and how they come together, get to know each other, and trust each other. Schäuble’s writing is characterized by short, straightforward sentences that convey the fast-paced plot, with an unruffled yet engaging tone. These three young individuals will overcome their difficult moments themselves, with trust and confidence reverberating in every line.
