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Online addict dies after "marathon" session

Caveman PawsCaveman Paws Registered User regular
edited March 2007 in Debate and/or Discourse
BEIJING (Reuters) - An obese 26-year-old man in northeastern China died after a "marathon" online gaming session over the Lunar New Year holiday, state media said on Wednesday.
The 150-kg (330-lb) man from Jinzhou, in Liaoning province, collapsed on Saturday, the last day of the holiday, after spending "almost all" of the seven-day break playing online games, the China Daily said, citing his parents.
Xu Yan, a local teacher, said the "dull life" during the holiday prompted many people to turn to computer games for entertainment.
"There are only two options. TV or computer. What else can I do in the holiday as all markets, KTV and cafeterias are shut down?" the paper quoted Xu as saying.
China has seen an alarming rise in the number of teenage and young adult Internet addicts in recent years, despite attempts to restrict minors from cybercafes and limit online game playing times.
About 2.6 million -- or 13 percent -- of China's 20 million Internet users under 18 are classed as addicts, state media have reported.

© Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved

So I figured this story may be useful fodder for some brief "D&D" for us PA types (see what I did there with the "D&D" *wink,wink*).

Basically I pose the following question to you all: Should we blame this guy's death on him being dangerously overweight or him spending too many hours in front of his computer screen whilst clicking his mouse and typing on his keyboard?

We seem to have this type of story pop up once a month or so, I found this one to be very "shoot from the hip"ish in that it doesn't go into very great detail, doesn't seem very balanced and is clearly just written this way to get attention thanks to the debate that video games are destroying young peoples lives (being a fat fuck that never exercises or maintains a healthy diet clearly isn't as important,or eye catching, as the seven days of video games).

Sadly the article does not mention if he was overweight due to the video games or he was playing the video games because he was overweight.

Which came first? The fat or the video game?

Caveman Paws on
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Posts

  • tsplittertsplitter Registered User regular
    edited February 2007
    I doubt this would have happened if the guy was living off of salads for 7 days, but sitting in the same spot for a whole week cant be good for you.

    tsplitter on
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  • SpawnbrokerSpawnbroker Registered User regular
    edited February 2007
    I had a friend in college that bought WoW the day Spring Break started...he played WoW more than he ate, slept, or did anything else combined. One night at 3 AM he walks into the common bathroom with blood all over his face.

    His explanation? "I passed out, woke up and my character was dead...and I somehow got this bloody nose." His character dying gave him more concern than how he got the bloody nose or the fact that he was covered in his own blood.

    Spawnbroker on
    Steam: Spawnbroker
  • NerissaNerissa Registered User regular
    edited February 2007
    Sadly the article does not mention if he was overweight due to the video games or he was playing the video games because he was overweight.

    Which came first? The fat or the video game?

    And apparently he doesn't have any friends, if he had nothing else to do other than watch tv or play video games.

    I'd guess

    fat -> no friends -> video games -> fatter + not making more friends -> more video games -> etc.

    but no way to be sure.

    Nerissa on
  • Vincent GraysonVincent Grayson Frederick, MDRegistered User regular
    edited February 2007
    Nerissa wrote: »
    Sadly the article does not mention if he was overweight due to the video games or he was playing the video games because he was overweight.

    Which came first? The fat or the video game?

    And apparently he doesn't have any friends, if he had nothing else to do other than watch tv or play video games.

    I'd guess

    fat -> no friends -> video games -> fatter + not making more friends -> more video games -> etc.

    but no way to be sure.

    I dunno, fat people can easily have plenty of friends and enjoy social activities.

    I'd wager he's been a lonely, anti-social guy for a long time, undoubtably depressed and untreated, consistently overeating and not worrying about his diet or exercise at all, and eventually finding what little solace he could in some fucking game, so he played and played and played until he died. I wouldn't blame any one factor, least of all the game.

    Vincent Grayson on
  • Casual EddyCasual Eddy The Astral PlaneRegistered User regular
    edited February 2007
    Yeah, it's tough without knowing the specifics. Sitting in one spot for 7 days will not kill you. Not sleeping or sleeping very little for 7 days will and can kill you, respectively. Being morbidly obese can kill you. High cholestoral can kill you. And so on.

