Obsessive Gamer Coughs Up Blood And Drops Dead After 19 Hour World Of Warcraft Marathon

A Shanghai gamer who played World of Warcraft in a Chinese internet cafe for 19 hours without a break suddenly fell down dead after violently coughing up blood.

Parents have always warned their children that excessive gaming can be bad for their health, but no one expects that the playing of video games can actually kill you.

Yet that is exactly what appears to have happened to 24-year-old Wu Tai. The Daily Mail reports that the young gamer entered the unnamed internet cafe in the Chinese capital of Shanghai to play the newest instalment of world of Warcraft.

Nearly 20 hours later, CCTV footage appears to show the young gamer quietly immersed in the role-playing fantasy game before he suddenly turns to his left and begins to cough violently.

Much to his fellow gamers’ horror, Mr Wu appeared to be repeatedly coughing up blood before slumping back in his chair.

Even more disturbing, despite coughing up blood and looking extremely ill, Mr Wu appeared to insist on carrying on playing World of Warcraft. A decision which would eventually kill him.

Fellow gamer Hsin Lo, 20, who was sitting next to Mr Wu when he began to cough up blood was horrified by what he saw.

“I suddenly heard him groan and when I turned to see what had happened he was very pale and he was dabbing his mouth with a hankie which had blood on it… I asked him if he was OK and he said he’d felt better and that he would be OK.”

Mr Hsin not convinced by Mr Wu’s reassurances that he would be OK, and called an ambulance.

“I called for an ambulance while my friend went to get some help from staff. But while we waited he just died in front of us, and was nothing for the staff to do.”

Paramedics attempted to resuscitate the World of Warcraft fan but he was already dead. Police are waiting on the findings of the autopsy to determine the cause of Mr Wu’s death, but a police spokesman appeared to indicate that playing World of Warcraft for 19 hours was a major factor in the cause of death. Namely that due to Mr Wu sitting in the same spot for 19 hours he developed deep vein thrombosis which moved to his lungs and became a pulmonary embolism.

“An autopsy will determine the cause of death but there seems little doubt his playing on the computer for 19 hours instead of resting contributed to his death.”

[Lead image via BotaSot.]