Taiwan Teen Dies After Playing 40 Straight Hours of Diablo 3

From Apple Daily:

19 Year old dies after playing 40 straight hours of Diablo

A 19 year old boy in Tainan surnamed Zhuang, played Diablo 3 in an internet cafe non-stop for 40 hours, only drinking water and not eating. The day before yesterday in the early morning he mumbled to himself ‘I feel uncomfortable, I want some fresh air’, then went outside the internet cafe and collapsed and did not recover. The police announced that because the boy had sat for so long in the internet cafe, he suffered a pulmonary vein embolism and suddenly died. The boy’s mother identified the corpse and while weeping said ‘Sweetheart’, the police are today planning to conduct an autopsy to establish the cause of death.

The police investigator revealed the boy to be Zhuang Zhengfeng (19 years old) who was about 170cm, strong and healthy. His parents have been divorced for many years, and he lived together with his paternal grandparents in Hsinying. Last Friday at noon, Zhuang called and told his grandmother that he wanted to ride to Yuching to meet friends, but because his friend wasn’t home, he went to a 24-hour internet cafe in Yuching to play online computer games.

An assistant in the internet cafe named Chen said Zhuang has in recent months often come to the internet cafe to play online games (probably to play the currently most popular ‘Diablo 3’). Zhuang always played for a very long time, from afternoon until late night before leaving. Every hour someone was chosen to collect the fee, with the fee being 40 kuai an hour. The day before yesterday at 5 in the morning, Zhuang was lying on his keyboard, and the assistant went and shook him awake. He heard Zhuang mumble ‘I feel uncomfortable, I want some fresh air’ with an empty look in his eyes, never imagining that the moment Zhuang walked out of the internet cafe, he would immediately collapse, vomit, and then lose consciousness. The assistant saw Zhuang and called 119.

Zhuang was taken to Tainan hospital’s Xinhua branch, during which time first aid personnel gave him CPR, and momentarily revived him, but he still passed away by the time they they reached the hospital. Tainan Kuo General Hospital Heart Department head Lu Yanyuan said, “The deceased sat for a long time in the internet cafe, his blood flow slowed and produced a blood clot, and the clot flowed through his lungs to the vein, this likely caused a pulmonary vein embolism and sudden death. It’s also possible that continuously playing several days of online computer games, there was too much excitement, and lead to his sympathetic nerves being impacted, making his heartbeat abnormal and causing sudden death.

Police investigators yesterday announced, initial investigations revealed no external injuries, and today planned an autopsy to establish the cause of death. The departed’s friend said the departed had previously attended Taekwondo competitions, and was physically fit and strong, but he really loved playing online computer games, and had previously worked in an internet cafe part-time, to conveniently save money and practice his skills. Afterwards he thought that the pay was too low, so he resigned, and planned on going to Yuching to live with friends and find work. Around ten days ago he packed his bags and moved, and now he is a cold dead body, it is a real shock.

Comments From Apple Daily:

賴建華:

GAME OVER~ No reset button to press!

呂朝輝:

I feel like sleeping after playing for 40 minutes, much less 40 hours, incredible.

Steve Lin:

Taiwan’s lost a talented person, what a pity…

Fish Chen:

It seems internet cafes are getting more and more sinister…

Ginny Ko:

He was playing Diablo 3 Expert mode, its all over when you die.

潘鳳:

Youth is a diminishing resource, even those with lots need to take care of it… sigh.

菜皿折:

Diablo 3 is really too terrifying!

許世和:

Are internet cafe’s this serious? = = If oneself is stupid, and flaunts their superiority then who is too blame…?

Jing Yi Lin:

There have already been so many cases like this! Why are people risking their lives staying up overnight playing games [nonstop for long periods of time]?

郭麟宏:

The government should create rules to make sure that you cannot exceed a few hours = Otherwise it will really turn into playing till death.

達爾文獎:

Not bad~ helping society eliminate useless people, he should be given a Darwin award.

在天堂要好好過:

Netizens are really cold-blooded. The boy didn’t steal, didn’t rob, didn’t hinder others, is there a need to talk about him this way?