    Video games didn't slay him. I think being 330 pounds and sleeping very little might have been parts of the puzzle.

    Casual Eddy on
  • ObsObs __BANNED USERS regular
    edited February 2007
    My god, people can die!

    Obs on
  • FencingsaxFencingsax It is difficult to get a man to understand, when his salary depends upon his not understanding GNU Terry PratchettRegistered User regular
    edited February 2007
    Wait, some people get a week off work?

    Fencingsax on
  • LondonBridgeLondonBridge __BANNED USERS regular
    edited February 2007
    Key word: Obese

    LondonBridge on
  • gundam470gundam470 Drunk Gorilla CaliforniaRegistered User regular
    edited February 2007
    Fencingsax wrote: »
    Wait, some people get a week off work?

    Every civilized country except America from what it seems.

    gundam470 on
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  • TachTach Registered User regular
    edited February 2007
    Obs wrote: »
    My god, people can die!
    Guess nobody had a rez handy...

    What? Too soon?

    Tach on
  • ZekZek Registered User regular
    edited February 2007
    So, how did he die?

    Zek on
  • wookieeArmourwookieeArmour Registered User regular
    edited February 2007
    I played wow for a year, and was a very hardcore gamer. Put on some pounds myself..........but....... I never stopped getting up to piss or make food, or take time off to hang out with a girl.

    I don't understand how these people die?
    How can they not MOVE for days?

    I just got kind of bored even though I loved the game, there were other things I wanted to do, and I still went out once and awhile.

    wookieeArmour on
  • Unearthly StewUnearthly Stew Registered User regular
    edited March 2007
    Hrmm I thought they put a three hour limit on online games there... or at least were considering it in 2005. Too bad, probably could've saved this guys life.

    Linky: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4183340.stm

    Unearthly Stew on
  • ObsObs __BANNED USERS regular
    edited March 2007
    Hrmm I thought they put a three hour limit on online games there... or at least were considering it in 2005. Too bad, probably could've saved this guys life.

    Linky: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4183340.stm

    He had no life.

    Obs on
  • Rhesus PositiveRhesus Positive GNU Terry Pratchett Registered User regular
    edited March 2007
    The article says online "games" - if that is so, then he must have gone through a thought process of, "Well, that's me done for WOW. Guess I'll play a little Starcraft now," without once thinking, "Every time I blink it sounds like scraping sandpaper over pine, and my frontal lobe is throbbing. Maybe I should take a break."

    If he was indeed playing just one game, I can (sort of) understand - I've played some games for several hour stints without realising. But stopping one game and starting another? That suggests conscious thought, as opposed to a Zen-like torpor of addiction.

    Can't really tell from the article what his mindset was, though, and I guess we never will.

    Rhesus Positive on
    [Muffled sounds of gorilla violence]
  • JDoobsJDoobs Registered User regular
    edited March 2007
    It's Clear! Games caused this man to die! Games are the cause of the problems of society today! His parents bear no responsibility for what happened to him!

    You forget to live in order to do something else, you're probably going to stop living. Don't blame video games, blame the guy for being a dumb ass.

    JDoobs on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
    -- Rising From The Ashes --
  • flamebroiledchickenflamebroiledchicken Registered User regular
    edited March 2007
    JDoobs wrote: »
    It's Clear! Games caused this man to die! Games are the cause of the problems of society today! His parents bear no responsibility for what happened to him!

    You forget to live in order to do something else, you're probably going to stop living. Don't blame video games, blame the guy for being a dumb ass.

    I dunno, I think by the time you're 26 your parents can no longer be held responsible for your actions.

    This one was entirely his own fault. Although for someone with no social life, like this person, games like WoW offer a good substitution/alternative. Of course, the game is not to blame but I think it's pretty obvious that a game can reinforce a lack of social life because at some point you just think "Well, I don't need 'real' friends, I have plenty of WoW friends" In other words, people with little social life will find these types of games attractive, and the game in turn will reduce the drive or motivation to actually go out and get a real-life social life.

    flamebroiledchicken on
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  • JDoobsJDoobs Registered User regular
    edited March 2007
    JDoobs wrote: »
    It's Clear! Games caused this man to die! Games are the cause of the problems of society today! His parents bear no responsibility for what happened to him!

