A Game To Die For?

   So it would seem if a report out of Australia is true. Media "down under" are reporting an 18 year old Taiwanese man died after playing Blizzard Entertainment's on-line game "Diablo 3". The report goes on to say the young man played for 40 straight hours, and apparently didn't eat after booking time in a private on-line gaming room. You probably know how big Diablo 3 is. It set pre-order records prior to release, and has been a top seller since.
   Anyway, an attendant found the youth resting on a table, and woke him. But the man only managed to take a few steps before collapsing. He later died in hospital.
   Just what the cause is has not yet been released, but a likely candidate is deep vein thrombosis. It happens to quite a few people on very long flights overseas, and basically a blood clot forms in a leg vein due to a lack of proper circulation and can travel to the heart or lungs, sometimes causing death.
   It's happened to gamers in the past. A 20 year old died after a 12 hour session playing video games without a bathroom break. A 23 year old man Taiwan died after playing an on-line game for hours on end, and a 30 year old Chinese man died after staying up playing for 3 whole days without eating or drinking much of anything.
   Now I must admit I'm a "game-head" myself, and can and have sat for hours happily clicking away on my mouse and keyboard. But I have never been at it for more than 5 or 6 hours at a stretch, and I do take time to get up and stretch. And go to the bathroom. Or get a drink. Or a snack. Whatever, just as long as I can get out of my chair for 5 or 10 minutes.
   And unlike our victims, I will log off or find a safe haven so my character doesn't "die". Or me either.
   A hard lesson learned, but maybe, just maybe, someone will learn and avoid becoming another casualty. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to log off go to the bathroom. And get a drink. And a snack. And have a stretch.
   'Nuff said.