Myth or Fact?
TTH reported on another death of a gamer in Korea. Now, Eurogamer
has news for you obsessed players out there: "Online Gaming Can Kill You".
Just a week after another South Korean man collapsed and died following a
mammoth gaming session, a new report on the phenomenon has been published
by the National Institute of Scientific Investigation.According to Korean news site Digital Chosunilbo, the report states that
the main cause of death amongst people playing computer games is pulmonary
thrombo-embolism. Dr Song Hyeong-gon of the Samsung Seoul hospital told the
site that the risk is higher for gamers due to the nature of their preferred
activity."People who haven't slept for a long time usually don't realise how
exhausted or stressed they are," he said.
"Because they are stressed by the obsession with winning the game, they
consume a considerable amount of energy. In such a physically exhausted condition,
exposure to bright colors or stimulating images on the screen is likely to
irritate the cerebral cortex and can cause sudden death."Apparently Korean gamers are also at high risk because many of them play
in Internet cafés, which are often dark, badly ventilated and full
of cigarette smoke. And because some spend long periods of time sitting at
their PC without moving, they're also at risk of deep vein thrombosis.
