Computer addict dead at screen

Sydney Morning Herald ^ | January 13 2003

[veronica]

A Hong Kong computer game enthusiast has been found slumped dead at a terminal in a game centre after playing non-stop for hours, police said on Sunday.

The 28-year-old was found slumped at his screen early on Saturday after he apparently had played the online game Diablo II since early Friday evening.

A policeman found him in the game centre shortly after 1am, five hours after he began playing the popular game, according to reports.

His death at a game centre in Hong Kong's Yuen Long district came eight months after a 17-year-old game centre employee was found dead after playing Diablo II through the night.

Warnings were posted in cyber cafes around Hong Kong advising customers not to spend too long playing games uninterrupted after the death of the teenager last May.

A police spokesman said today that an autopsy would be carried out to determine the cause of the death of the man.

[weikel]

Hold muh beer hmmm I always expected the 1st such death would be an evercrack head.

[Redcloak]

Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "Blue Screen of Death".

[Drango]

Yeah this happen to a couple of FReepers too. Take a 60 second break every 24 hours even if you think you don't need one.

[lelio]

advising customers not to spend too long playing games uninterrupted after the death of the teenager last May.
I love the run on sentence. Is it common pratice in Asian cultures not to play video games after the death of a fellow gamer?
How long till someone offers FReeper insurance just in case one of our own succumbs to the same fate?

[xrp]

I wonder why stories about people dying in their sleep while sleeping in their beds never makes the news.

[Under the Radar]

There have been several sensational news items like this posted, but I haven't seen any information about what actually kills these unfortunates. Blood clots? Heart attacks? Do they forget to breathe?

[BenLurkin]

[Semper Paratus]

Look for warning labels on the next version of Diablo.

[DWSUWF]

"...A police spokesman said today that an autopsy would be carried out to determine the cause of the death of the man..."

An 'X-Files' thing maybe?

You know, his soul sucked out of his body by the computer game. (probably through his eyes)

Any new game character icons show up on any of the player's screens since this happened?

[tubebender]

Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "Blue Screen of Death".ROTFLMAO...

[pepsionice]

This is actually the second guy reported from Asia, in the national press, since Oct. The other guy was from South Korea. I suspect that they take their gaming a bit too serious.

[sonserae]

I spend 16 hours a day at my computer for work. It hasn't killed me yet...but I guess it will eventually.

[xrp]

I'm predicting that one day, death will eventually kill me.

[veronica]

It's always something. If your computer doesn't kill you, an SUV will. ;)

[NormsRevenge]

Remember when the chickens were going bad in Hong Kong, maybe an online opponent slipped him a bad chicken nugget hence making him a victim of "Foul Play", urr, make that Fowl Play!

[weikel]

Hmmmm I think I should contact Adam Corolla and Jimmy Kimmel about their die like a man plan.

[AmishDude]

Computer games? Likely story. What was his FReeper name?

[lelio]

You might be interested in FReeper Online Death Insurance.
Any word if he signed up for diedonline.com?

[Glenn]

I spend 16 hours a day at my computer for work. It hasn't killed me yet...but I guess it will eventually.

You are correct. After my fifth heart cath in 18 months, I'm thinking about cutting back some.