Taiwanese Man Dies After Three-Day Internet Gaming Binge

For the second time this year, a video-game player in Taiwan has died after a marathon internet gaming binge, Yahoo! News is reporting.

The 32-year-old man, identified only by his family name, Hsieh, was found slumped in his chair, motionless, after having been gaming non-stop, without a break, for three consecutive days.

At first, none of the other customers at the internet café thought anything was amiss, and assumed he was sleeping. However, after an employee realized he wasn’t breathing, he was rushed to a hospital. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The man was known as a regular customer at the internet café in Kaohsiung, according to Russia Today, where he would often be seen playing for days at a time. Oftentimes, he would sleep during his gaming sessions, slumped over his keyboard, according to an anonymous employee.

“Hsieh was a regular customer here and always played for consecutive days. When tired, he would sleep face-down on the table or doze off slumped in his chair. That is why we were not aware of his condition in the beginning.”

The gamer did not show any signs of external trauma, and most likely died from cardiac failure. Hunei Police Precinct Chief Weng Chun-neng said that exhaustion from enthusiastic play, and cold temperatures, may have also played a role.

“We advise people to get up and move around after every two hours of computer gaming. More patrols will be conducted to remind residents about the dangers of prolonged sitting and game-playing.”

This is not the first video-gaming death in Taiwan this year. On January 1, in New Taipei City, a 38-year-old Taiwanese internet gamer died after a five-day internet gaming binge.

Days-long internet gaming binges that lead to injury or death aren’t limited to Taiwan. In the United States, several teens and adults have died, or nearly died, from marathon gaming sessions, including a 15-year-old Ohio boy who collapsed after a five-day Call of Duty binge, according to this Inquisitr report. He made a full recovery.

In both Taiwan cases, police were aghast at the apathy of the other gamers, who continued to play away at their games while police and medics attended to their dead colleague.

“We went inside to cordon off the tables and had investigators there to gather evidence. Only then did the other patrons realize that someone had died, but they still showed no concern and kept playing their games. We were amazed at their nonchalant attitude.”

As of this post, it is not clear what game, or games, the Taiwanese gamer played turing his fatal gaming binge.

[Image courtesy of: Gamer Fit Nation]