Ohio teen collapses after four-day video game binge
After 96 hours of nearly nonstop videogaming, an Ohio teenager collapsed repeatedly. The boy’s mother reports that he became pale and his lips turned a shade of blue. He was taken to a local medical center for dehydration treatment after spending several days playing the first person shooter Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 on his Xbox 360. Doctors say the teen is likely to recover fully from the incident, but the boys parents say they have taken his Xbox 360 away from him.
Video game addiction, once considered for inclusion in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, has been a controversial topic connected to several fatal incidents in recent years, including the death of a Taiwanese teen who had gone without food in order to play an online fantasy game for 40 hours straight, and two Ohio parents whose teenage son was found guilty of murdering them after they refused to let him play the Xbox 360 first person shooter Halo 3. The teen’s defense attorney blamed his severe video game addiction for his crimes.
Health experts advise that gamers takes steps to prevent dehydration, starvation, or fatigue when playing video games for an extended period of time. Taking breaks to rest is mandatory, doctors advise, and turning off the gaming console to exercise will help prevent the health problems associated with a sedentary lifestyle and may reduce the likelihood of addiction.
