Taipei man dies after playing video games for three days straight
PUBLISHED : Saturday, 17 January, 2015, 5:01pm
UPDATED : Sunday, 18 January, 2015, 6:22am
Agence France-Presse in Taipei
Students play video games at one of the largest internet coffee shops in Taiwan. Photo: AFP
A 32-year-old man died after a three-day gaming binge at an internet cafe in Taiwan's southern city of Kaohsiung, the second such case this year, a report said yesterday.
The man, identified by his family name Hsieh, was found slumped motionless in his chair in the cafe. Other patrons initially thought he was sleeping, but when an employee realised he was not breathing, he was rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the Taipei Times reported.
Doctors said he had suffered cardiac failure, ruling it a "sudden death" from prolonged computer gaming, the report said.
"Hsieh was a regular customer here and always played for consecutive days. When tired, he would sleep face-down on the table or doze off slumped in his chair. That is why we were not aware of his condition in the beginning," the employee was quoted as saying.
It was not clear what Hsieh was playing at the time of his death, with the report describing it only as "combat computer games".
The case came after a 38-year-old man was found dead at an internet cafe in New Taipei City on New Year's Day following a five-day binge of video gaming.
Police said that in both cases other patrons appeared nonchalant about the deaths, and continued playing even when tables were cordoned off as investigators gathered evidence.
In July 2012, an 18-year-old was found dead at an internet cafe in Tainan after playing games for 40 hours straight.
