Korean man dies from WoW binge

burkhartdesu · (#1 (**permalink**))

I found this on Google -- thought it was interesting...

Seriously, this can't be real. World of Warcraft isn't that awesome.

I was reading the paper today about a man in South Korea who went on a 50 hour binge playing World of Warcraft and died of heart failure, caused by dehydration and starvation. Can video games become so engrossing that it numbs all effects such as hunger, thirst, or pain? It's hard to believe that he would not grab something to eat after playing for a little over 2 days straight. The article said that this kind of thing happens all the time in South Korea, not to the extreme of dying though.

Man Dies From Playing World Of Warcraft

Koir · (#2 (**permalink**))

It has very little to do with the game itself, and more in how certain people with addictive tendencies react to the never-ending nature of the game itself. The game does have to offer that kind of ongoing gameplay or else many players would stop playing fairly quickly.

Also, if a person's life status isn't all that great, games like WoW can provide the escape they crave. Being an all powerful whatever online can be so empowering and superior to "reality" that a person could easily lose themselves in the make-believe universe and leave the real one behind.

Note: I never have, nor ever will, play WoW. Never was immersed in the game realm, and I'm completely opposed to the monthly pricing model.

PockyMePink · (#3 (**permalink**))

It sounds reasonable...I've heard lots of horrible things that have happened from playing that game. This doesn't surprise me in the least.

BusterWolfXII · (#4 (**permalink**))

I heard about this a LONG time ago, when my friend was looking on a website that dealt with video game-related deaths, which basically means deaths where video games have been mentioned, in a "oh, by the way, the killer played Halo every night until 4 A.M. with his buddies" kinda thing or "His parents took his game system away so he shot and killed them with a gun."

And I'm actually not surprised this would happen. People get addicted. It's not the game's fault, I'm sure the people at Blizzard never intended it to get that bad but it's not their fault. It's people's responsibilities to know their limits. If that's how it works with drinking, smoking and gambling, that's how it works with video games too.

Ohad · (#5 (**permalink**))

That is insane. The longest playing time period I've ever had in a row was 3 hours playing online. 50 hours? Seriously, what the heck?

I am sorry for him and his family.

iPhantom · (#6 (**permalink**))

Wow, what level did he get at? I'm curious!

MMM · (#7 (**permalink**))

This was from a few years ago, and he was playing Starcraft

BBC NEWS | Technology | S Korean dies after games session

Kenpachi11 · (#8 (**permalink**))

Quote:

Originally Posted by MMM

This was from a few years ago, and he was playing Starcraft

BBC NEWS | Technology | S Korean dies after games session

i remember hearging about that. they are real dedicated to their starcraft!

burkhartdesu · (#9 (**permalink**))

MMM,

That's why I figured it wasn't true... What South Korean plays World of Warcraft?

Starcraft, now that I can believe

MMM · (#10 (**permalink**))

Quote:

Originally Posted by burkhartdesu

MMM,

That's why I figured it wasn't true... What South Korean plays World of Warcraft?

Starcraft, now that I can believe

They love it there. Don't ask me why.