Gaming can kill you
by Christopher Lohman · in General Discussion · 10/11/2002 (7:56 am) · 22 replies
Heh, just had to pass this along. I'm sure most have seen it by now.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/10/10/1034061260831.html
Man dies after playing computer games non-stop
October 10 2002
A 24-year-old South Korean man died after playing computer games nonstop for 86 hours, police said yesterday.
The jobless man, identified by police only by his last name Kim, was found dead at an Internet cafe in Kwangju, 260 kilometres southwest of Seoul, they said.
Quoting witnesses, police detective Oh Myong-sik in Kwangju said the man had been virtually glued to the computer since late last Friday and had no decent sleep and meals.
The man collapsed in front of the counter early yesterday but soon regained consciousness. He then went to the toilet where he later was found dead, the police officer said.
Initial investigation ruled out the possibility of murder, police said. An autopsy was planned.
South Korea is among the world's most Internet-savvy nations with more than half of its 47 million people having access to the Internet. South Korea has some 22,000 Internet cafes, also known as PC rooms.
Many PC rooms are open 24 hours, but no minors are allowed after 10 pm.
AP
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/10/10/1034061260831.html
Man dies after playing computer games non-stop
October 10 2002
A 24-year-old South Korean man died after playing computer games nonstop for 86 hours, police said yesterday.
The jobless man, identified by police only by his last name Kim, was found dead at an Internet cafe in Kwangju, 260 kilometres southwest of Seoul, they said.
Quoting witnesses, police detective Oh Myong-sik in Kwangju said the man had been virtually glued to the computer since late last Friday and had no decent sleep and meals.
The man collapsed in front of the counter early yesterday but soon regained consciousness. He then went to the toilet where he later was found dead, the police officer said.
Initial investigation ruled out the possibility of murder, police said. An autopsy was planned.
South Korea is among the world's most Internet-savvy nations with more than half of its 47 million people having access to the Internet. South Korea has some 22,000 Internet cafes, also known as PC rooms.
Many PC rooms are open 24 hours, but no minors are allowed after 10 pm.
AP
#2
Gaming didn't kill this guy, or at least, not *directly*
It seems that he was either addicted to the game(s) he was playing, or he was using the game(s) as an escape route from the real world.
It mentions he has no job - if he couldn't get one, wouldn't that be all the more reason to escape into the world of gaming?
You could even interpret it as suicide.
In my opinion, there should be some law(or at least some help) that prevents people from doing this(aka staying in internet cafe's for 86 hours).
I don't think he was playing one game... I'm pretty sure you'd get bored playing the same game for 86 hours =)
10/11/2002 (8:29 am)
I agree with myk,Gaming didn't kill this guy, or at least, not *directly*
It seems that he was either addicted to the game(s) he was playing, or he was using the game(s) as an escape route from the real world.
It mentions he has no job - if he couldn't get one, wouldn't that be all the more reason to escape into the world of gaming?
You could even interpret it as suicide.
In my opinion, there should be some law(or at least some help) that prevents people from doing this(aka staying in internet cafe's for 86 hours).
I don't think he was playing one game... I'm pretty sure you'd get bored playing the same game for 86 hours =)
#3
10/11/2002 (9:54 am)
not starcraft ;) 
#4
10/11/2002 (10:17 am)
It was probably Everquest, he was camping an item and didn't want to miss the spawn ;)
#5
10/11/2002 (11:12 am)
Yeah, actually if you read the report, you'll see that he died on the toilet, not whilst playing. :) 
#7
Apparently the establishment felt he was good for the money or they would not have let him continue playing.
Saying he was jobless is misleading - he may have been independently wealthy.
In Korea as well as other parts of the world being labeled as jobless is tantamount to saying he was of no value to society.
I think this may be the tip of a very nasty iceberg...
10/11/2002 (11:35 am)
A typical Korean Internet cafe charges 10.00 US per hour of play. Where did a jobless man get 860.00? Apparently the establishment felt he was good for the money or they would not have let him continue playing.
Saying he was jobless is misleading - he may have been independently wealthy.
In Korea as well as other parts of the world being labeled as jobless is tantamount to saying he was of no value to society.
I think this may be the tip of a very nasty iceberg...
#9
10/16/2002 (2:00 pm)
This guy was an amateur. Any real gamer can eat, drink, and be merry for weeks on end while playing a game. ;-) 
#10
10/16/2002 (10:45 pm)
It was probably the cafe owner that killed him after racking up a $900(US) tab.
#11
A typical Korean Internet cafe charges just $1.00(US) per hour of play, NOT $10.00...
Bryan
11/04/2005 (1:40 am)
Hi, David~A typical Korean Internet cafe charges just $1.00(US) per hour of play, NOT $10.00...
Bryan
#12
11/05/2005 (6:13 am)
Where they milk you is the drinks :p
#13
11/05/2005 (6:29 am)
He was depressed so all he could do is play video games, but its his dumb fault for not getting and sleep or food.
#14
That is just scary...
Bet he was playing an MMORPG
11/05/2005 (7:10 am)
I understand being addicted to a game, but even then,I still get up to eat drink etc...That is just scary...
Bet he was playing an MMORPG
#15
11/05/2005 (7:46 am)
I'm pretty sure it was Starcraft. Certainly if this is the same Korean guy who lost his job and died after a video game benge that I heard about a few months ago.
#16
11/05/2005 (8:31 am)
I don't think it's starcraft, I think it was Lineage or Lineage II, its very popular over there.
#17
11/05/2005 (10:26 am)
Yeah. Wasn't Lineage originally a Korean game?
#18
EDIT:
More notably... the year is 2002. Korea's SC popularity was massive in 2k2, and since the article is really old... I'm pretty sure it's the same one.
11/05/2005 (11:44 am)
Unless its a common occurence for people to die after 3 days of gaming in a cyber cafee in Korea, then it was Starcraft.EDIT:
More notably... the year is 2002. Korea's SC popularity was massive in 2k2, and since the article is really old... I'm pretty sure it's the same one.
#19
01/17/2006 (6:47 pm)
I've heard something about an event like this. I am pretty sure it was Lineage 2, though i don't have the guts to dive in with my gaming mags to find out...
#20
01/18/2006 (11:06 am)
I died after playing WoW 3 days straight. Now I'm living in an afterlife where the only games are knock-off pac-man games that crash just before you finish each level. 
Torque Owner Myk Sanders
I wonder though...what game is that good that one could play for 86 hours?
~myk