Death by video gaming?!

[GCFordChic]

This thread is not intended to make fun of these people, but to attempt to understand why one would deprive oneself to such an extent for the sake of a video game. Please avoid posting humerous 'one-liners' out of respect for the value of a human life.

Originally Posted by smh.com.au

Man dies after playing video game for 32 hours
October 20 2002

A 27-year-old Taiwanese man died yesterday after playing video games in a cyber cafe for 32 hours continuously.

Lien Wen-cheng arrived at the cyber cafe in Fengyuan in central Taiwan at 10.30pm on Thursday and played video games non-stop, pausing only to go to the toilet, police said.

At 7am on Saturday, a staff member found Lien foaming at the mouth and bleeding from the nose on the floor of the cafe's toilet.

"They rushed him to hospital but he was already dead," local police said.

Police suspect Lien died from exhaustion, having sat in the same position for too long.

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/...561356377.html

Originally Posted by smh.com.au

Man dies after playing computer games non-stop
October 10 2002

A 24-year-old South Korean man died after playing computer games nonstop for 86 hours, police said yesterday.

The jobless man, identified by police only by his last name Kim, was found dead at an Internet cafe in Kwangju, 260 kilometres southwest of Seoul, they said.

Quoting witnesses, police detective Oh Myong-sik in Kwangju said the man had been virtually glued to the computer since late last Friday and had no decent sleep and meals.

The man collapsed in front of the counter early yesterday but soon regained consciousness. He then went to the toilet where he later was found dead, the police officer said.

Initial investigation ruled out the possibility of murder, police said. An autopsy was planned.

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/...061260831.html

I came across these when searching for an unrelated recent news story and realise that these articles are from October 2002. Apologies if this is a repost, but it is new to me.

To me this is completely unbelievable. I understand addictiveness and also have watched my father and brothers play computer games for hours each night after work. However, the thought that someone would deprive themself of sleep and not listen to the pleas of their body instead of their mind astonishes me.

I guess we will never understand what truly drove these two men, but how can a virtual world take over a person to such an extent that they actually depart the 'real world'?

[MITCHAY]

Tis very sad. I like playing games as much as the next person, but at about 2hrs (if that) I get very bored.

I don't understand how people can play games hour after hour. It's also funny how seriously people take these games too.

Not having sex can kill you and that is the proof :P

[DanXR6T]

Sometimes the reality they find in a computer game is better than the reality they live in.

It's probably far more common than what is reported.

[kyro_02]

I've only managed 3 days at a LAN... never again though, after sleeping for a day afterwards, you still feel really screwed for another week... :| - which was like 5 years ago eh

I don't do anything like that anymore , longest I've stayed up for that long since then is 18hrs driving, meh

[MITCHAY]

Also a lot of these people drink a lot of energy drinks. Go to a gaming place and watch how many Redbulls or any other drinks of similar description they down.

Very bad for you.

[GCFordChic]

Originally Posted by Axeman82

Sometimes the reality they find in a computer game is better than the reality they live in.

But to ignore and fight through the signals your body sends you when it is trying to recover itself?! Despite not wanting to acknowledge reality over virtual reality, I fail to understand how someone could push past the base instincts of the body to preserve life and play a game for that long.

I have once stayed up all night to complete an assignment when I lost the file on the computer 2 days before it was due. NEVER again. The feeling of exhaustion is shocking and more than just a little unpleasant and annoying. It took all my strength to stay awake, let alone concentrate on what I was doing.

[DanXR6T]

Originally Posted by GCFordChic

But to ignore and fight through the signals your body sends you when it is trying to recover itself?! Despite not wanting to acknowledge reality over virtual reality, I fail to understand how someone could push past the base instincts of the body to preserve life and play a game for that long.

I have once stayed up all night to complete an assignment when I lost the file on the computer 2 days before it was due. NEVER again. The feeling of exhaustion is shocking and more than just a little unpleasant and annoying. It took all my strength to stay awake, let alone concentrate on what I was doing.

