I was going through the BBC RSS feeds when I came across this.
A Chinese man has died after a three-day online gaming session in which he did not sleep and barely ate, reports say.
The man reportedly lost consciousness at an Internet cafe on the outskirts of the Chinese capital, Beijing.
He was rushed to a clinic but could not be revived, the Beijing Times said.
The 30-year-old man, who was not identified, was said to have spent more than 10,000 yuan ($1,500; £928) on gaming in the month before his death.
China has more than 450 million internet users, and online games – which can involve multiple users role-playing in a virtual world – are particularly popular with young men.
Researchers say tens of millions of Chinese people – many of them teenagers – are addicted to internet gaming, despite curbs introduced by the authorities aimed at tackling the problem.
Similar deaths have occurred in other nations. In 2005, a 28-year-old man died in South Korea after playing online games for 50 hours without a break.
These Chinese and Koreans really have their gaming thing going on when it comes to MMORPGs. Recently, I also read about this young, early-30s Korean couple who spent more than 24 hours in a cyber cafe raising a virtual baby while their own infant starved to death. This is seriously WTF.
It’s really interesting to note the gaming cultural shifts when it comes to these Asian countries (not India). The Indian gaming community is currently too small to be considered, unlike places like China, South Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, etc., where you really see the MMO thing in full swing.
In my honest opinion, MMO games are very different from what I consider a “gaming experience.” MMO games are based on the illusion of being rewarded whenever one levels up, and that illusion makes the player a computer dweller, in his own world, disillusioned by the rewards, wasting away hours and hours without actually going through a unique gaming experience, because of continuous repetition. That’s the reason why I’ve never even touched World of Warcraft, or other MMORPGs. The one I’m playing right now is Lord of Ultima, which is designed in such a way that you don’t need to spend more than 10 minutes a day.
For me, a gaming experience is like a rollercoaster ride, where you go through all sorts of human emotion, experience a unique storyline, and focus on countless gaming elements, techniques, etc. There is a reason why I’d take the bullet for titles like GTA IV, Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, The Witcher, etc. These games cost me 2-3 months, considerably less than what MMOs cost you, and are unique experiences that involved deep understanding and also a little bit of learning, something you can remember and cherish and relate to.
So yes, don’t make yourself a computer dweller, living on Red Bull and cigarettes, spending 14 hours constant on a chair, even hesitating to take a leak; it’s going to mess you up major. And that is my iLLadvise.
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Your general impression of World of Warcraft is wrong. I’ve played the game and found it very addictive and soon I was hooked. It is in a way repetitive, but hey, aren’t all MMO’s like that? You speak about Koreans here, you should take a look and play some of their MMO’s, then you’ll know what grinding long hours really is.
Nonetheless, World of Warcraft and the Warcraft Universe in general has one of the longest, richest and most interesting story lines ever to be made in video games. Blizzard has been able to successfully maintain their lore and consistently deliver high quality expansions for the MMO every few years.
It’s the way how you play and how you perceive the game to be. Playing 14 hours everyday isn’t really necessary. There are many people who are casuals and spend only 1 or 2 hours everyday on their game. Some less. Yes, its P2P, but people get what they pay for, which is good quality, entertaining content.
On a side note, I’m a passionate Indian gamer myself and enjoyed reading some of the articles you’ve written. Keep it going :).
Abhishek, thank you for your constructive comments.
Obviously, WOW, no doubt, is a product of formidable computer engineering, introducing gameplay elements one never imagined. And I agree with you, when it comes it Blizzard, none can match their content, storyline etc.
You, like me, belong to the 1-2 hr category. See, the differences between us and the ‘8 hr a day’ category is basically, the way we ‘perceive’ the game and the way they do. We make our own experiences, and the thing about WOW is, it activates a certain human emotion, which I can totally concur to and understand, which is wrong. The emotion I’m talking about is the one you’ve read on my blog. ‘Addiction, Repetiveness, Sense of Winning/Loot Collection’, which basically ruin the ‘Beautiful Video Gaming Experience’ we look for in games.
Thank you for showing interest in the blog. Now we are a team of 3 writers and shall continue writing :)
I’m always interested in reading other gamer’s opinions and experiences.
A long time back, I too was part of the ‘8 hour a day’ category and I must admit it was pretty fun back then. You’re right, addiction and loot collection, undoubtedly, was of prime importance. You see, there are different type of gamers who have their own style and choice of playing games. While WoW may still be played in a hard core way, it also can played in one of the most interesting, engaging and absorbing experiences if you role-play a little and attentively follow the story through its quests and features. Ultimately, it depends on the gamer and how he views the game to be.
We’re a team of 3 writers now? Well, I’ve never written on anything related to Gaming but I’m thinking about giving it a shot now and maybe I can contribute to your blog sometimes if I do write anything. :)