    You forget to live in order to do something else, you're probably going to stop living. Don't blame video games, blame the guy for being a dumb ass.

    I dunno, I think by the time you're 26 your parents can no longer be held responsible for your actions.

    This one was entirely his own fault. Although for someone with no social life, like this person, games like WoW offer a good substitution/alternative. Of course, the game is not to blame but I think it's pretty obvious that a game can reinforce a lack of social life because at some point you just think "Well, I don't need 'real' friends, I have plenty of WoW friends" In other words, people with little social life will find these types of games attractive, and the game in turn will reduce the drive or motivation to actually go out and get a real-life social life.

    If you are going to say that this is entirely his own fault, then don't try to claim that the game is "reinforcing" his lack of social life. I know plenty of people who play WoW and have a rewarding social life. They don't feel any less of a need to go out and be active because they play. His lack of motivation comes from himself alone, and/or possibly from his upbringing.

    JDoobs on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
    -- Rising From The Ashes --
  • flamebroiledchickenflamebroiledchicken Registered User regular
    edited March 2007
    JDoobs wrote: »
    JDoobs wrote: »
    It's Clear! Games caused this man to die! Games are the cause of the problems of society today! His parents bear no responsibility for what happened to him!

    You forget to live in order to do something else, you're probably going to stop living. Don't blame video games, blame the guy for being a dumb ass.

    I dunno, I think by the time you're 26 your parents can no longer be held responsible for your actions.

    This one was entirely his own fault. Although for someone with no social life, like this person, games like WoW offer a good substitution/alternative. Of course, the game is not to blame but I think it's pretty obvious that a game can reinforce a lack of social life because at some point you just think "Well, I don't need 'real' friends, I have plenty of WoW friends" In other words, people with little social life will find these types of games attractive, and the game in turn will reduce the drive or motivation to actually go out and get a real-life social life.

    If you are going to say that this is entirely his own fault, then don't try to claim that the game is "reinforcing" his lack of social life. I know plenty of people who play WoW and have a rewarding social life. They don't feel any less of a need to go out and be active because they play. His lack of motivation comes from himself alone, and/or possibly from his upbringing.

    Yeah but I'm willing to bet that your friends already had a social life before they started playing WoW.

    It's not that WoW decreases a person's social life, what I'm saying is that to a certain degree, WoW attracts people who don't have a social life, because it is a very social game, and once you're playing it, it can cause a person to lose motivation to try and establish a real-life social life. Why bother trying to make real friends if I have online friends?

    Obviously if you already have a pre-existing social life, this is not the case. Once again, I'm not blaming the game in any way, not saying that Blizzard should somehow be held responsible, I just think it's kind of silly to completely disregard the game's role in this.

    flamebroiledchicken on
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  • IncenjucarIncenjucar VChatter Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    edited March 2007
    I find this mostly screams for an international "Get Lives" crusade more than anything else.

    So much of the world is too damned cloistered.

    Incenjucar on
  • LadyMLadyM Registered User regular
    edited March 2007
    "There are only two options. TV or computer. What else can I do in the holiday as all markets, KTV and cafeterias are shut down?" the paper quoted Xu as saying.

    That statement makes me sad.

    If it's anyone's fault, it's his own for not taking care of his health. But it really seems like just a medical problem that happened to happen to a gamer.

    LadyM on
  • JJJJ DailyStormer Registered User regular
    edited March 2007
    You die in the game you die for real!

    You die in the game you die for real!

    JJ on
  • ege02ege02 __BANNED USERS regular
    edited March 2007
    It's not that WoW decreases a person's social life, what I'm saying is that to a certain degree, WoW attracts people who don't have a social life, because it is a very social game, and once you're playing it, it can cause a person to lose motivation to try and establish a real-life social life. Why bother trying to make real friends if I have online friends?

    It's not just that it is a social game. It's a combination of factors.