When I was at uni I did many a 36hr stint doing assignments, etc and yes it does screw up your body for a while, but after a while it got easier. Having said that I won't do it anymore (mainly because my job involves lots of driving around visiting clients, and its not safe to drive in that state).

Not meaning to sound like an idiot - but you will probably never understand what drives these people to this level of obsession/addiction/etc. I've stayed up before and played games all night, just to get to that next level, etc - but I'm never been into a game enough to ignore the outside world for too long.

And plus life in some of these countries is very different to life here, spending some time in Asian countries you understand that these people don't have anything in life to offer, living is expensive, job pressure is huge, family pressures can be bigger, and only complete and total escape from reality is the answer. Whilst I am not saying this is at all healthy, I can understand their situations and being obsessed over escaping to the point of "mental suicide" is probably very much a real option for them.

[uranium_death]

Originally Posted by MITCHAY

Tis very sad. I like playing games as much as the next person, but at about 2hrs (if that) I get very bored.

I don't understand how people can play games hour after hour. It's also funny how seriously people take these games too.

Not having sex can kill you and that is the proof :P

Then you don't enjoy pc gaming as much as the next person.

I can play a game for 12 hours straight and love it all the way.

But I go to bed when I should.

In the US, a father who was playing EverQuest (MMORPG) forgot he had a baby daughter, and she died from starvation or something. So some people do escape reality too much.

I play EverQuest II, but I go out a lot. The game isn't my life. I took an 8 month break for it to focus on my studies. ONce you can beat the addiction, you can always do it.

[Falcon_Phill]

Sure. Every new thing today is an 'addiction' or an 'illness'. Why dont people try 'getting of their ***' and see what happens.

[Rob]

Originally Posted by GCFordChic

At 7am on Saturday, a staff member found Lien foaming at the mouth and bleeding from the nose on the floor of the cafe's toilet.

That sounds like bollocks/dramatisation.

[Casper]

based on the dates (10 days apart) and the apparent similarity between the 2 articles (both young Asians, both internet cafes, both found dead in toilets, both blamed on gaming) I smell an urban myth that has been jacked up for some reason.

[Rob]

Originally Posted by Casper

based on the dates (10 dates apart) and the apparent similarity between the 2 articles (both you Asians, both internet cafes, both found dead in toilets, both blamed on gaming) I smell an urban myth that has been jacked up for some reason.

Proof that the the "news" networks shouldnt be taken seriously.

[dansedgli]

Originally Posted by MITCHAY

Also a lot of these people drink a lot of energy drinks. Go to a gaming place and watch how many Redbulls or any other drinks of similar description they down.

Very bad for you.

Blood nose, foaming from the mouth, found in the toilet. Im pretty sure he wasn't sticking red bull up his nose.

[DanXR6T]

Originally Posted by BLC

Proof that the the "news" networks shouldnt be taken seriously.

Huh? Casper's "smell" of an urban myth is proof?

[irsa76]

Originally Posted by dansedgli

Blood nose, foaming from the mouth, found in the toilet. Im pretty sure he wasn't sticking red bull up his nose.

Well that explains how some one could spend so long on the computer. While the stories sound slightly bogus, when you consider possibility of drug use they begin to sound a bit more real.

Very sad what every way you go.

[Ryan]

Wow that's quite weird.

I used to play games 10-12 hours every day, but that was only when I got a new game, I was exicted about.Bit like when I first started internet forums. I would stay on the computer upto 6-8 hours, but I can't now, because I get headaches due to eye strain.

[merlin]

I am 99% sure those two stories were proven as urban myths.

Having said that it is pretty easy to get addicted to these games for short periods of time. Most I have played would only be about 12 hours straight Call of Duty ignoring meals, water, sleep and the toilet - for some reason I dont notice these signals when I am engrossed in a game

Edit - as above, I get headaches now if I play too long due to eye strain as well.

