OK, I know that this post is not specific to Nintendo. However, I can remember my friends and I having weekend video game marathons almost every weekend when we were younger. The typical weekend would start with a visit to P.J.’s video (Out of Business) on Friday evening after school. We would browse the Nintendo games, choose two or three and then head to the grocery store for Dr. pepper 2 liters, chips, and candy. When we arrived home, we would play almost nonstop until Sunday evening when the games were due back. Rarely did we not complete a game in the three day period.
In Taiwan, a young man from Tainan collapsed after playing a 40 hour marathon of Diablo III. At 18 years old, the young man named Chuang, rented a private room in an internet cafe. During his play through, he did not sleep at all. So, he was up for a minimum of forty hours, but probably much longer.
The young man was found slumped over by other gamers. They were able to wake him, although he died at the hospital.
What made his 40 hour experience different from what my friends and I would experience when we were younger? I would have to say that we did not eat or drink healthy, and we also did not get sleep during our weekends. The biggest difference was mobility. Chuang was reported to have sat at the computer for the forty hours playing without stopping. The lack of movement could have caused many health problems including blood clots.
“They speculated that long hours in a sedentary position created cardiovascular problems for Chuang”, the Australian reported.
When my friends and I would play, we would get excited, jump around, make constant trips to the bathroom to make room for more Dr. Pepper, and act like fools. So, even though we were not eating healthy, we would get plenty of exercise while playing.
With work and Family responsibilities now, I am lucky to get in a couple hours at a time, so long gone are the days of gaming marathons. Although, if I had the chance to play through Ultima: Quest of the Avatar in one sitting again, I would do it in a heartbeat.
What was your most memorable gaming marathon? Have you ever gotten ill from gaming (Nintendo Thumb does not count).