    First, the reward system. Blizzard made it perfect so that your character is rewarded for his/her achievements very regularly. You level up quickly compared to other MMOs, you learn new skills and spells regularly, you gain loot fairly easily, and quests are pretty easy and you're rewarded for them as well.

    If you have taken any psychology you'll know that the main thing that causes psychological addiction is the regular stimulation of the reward pathway in the brain. And I have no doubt that they were quite aware of this when they set up the game the way it is.

    Second, it's a social game, but more than that, it is easy to be social in the game. MMOs, unlike other multiplayer games, are centered on grouping and interacting with other people. In WoW, these sessions can take hours at a time, which creates a bond between people. On top of this, you can do it in your own home, in front of your computer, with minimal effort (whereas normal socialization requires you to get out of your house).

    ege02 on
  • IncenjucarIncenjucar VChatter Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    edited March 2007
    A great deal of it is the nature of the socialization. It's not just that you hang around and RP with people at random (I spent most of my online time RPing for seven years, and not once did I -schedule- my game time). But in WoW, people DEPEND on you being there for a certain duration without interruptions and without fail.

    That's the key to the addiction. Guilt.

    Incenjucar on
  • DukiDuki Registered User regular
    edited March 2007
    What a waste of a life. I mean, what the fuck.

    Duki on
  • Unearthly StewUnearthly Stew Registered User regular
    edited March 2007
    Obs wrote: »
    Hrmm I thought they put a three hour limit on online games there... or at least were considering it in 2005. Too bad, probably could've saved this guys life.

    Linky: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4183340.stm

    He had no life.

    Oh I'm not trying to claim that he did, just that if the law was upheld, it may have saved him. Of course, he could've just sat down in front of a TV after his three hours and had the same death. Regardless, with his lifestyle, it probably wouldn't have mattered.

    Although, reading some of the comments under the article, it seems as though the internet cafes themselves are the problem. I mean, being open 24/7 and not even having to get up to order food and all...

    Unearthly Stew on
  • ViolentChemistryViolentChemistry __BANNED USERS regular
    edited March 2007
    JJ wrote: »
    You die in the game you die for real!

    You die in the game you die for real!

    The reverse, however, is not true, as I have proven on six seperate occasions.

    ViolentChemistry on
  • Unearthly StewUnearthly Stew Registered User regular
    edited March 2007
    Someone dies.

    Guy1: I call his wallet!
    Guy2: I call his stereo!
    VC: I call his WoW characters!

    Unearthly Stew on
  • ViolentChemistryViolentChemistry __BANNED USERS regular
    edited March 2007
    Someone dies.

    Guy1: I call his wallet!
    Guy2: I call his stereo!
    VC: I call his WoW characters!

    I've actually never played WoW. Not a big fan of MMORPGs.

    ViolentChemistry on
  • ZekZek Registered User regular
    edited March 2007
    I still don't know how he died. Starvation? Dehydration? Heart attack? What?

    Zek on
  • Casual EddyCasual Eddy The Astral PlaneRegistered User regular
    edited March 2007
    He beat the game, and then realized he had nothing left to live for. His heart stopped immediatly.

    Casual Eddy on
  • themightypuckthemightypuck MontanaRegistered User regular
    edited March 2007
    Cum hoc ergo propter hoc. People die doing lots of things. Jim Fixx died running. High school kids die every year playing (american) football. I bet someone has died choking on a floret of raw brocolli although I admittedly can't confirm this.

    themightypuck on
    “Reject your sense of injury and the injury itself disappears.”
    ― Marcus Aurelius

    Path of Exile: themightypuck
  • Steamboat WilleySteamboat Willey Registered User regular
    edited March 2007
    ege02 wrote: »
    If you have taken any psychology you'll know that the main thing that causes psychological addiction is the regular stimulation of the reward pathway in the brain. And I have no doubt that they were quite aware of this when they set up the game the way it is.

    There was a thing on TV this morning about this kid who had to go into rehab because of his WOW addiction. Its can't be a coincidence that there are so many people addicted to this game.

