Man dies after 50-hour gaming marathon

by James Ransom-Wiley { Aug 9th 2005 at 3:00PM }

bloodshot eye A South Korean man died Tuesday, just after completing a 50-hour gaming session at a local Internet cafe—stopping only to use the bathroom and take briefs naps on a makeshift bed. The man, identified by his family name, Lee, had recently quit his job to pursue on-line gaming. It's unclear whether this was merely an addiction, or if Lee had dreams of becoming a professional player. Friends found Lee inside the cafe after he was missing for several days, urging him to go home. He agreed, but died, presumably of heart failure due to exhaustion, shortly after leaving.

[Thanks, Adam]

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Lectoid @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM

Dibs on his character.

Me @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM

Lectiod, That is really F*cked Up! For real!!

K @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM

Hasn't this happened several times before? The exact same thing happened to another South Korean man, except he was at the internet cafe for about a week. I remember reports of a man in Taiwan who, also for a week, went to an internet cafe straight from work, and would play some MMORPG until the following morning, when he'd go back to work. Police find him slumped over a keyboard, dead.

Jim Daschle @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM

Remember, kids! It's okay to become addicted to online games and play nothing else, but don't do it for fifty hours straight! :P

Finished.Law.School @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM

Sounds fine as long as it not another asshole leaving their kids to rot while they are out playing video games.

OtakuCODE @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM

This guy must have had something wrong with him... exhausted to the point of DEATH after only 50 hours? Come on... if that were possible in a healthy human being, no boy would survive 3 days after discovering masturbation!

Christopher7xii @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM

Remember, kids! It's okay to become addicted to online games, just don't quit your job before doing so! I mean, say you're not one of the lucky ones that die playing your MMO, how are you going to support your habbit? Sucking dick for coke is one thing, you have a physical dependancy on it. Blowing some dude for a geeky past-time is just a sad sad site.

Cletus @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM

I would normally tell a guy who plays 50-hour gaming sessions to get a life. In this case...I guess I can still say the same thing...twice.

hackerjoe @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM

somthings wrong with these people. when i got my N64 when i was like 8 me and my dad played this star wars game for 48 hours and we only stopped to eat but most of the time we would eat in turns so we never really stopped playing. we didnt sleep at all. u never hear about this in the us.

omg wtfg @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM

50 hours... only? My friend got through 4 days of non-stop gaming.

illusion @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM

#8 it's because American's are made of stronger stuff, and South Koreans...are well....less tough in completing gaming marathons

-ill-out-

ShadyRudy @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM

Sounds Familiar to me:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2002/10/10/man_dies_playing_computer_games/
from 2002. I believe this was also reported in Australia or New Zealand.

scott @ Dec 18th 2005 9:59PM

This happens at least twice a year in South Corea ever since Starcraft. Then came Lineage. And now WOW. There are more Coreans online than any other nation in the world. They have gaming tournaments televised nationally on major stations (not little niche cable channels like G4). Coreans have owned the MMO world for a decade. The n00bs just don't know it yet. Do a search.