Biography
Who is Alok Kanojia?
Early life and education
Alok Kanojia attended the University of Texas at Austin. He struggled with a video game addiction during this time. This led to poor grades and missed classes. In 2003, he visited an ashram in India. His father gave him this advice. He stayed there for one month. Teachers told him to finish his degree first. He returned to the ashram every summer until 2010.
In India, Alok studied meditation and yoga. These practices helped him gain self-control. He used these tools to manage his addiction. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2009. His degree was in biology. In 2010, he began a placement at Tufts University School of Medicine. He earned his medical degree in 2014. He then did a residency at the MGH/McLean Adult Psychiatry Program via Harvard Medical School.
Healthy Gamer and coaching
Alok discovered many friends also suffered from gaming addiction after he graduated. He started helping them but lacked enough time for everyone. Alok Kanojia and his wife Kruti created a startup called Healthy Gamer. This organization provides resources to help people overcome addiction. He believes standard therapy often fails to treat gaming addiction productively.
The startup received support from a Boston University incubator. Healthy Gamer trains coaches for 10 weeks. These coaches provide non-medical support to the gaming community. They host group and individual sessions for paying clients. These sessions look at motivations and goals. Some coaches provide guidance on meditation. Alok notes that these coaches are not licensed medical professionals.
Twitch streaming and controversy
Alok began streaming on Twitch in 2019. He hosts live talks about mental health with other streamers. His guests have included Pokimane, xQc, and Reckful. He also interviews viewers who apply for the show. Guests sign a consent form before appearing. He was nominated for Best Philanthropic Streamer at the 2021 Streamer Awards.
Alok states these streams are not psychotherapy sessions. He uses disclaimers at the start of each stream. Research psychologist Dr. Rachel Kowert argued the shows are clearly therapy. Other journalists suggested his conduct might violate American Psychiatric Association guidelines. Alok Kanojia conducted public interviews with Byron Bernstein, also known as Reckful. Bernstein discussed bipolar disorder and depression. Bernstein died by suicide in July 2020.
Books and publications
Alok has contributed to academic research. In 2008, he co-authored a paper on tactile acuity in Tai Chi practitioners. This was published in Experimental Brain Research. He wrote a book titled How to Raise a Healthy Gamer. This book was released on March 12, 2024, by Rodale Books. It focuses on breaking bad screen habits and ending power struggles with children.
Birthday and age
Alok Kanojia was born on October 7, 1982, which makes Alok 44 years old today. That birthday falls under the Libra sign. Alok shares the date with 67 other famous people.
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