A 24 year-old man in Shanghai, China died after playing World of Warcraft for 19-hours straight. The cause of death has yet to be confirmed and we definitely aren't saying that it was World of Warcraft that killed him.
Wu Tai spent 19-hours playing World of Warcraft at an Internet cafe before he suddenly was struck with a coughing attack that produced blood. A gamer that was in the cafe next to him recorded the events:
“I suddenly heard him groan and when I turned to see what had happened he was very pale and looked uncomfortable. 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, but that he would be OK. 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 there was nothing the staff could do.”
How do people die from gaming for too long? The most likely cause is death of a Pulmonary Embolosim caused by Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) — basically, a blood clot that wound up making its way to his lungs and caused major complications (like death). This is not a condition that occurs in a single event (while it can), it comes from sitting around day after day after day. Wu Tai was said to be addicted to World of Warcraft, if that is the case he likely played for hours on end at Internet cafes on a regular basis.
When a game says, 'Hey, don't forget to take a break' it's to avoid situations like this.
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