August 16, 2005 Gamer dies of exhaustion after 50 hours marathon
play by Gulliver
A South Korean gamer collapsed and died of exhaustion after
he played the online multiplayer game StarCraft non-stop for
almost 50 hours.
The 28-year-old man, named only as Lee, was said to have stopped
only for toilet visits and short naps during his marathon
gaming session.
After eating minimally and taking very little sleep, he collapsed
within moments of finishing his game in an internet café
in the South Korean city of Taegu.
He was rushed to a hospital but died after a few hours. Police
blamed the death on heart failure, brought on by exhaustion.
The victim was reported to have recently lost his job because
he kept missing work to play computer games.
StarCraft is an immensely popular battle simulation game involving
three galactic species, with fans doing battle with each other
to take over the galaxy.
Around the world, tournaments pit players against each other,
often for days at a time.
Lee is not the only player for whom too much gaming proved
fatal. In 2002 a 24-year-old South Korean man died at an internet
café near Seoul after 86 hours of non-stop game play
in 2002. Days later, a 27-year-old Taiwanese man died following
a 32-hour game play session at an internet café in
Fengyuan, central Taiwan.
Experts advise that gamers should take plenty of breaks, and
look after their health.
