Gaming Addiction Blamed for Another Death

The death of an extreme teen gamer is sparking concern over gaming addiction in Taiwan. An 18-year-old boy identified as Chuang died after reportedly engaging in a 40-hour online gaming marathon with no food or sleep. He had booked a room at an Internet cafe in order to play the highly anticipated game Diablo III. After a cafe employee checked on him when he seemed to be lying lifelessly on a table, Chuang apparently took a few steps, collapsed, and was rushed to the hospital. He was pronounced dead after arrival and health officials suspect that he suffered from blood clots. Deaths from gaming are rare, but can happen when obsessed players ignore the body’s need for food, sleep and movement. Asia seems to have particular problems: last year a 30-year-old Chinese man died after playing video games for three days straight with no sleep and only small amounts of food and water, and another gamer suffered a fatal heart attack while playing League of Legends in an internet cafe in Taipei this year. There have even been reports that some young men in China are turning to prostitution to support online gaming habits. Concerns for young players in South Korea led to the recent introduction of a law mandating built-in parental controls on video games.