August 9, 2005 at 5:05 pm
from the Yahoo website, via Reuters New Agency
S.Korean man dies after 50 hours of computer games
SEOUL (Reuters) – A South Korean man who played computer games for 50 hours almost non-stop died of heart failure minutes after finishing his mammoth session in an Internet cafe, authorities said on Tuesday.
The 28-year-old man, identified only by his family name Lee, had been playing on-line battle simulation games at the cybercafe in the southeastern city of Taegu, police said.
Lee had planted himself in front of a computer monitor to play on-line games on August 3. He only left the spot over the next three days to go to the toilet and take brief naps on a makeshift bed, they said.
“We presume the cause of death was heart failure stemming from exhaustion,” a Taegu provincial police official said by telephone.
Lee had recently quit his job to spend more time playing games, the daily JoongAng Ilbo reported after interviewing former work colleagues and staff at the Internet cafe.
After he failed to return home, Lee’s mother asked his former colleagues to find him. When they reached the cafe, Lee said he would finish the game and then go home, the paper reported.
He died a few minutes later, it said.
South Korea, one of the most wired countries in the world, has a large and highly developed game industry. “
you think the family will sue the game producer?
By: adamdowley - 10th August 2005 at 12:56
Ive worked it out! He was playing the real life game version of ‘The Ring’.
By: laviticus - 9th August 2005 at 23:06
Only 50 hours,what a poof,any one over 35 who remembers the early text adventure games, knows 50 hours would just about get you out of the Forrest on the road to the spooky castle.
By: adamdowley - 9th August 2005 at 17:45
the article came up on the BT Yahoo page and is dated today. the story is also on the Reuters webpage
By: Rlangham - 9th August 2005 at 17:24
When was this? Remember reading an almost identical case on the ‘net about three years back, was South Korea too.