An "obsessed" 17-year-old Christchurch youth called police after his father confiscated his Xbox.

The father, who did not want to be named, said he received a call from police yesterday after his son complained on Tuesday about having his video console taken from him.

"I would have thought the police would say: `Sort it out with your father', but they didn't; they gave me a call."

The Xbox was taken from the teenager in late May after he received a bad school report, the father said.

"He's a bit obsessed and puts it before everything else."

The year 13 pupil had been a keen gamer for several years, often spending two or three hours playing after school.

At weekends he might play for five or six hours a day, and in the school holidays he would play for up to eight hours straight, his father said. "He's not a bad kid; he's quite clever."

Although he was concerned about the effect the Xbox was having on his son, he was "a little bit proud ... in a strange way" of the effort he was putting into getting the gaming console back.

"He's very passionate about this. He should be a lawyer," the man said. "At least he's not doing alcohol and drugs."

However, he said the Xbox was like "a drug" to his son. "To any parent, I would say don't let one inside your house."

A police spokesman confirmed that a 17-year-old had made a theft complaint.

Police had spoken to several family members and encouraged "the parties to resolve the issue among themselves".

There was no investigation into the complaint and it was unlikely it would meet the public interest threshold for criminal proceedings, the spokesman said.

- © Fairfax NZ News