We’ve all had game sessions where we play on and on for hours and hours on end, and it feels like we’re never going to stop. But how many of us have gone for more than 40 hours on the same game, with only four breaks throughout?
At least one person can now stake that claim: Chirantan Patnaik of Mumbai, India, who recently completed a 40 hour and 20 minute tenure of Grand Theft Auto IV for the PlayStation 3. Previously, the record was held by a U.S. citizen who lasted 28 hours (and one minute), and has a way to go if he’d like to reclaim his record.
“An official of Guinness World Records told reporters from London that Patnaik’s endeavour, made in the presence of independent observers and under public scrutiny last month, was recently verified by them,” said ZEENEWS.
“The longest continuous play session on Grand Theft Auto IV
is 40 hours 20 minutes, by Chirantan Patnaik (India), at the offices of the gaming blog NeuralChaos.com from 4-6 September 2009,” confirmed Karolina Thelin, PR executive of Guinness World Records.
“I began playing video games since I was in the third standard. Gaming, has since then, been my passion as well as a hobby,” said Patnaik, 26, of his pastime.
But despite his enthusiasm for the hobby, he had not given Grand Theft Auto IV any serious playtime prior to setting off to claim the record (probably a good idea, if you want to avoid boredom):
“There are so many other games which I have played for long hours,” he said. “But I had never tried playing this particular game seriously. However, I knew that I can do it after I saw my brother playing it.”
With the endeavor achieved, he added “I enjoyed the game very much. It’s fun playing long hours. It wasn’t that exhaustive for me, as one might feel.”
And while the rules of the Guinness Book of World Records allows for one ten-minute break every hour, Patnaik only took four throughout the entire period. He notes that in preparation, he went through endurance training by practicing exercise, yoga, and running.
“But I think staying away from coffee and eating dates during my game helped me to stay alert and fit,” he notes, adding that his earlier experience with playing games for prolonged periods likely helped, too.
So, what’s next for Patnaik? He hopes to best his own record by clearing 48 hours.
Now, the next time someone says to you that you spend too much time playing video games, you know who to point them to.
