New Year's gaming gorge ends in death

by James Ransom-Wiley { Feb 28th 2007 at 12:23PM }

A 26-year-old man from northeastern China collapsed and died Saturday after a "marathon" gaming session. Identified by his surname Zhang, the man had reportedly spent nearly all of his week-long Lunar New Year vacation playing online games. A doctor ruled the cause of death to be "overwork and obesity" -- Zhang weighed roughly 330 pounds.

Zhang has been classified as an internet addict, a growing concern for the Chinese government, which has taken action in recent years to address this latest social ill, launching a rehab clinic and testing a system that regulates online gamers' playtime. The government has classified 2.6 million of the country's 20 million internet users under 18 as addicts. Said a young female middle school teacher of Zhang's death, "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?" In response, the local government has been urged to organize more "traditional activities" to entertain its citizens during the week of celebration.

Tags: Beijing, China

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Revolution @ Feb 28th 2007 2:11PM

God, I feel like such a bastard that I still lawl when somebody says "did he drop any good loot?". Oh to burn for eternity. If laughing at retards didn't already put me in hell there are several other things that might. Like laughing at dead people and the quality of their loot.

sheppy @ Feb 28th 2007 12:27PM

2.6 million chinese gamers rose, offended at the generalizations of their demographic. And immediately sat back down, patting heavily.

Charles @ Feb 28th 2007 12:30PM

exactly what were they "patting"? ;(

3cubedminus3squared @ Feb 28th 2007 12:30PM

"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?"

You can go outside and play a sport or have a cookout. Or is that not aloud in China?

sheppy @ Feb 28th 2007 12:32PM

damnit....

"panting"

That's what I get for typing in a hurry.

beans @ Feb 28th 2007 12:34PM

did he drop any good loot?

Zertoss @ Feb 28th 2007 12:37PM

Damn, back when Diablo 2 came out, a buddy of mine and I played for 24 hours straight... almost. We did take breaks to eat, get something to drink, or go to the bathroom. But during that whole time, we never logged out of Battle.net.

I think a lot of these people need to realize that they are human, and the other players are human as well. We all need to eat, drink, sleep, and go to the bathroom. For 3 of those, most other players will be happy to wait for you, maybe even take the opportunity to grab a bite themselves. For sleeping, most other players will be happy to catch you up to the others if they went on without you, or they may call it a night too.

The point is, everything will be OK if you log out, or at least stop playing for a while. Also, getting out and getting some exercise will give you more energy for the occasional marathon gaming session. I know my buddy and I probably wouldn't have made it if we weighed 330 pounds. No, we were in decent shape, and we took care of ourselves.

Todd @ Feb 28th 2007 12:45PM

I bet he was playing Star Wars Galaxies or EverQuest! ;)

Larry @ Feb 28th 2007 12:47PM

The real question is whether he owned a 360 or a PS3. We can rule out the Wii, that would've killed the poor bastard.

Yayaja @ Feb 28th 2007 1:06PM

I'm sure there will be many people who place the blame on videogames, but what they don't realize is that ANYTHING that give pleasure can be addicting. I'll guarantee that every form of pleasure ever has at some point gotten someone addicted to it. The problem is not in the medium, the problem is human. As Agent Smith said "Only Human."

0ldb0y @ Feb 28th 2007 1:13PM

AI will never have to rise to battle for survival against humanity (like in the Matrix) if people continue killing themselves off on modern day PCs. They're winning the battle, and they're not even cognizant yet!

x876543 @ Feb 28th 2007 1:18PM

So the internet was created to kill off fat people?

Poisoned Al @ Feb 28th 2007 1:34PM

Yeah what Zertoss said. Being fitter makes you a better gamer. I'm not talking flat stomach here or anything, just the ability to walk down the shops and back without dying of a heart attack will do. Being relaitvly in shape and getting enough sleep will make you far more sharp then any of these energy drinks or snack bars ever will. Remember kids, caffeine does NOT make you sharper or helps you concentrate, it just makes you jumpy.

Aurum @ Feb 28th 2007 1:57PM

@1, I think you might mean:

2.6 million chinese gamers rose, offended at the generalizations of their demographic. And immediately we're descended upon by Soldiers and tanks from the 27th and 28th Armies of the People's Liberation Army using lethal force.

Entry of the troops into the city was actively opposed by many citizens of Beijing. Protesters burned public buses and used them as roadblocks to stop the military's progress. The battle continued on the streets surrounding the Square, with protesters repeatedly advancing toward the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and constructing barricades with vehicles, while the PLA attempted to clear the streets using tear gas.

Many injured citizens were saved by rickshaw drivers who ventured into the no-man's-land between the soldiers and crowds and carried the wounded off to hospitals. After the attack on the square, live television coverage showed many people wearing black armbands in protest of the government's action, crowding various boulevards or congregating by burnt out and smoking barricades. Meanwhile, the PLA systematically established checkpoints around the city, chasing after protesters and blocking off the university district.

This post is totally gonna get joystiq banned off of Chinese ISP servers.....

ssuk @ Feb 28th 2007 2:29PM

@3: Yeah, because everyone has perfect health and is in a prime location to go out and do such things. Man, the next time I have to comment on someone either not using their brain or just being narrow minded, I swear to god there'll be civil war.

sheppy @ Feb 28th 2007 3:46PM

"So the internet was created to kill off fat people?"

Not exactly, but WOW was. Meanwhile, MySpace was created to centralize all the sluts so we know who to aim for when we go out drinking. Ah, the internets... your services continue to better mankind.