[farah9]

I'd say it was another addiction that killed him, not the video game.

[uranium_death]

Headaches?

I've been spending a bucket load of time at the pc. I don't get headaches.

Also depends what game you play too. Most people's games are fairly linear; there's a beginning and an end.

I play Mega Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games -used to play Star Wars Galaxies, now I play EverQuest II. In Australia World of Warcraft is the most common.
These games focus on playing with other people, as well as continually improving your character, although it can only go so far as on EQ2, max level is currently at 70 and the best items are just about acquired by some of the "pros".

[HOON69]

sitting for 36 hrs doesnt kill a person :P
playing a gaming console for 36 hrs doesnt either

must of been from sitting in one position and getting a clot or something
or he had a medical condition already prior to playing the game/s etc

[mcflux]

Originally Posted by Axeman82

When I was at uni I did many a 36hr stint doing assignments, etc and yes it does screw up your body for a while

Yep, long-haul assignments SUCKED! Red bull, V, coke, coffee, smokes (for a non-smoker) and beef jerky (must be the bogan in me) pushed me through many a day/night/day session.

Hitting the wall halfway through an exam after one of these stints doesn't help.

[Martyvan]

Jolt cola was the go in my day... the LANS that i went to @ Yeronga, were Jolt Cola mad... No Redbull or *v* in those days...

I remember a mate and myself downing a case of them over a 20 hour period....... I have some level of allergy to Caffeine now.... maybe as a consequence...

[SVR73]

Hey I love my racing games and may play for 4 to 5 hours one night and then leave it for up to a week and then go again
Usually it's a couple hours max. 32 hours is insane. Your body would be nice and saw from sitting down for so long.

Sometimes we'll do a 7 hour enduro in the simulator but with a break every hour.

[4.9 EF Futura]

Cant find anything along these lines on snope.com...

Lol, good myth there about a guy who allegedly died having spent so long posting on all the internet forums he was a member of. AFF covered for this? lol

[Falcon Coupe]

In Asia (especially Korea) top video game players get huge paychecks and are treated like rockstars.

(12-18) 04:00 PST Seoul -- Choi Yeon-sung avoids going out most days, and when he's on the street, he puts his head down -- to dodge the whispers, the stares and the pleas for autographs.
Such are the hardships of a celebrity video game player in South Korea.

Choi has 90,000 members in his fan club. He pulls down $190,000 a year in salary and winnings combined, in a country where the average annual income is $16,291. At 23, the boyish-looking professional gamer has achieved a level of fame bestowed elsewhere on movie idols, soccer stars and Olympic champions.

Video game competitions draw hundreds of thousands of avid fans who watch on massive indoor screens, or on one of two game-only cable channels broadcasting 24 hours a day. An estimated 18 million South Koreans, more than one-third of the country's 48 million people, play video games online. That adds up to an $8.7 billion industry, with the government spending more than $100 million each year to promote, research and develop the market.

[Dazza XLT]

I played a few hours of Forza Motorsport on Xbox last week, but nothing that long!

[Ryan]

Originally Posted by uranium_death

Headaches?

I've been spending a bucket load of time at the pc. I don't get headaches.

I guess some people can tolerate it more then others.

I get sore eyes from looking at a PC screen for too long now. I usually just take a break for a few minutes.

[Rob]

Originally Posted by Axeman82

Huh? Casper's "smell" of an urban myth is proof?

Do you believe what you read in newspapers etc?

[DanXR6T]

Originally Posted by BLC

Do you believe what you read in newspapers etc?

Nope, hence I don't waste my time reading newspapers. I only read the farming section (because its part of my job - Queensland Country Life).

[GCFordChic]

Im generally conditioned to believe the majority of what is printed in some of the larger newspapers. Hence, when I came across these and saw they were from the Sydney Morning Herald I trusted them more than I would a purely internet based publication.

Just thought it was interesting. If those that believe it is a myth post links to the more reputable sources that found out these stories were not true i would be interested in reading them.