Marauding space aliens and their ilk aren't the true dangers that lurk within your favorite
video games. What you really need to be worried about are blood clots, a lack of movement,
and a vulnerability to game-induced psychosis. It might look like you’re just sitting there
on your couch, but the reality of what your body and mind are going through is pretty
intense. There have been many unfortunate gamers who've paid for their passion. Here
are a few heartbreaking stories to remind us that video games can be pretty serious
business.
The Berzerk heart attack
It may not look like much, but Berzerk is one of the earliest known examples of a video
game ending in actual tragedy. In April of 1982, an 18-year-old named Peter Bukowski landed
a couple of high scores on a Berzerk arcade cabinet before collapsing from a heart attack.
Doctors later found out that he had a compromised cardiovascular system, which was agitated
beyond repair by the game. An October 1982 article in Video Games Magazine cites studies
that used Pong to measure physiological reactions to video game induced stress, dating as far
as 1977. The body’s physical reaction to on-screen events was found to be pretty significant.
The EverQuest tragedy
EverQuest, affectionately called "EverCrack" or "NeverRest" by its many dedicated fans,
is an online game known for drawing in easily-addicted gamers. The draw is so intense that it’s
well known to break apart relationships and cause people to ignore real-life responsibilities.
Shawn Woolley took his EverQuest passion to the extreme in 2002, quitting his job to play
full-time. After he ignored a Thanksgiving invitation from his family, his loved ones
found Woolley lifeless in front of his computer from a self-inflicted gunshot wound—with
EverQuest still running. Woolley took his own life for unknown reasons, but evidence
suggested that it may have been related to a troubled in-game relationship. Shawn’s
mother later accused the publisher of intentionally harming her son:
"I didn't know the game was written to get him in there, to draw him in there and to
keep him in there so that they could make money."
The Legend of Mir 3 stabbing
It’s another online gaming incident with tragic, real-life ramifications. Legend of
Mir players Qiu Chengwei and Zhu Caoyuan jointly earned a very rare, very virtual Dragon Sabre
sword in 2005. But Zhu decided to sell the sword on eBay without Qiu's consent, earning
around $870 for the sale. The two players couldn't come to a reasonable agreement as
to proper disbursal of payment for the sword, so Qiu stabbed Zhu in his sleep.
Qiu was sentenced to life in prison, but will be eligible for parole in 2020.
The FarmVille maniac
Sadly, even FarmVille can turn evil in the wrong hands. Alexandra Tobias, a 22-year-old
mother, was so addicted to the game that she shook her three-month-old son to lifelessness because
his crying interrupted her playing. Tobias received a 50-year prison sentence for her
actions in 2011. At one point, she allegedly confessed to a fellow inmate that she hit
her baby's head against the computer monitor in the process of trying to shake him into
silence.
Unfortunately, it’s not all that uncommon for children to suffer while parents game.
The World of Warcraft maniac
The story of Rebecca Colleen Christie offers a worst-case scenario when it comes to game
addiction. Christie spent such an inordinate amount of time playing Warcraft that she allowed
her three-year-old daughter to starve. Prosecutors found that Christie had just engaged
in a nonstop 15-hour Warcraft session prior to finally calling 911 for her daughter, who
was found unresponsive. She was subsequently sentenced to 25 years in prison for the crime
of neglect.
On the other hand, some parents go above and beyond for their kids, as we see next.
Water intoxication for a Nintendo Wii
In 2007, the Nintendo Wii was still hard to get in the US, so the Sacramento-based radio
station KDND decided to run a contest giving one of the consoles away. The challenge? Drink
a huge amount of water without urinating, and whoever went last won the Nintendo system.
Unfortunately, water intoxication can be fatal, and contestant Jennifer Strange collapsed
and perished after failing to win the prize for her children. The station fired ten employees
and lost a $16 million lawsuit for the juvenile stunt.
The Ingress incident
A mobile app that requires you to get up and move around seems like a great idea, until
that app sends you directly into traffic. Gabriel Leao was an unfortunate casualty of
truly mobile gaming. While playing Ingress in 2014, the 16-year-old Brazilian teen lost
track of his surroundings while rushing to a "portal" in the game, and was hit by
an oncoming bus. While Ingress has built-in limits to prevent certain unsafe behaviors,
there was nothing to stop an absorbed and enthusiastic kid from walking into a busy
street. The limits also didn't help Frank Maxwell, a 48-year-old father who drowned
near a pier in Ireland while playing the game in 2015.
The Slender stabbing… and arson
Slender: The Arrival didn't directly slay anyone, but an obsession with its main baddie
influenced a few impressionable young girls to do some insidious things. In May of 2014,
two 12-year-old girls from Cincinnati, Ohio stabbed their classmate 19 times, believing
that they had to axe someone in order to appease the mythical villain, Slender Man.
Just as disturbing is the case of a 14-year-old girl who set her family's Florida home on
fire, with her mother and younger brother still inside. Fortunately, no one was harmed.
The girl was also obsessed with Slender Man lore, and reportedly started the fire in order
to gain his favor.
The deadly Diablo III, Halo, StarCraft, and Warcraft marathons
Gamers, please note: you have to get up and move around sometimes, because the list of
losses from sitting on your butt and twiddling your thumbs just keeps growing. In 2012, an
18-year-old named Chuang passed away in an Internet cafe in Taiwan after 40 continuous hours of
Diablo III—the second marathon game-related tragedy in Taiwan that year. In 2011, England’s
Chris Staniforth passed away from deep vein thrombosis after playing 12 hours of Halo. In 2005, Lee
Seung Seop passed away in South Korea after 50 hours of StarCraft. The list doesn’t end there,
and it goes on quite a while.
Moral of the story: don't take extended gameplay lightly. Even when you're in the thick of
the action, remember that the pause button exists. Take a break, stand up, get some water,
and move around every once in a while. It’ll be there when you get back.
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