    Steamboat Willey on
    Its all good fun until someone loses an eye.
  • Romantic UndeadRomantic Undead Registered User regular
    edited March 2007
    ege02 wrote: »
    If you have taken any psychology you'll know that the main thing that causes psychological addiction is the regular stimulation of the reward pathway in the brain. And I have no doubt that they were quite aware of this when they set up the game the way it is.

    There was a thing on TV this morning about this kid who had to go into rehab because of his WOW addiction. Its a well known fact that there are people out there with addictive personalities.

    fix'd

    Romantic Undead on
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  • SpawnbrokerSpawnbroker Registered User regular
    edited March 2007
    Blaming the company that provides a computer game service to people is like blaming McDonalds because you got fat. Yes, the game might be addictive...but Blizzard didn't force you to play it, or buy it, or sit down and play it until you die. There are even messages in the game telling you to make sure you leave enough time for your friends, family, social life, etc.

    MMOs being addictive is not unique to WoW, it just happens to be the most popular example. Every MMO is addictive, that's how they work. If you can't accept that or the consequences, you shouldn't play them and you shouldn't allow your kids to play them until they understand this.

    /rant off

    Edit: I want to be clear here, I don't condone what the guy did or anything..but if anything blame him and his family / friends, don't blame the company.

    Spawnbroker on
    Steam: Spawnbroker
  • Al_watAl_wat Registered User regular
    edited March 2007
    The term "Evercrack" didn't come from nowhere.

    Al_wat on
  • JJJJ DailyStormer Registered User regular
    edited March 2007
    I was vehemently against MMOs until I got a trial disc for WOW with another game.

    I haven't bought it but I still read WoW forums and shit and mess around with creating specs.

    JJ on
  • kaliyamakaliyama Left to find less-moderated fora Registered User regular
    edited March 2007
    Blaming the company that provides a computer game service to people is like blaming McDonalds because you got fat. Yes, the game might be addictive...but Blizzard didn't force you to play it, or buy it, or sit down and play it until you die. There are even messages in the game telling you to make sure you leave enough time for your friends, family, social life, etc.

    MMOs being addictive is not unique to WoW, it just happens to be the most popular example. Every MMO is addictive, that's how they work. If you can't accept that or the consequences, you shouldn't play them and you shouldn't allow your kids to play them until they understand this.

    /rant off

    Edit: I want to be clear here, I don't condone what the guy did or anything..but if anything blame him and his family / friends, don't blame the company.

    The drug dealer sells the stuff but he doesn't MAKE you use it. Blaming the pusher who provides a drug service to people is like blaming McDonalds because you got fat. Yes, the drug might be addictive..but the drug dealer didn't force you to use it, or buy it, or sit down and use it until you die.

    Drugs being addictive aren't unique to heroin, it just happens to be the most popular example. Every drug is addictive, that's ow they work .if you can't accept that or the consequences, you shouldn't use them and you shouldn't allow your kids to use them until they understand this.

    I happen to think we should decriminalize drug use. Not because I want more people to use drugs, but because we're going to be better able to treat addiction and get people to stop using drugs if we decriminalize.

    Similarly, banning MMOs or regulating them heavily is a bad idea. But we need to realize their structure and incentive system in a postindustrialized, increasingly atomized society is going to make them psychologically addictive and warp a lot of lives further unless we start helping people who abuse them.

    kaliyama on
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  • TehSpectreTehSpectre Registered User regular
    edited March 2007
    kaliyama wrote:
    I happen to think we should decriminalize drug use. Not because I want more people to use drugs, but because we're going to be better able to treat addiction and get people to stop using drugs if we decriminalize.
    Man, what?
    By decriminalizing drugs you are just asking for kids or anyone else who normally wouldn't be tempted to use to get ahold of this kind of shit. Yes, rehab clinics and addiction specialists will increase, but so will the addicts.

    To compare drug use to a game is insane.

    TehSpectre on
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  • ViolentChemistryViolentChemistry __BANNED USERS regular
    edited March 2007
    TehSpectre wrote: »
    To compare drug use to a game is insane.

    Not entirely. Marijuana is exactly as addictive as videogames (which is to say "not at all unless you allow yourself to form a psychological dependency), and roughly as harmful (in other words, don't do either while you're driving).

    ViolentChemistry on
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