18-year-old dies after Diablo-3 marathon session

After 40 hours of Diablo 3 games at the internet café, a teenager dies from a cardiovascular collapse

07/18/2012

Computer games are especially popular among teenagers and young adults. Now, the excessive gambling behavior of an 18-year-old man from Taiwan even ended fatally, like the Australian news agency „AAP“ citing the local press reported. After playing the computer role-playing game Diabolo 3 in an internet café for almost two days, he collapsed and died due to cardiovascular problems.

Game maker Blizzard expresses regret over his death
The young man from Taiwan had played the action role-playing game Diabolo 3 for more than 40 hours without taking breaks and eating something. On Friday afternoon, 18-year-old Chuang began the computer game session in a private room at an internet café he had previously rented. On Sunday, an employee of the Internet café discovered him lying on the table, apparently asleep. The employee woke the young man, who woke up and took a few steps. However, he collapsed due to cardiovascular problems and later died in the hospital. Long periods of sitting, lack of rest, and possibly too little fluid and food probably led to the collapse.

The publisher of the computer role-playing game expressed regret over the young man's death in a commentary on his website. At the same time, he pointed to the need to act responsibly while playing.

Again and again there are such deaths, especially in Asia. Ten years ago, an 86-hour game session for a 24-year-old from South Korea also ended in death.

Computer and TV cause heart disease
But not only several days of permanent sessions in front of the computer harm the health. Researchers at the Institute of Ophthalmology at the University of Sydney found out last year that children who spend a lot of their time in front of the TV or computer screen are at an increased risk for heart disease in adulthood. In children, who often sit in front of the monitor, they found tighter arteries in the retina than in children who were increasingly engaged in other activities. The condition of the retinal arteries is considered by adults to be an indicator of potential heart problems. (Ag)

Also read:
Increased risk of heart disease through computer & TV
School problems due to frequent computer use

Image: Benjamin Klack