Hsieh (2015) – After three-days of
binge gaming in an internet café in Taiwan, a 32-year-old man by the name Hsieh
was found dead. The man died of cardiac failure, caused by over-exhaustion from
playing for consecutive days. The man was unemployed, and was a regular at this
particular internet café. He often slept in the café, which is why his body was
not discovered for several hours after the time of death. This was the second
death related to binge gaming in Taiwan in 2015 (Hunt, Ng, 2015).
Chu (2015) – The body of a 38-year-old
man by the name Chu was discovered in the bathroom stall of an internet café in
Taipei in 2015. Chu had been playing consecutively for five straight days,
rarely leaving his computer chair. Chu had been dead for several hours before
being discovered face down on the toilet seat. Chu suffered from liver disease
and gall stones, and died because these conditions were intensified by
over-exhaustion and fatigue (Pan, 2015).
Estelita Novilla (2014) - Estelita
Novilla was murdered in the Philippines by her 17-year-old grandson, whom she
raised from birth, after she interrupted him playing the online game DOTA and
scolded him for his addiction. Estelita was 68-years-old and died from wounds
to her head, neck, and chest, caused by two crystal vases. The teenager said he
doesn’t remember the attack because he blacked out, and only remembers cleaning
up his grandmother’s blood after the attack. The teen then confessed his crimes
to his aunt, who reported it to the police. The teen is in custody of social
workers, and officials say he will be charged with parricide (Hernandez, 2014).
Rebecca Christie (2011) – On a sad day in November of 2009, Rebecca
Christie spent 15 hours continuously chatting to her online friends on the
popular game World of Warcraft, while her 3½-year-old daughter died of
malnutrition and dehydration. Christie was charged with 25 years for
second-degree murder and child abandonment in 2011 in New Mexico. The daughter,
named Brandi Wulf, weighted just 23 pounds when she died, and often ate cat
food because of the lack of food. The husband, US Air Force Sgt. Derek Wulf,
was charged with child neglect. He was on a nine-day assignment when his
daughter died, and in the past often came home to his wife on the computer,
while his daughter was alone, hungry and dehydrated (New Mexico Mom Gets 25,
2011).
Xiao Yi (2005) – Xiao was 13-years old when he took his life, after
jumping from a 24-storey high-rise in China. Xiao believed he would meet his
friends in paradise, leaving a suicide note written through the eyes of his
game character. Xiao was suffering from IAD, or Internet Addiction Disorder.
This disorder caused Xiao to fail his classes in school, and sit in internet
cafes playing for multiple days without food or water. Xiao knew what his
addiction was doing to him, and once broke down and confessed to his father
that he could no longer control himself, because video games had poisoned him
(Young Addict’s Suicide, 2005).
Citations
Hernandez, V.
(2014, March 10). Interrupted DOTA Game Causes 17-Year-Old to Kill Granny.
Retrieved February 16, 2016, from
http://www.ibtimes.com.au/interrupted-dota-game-causes-17-year-old-kill-granny-videos-1334323
Hunt, K., &
Hg, N. (2015, January 19). Man dies after 3-day Internet gaming binge. Retrieved
February 16, 2016, from http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/19/world/taiwan-gamer-death/
New Mexico mom
gets 25 years for starving daughter. (2011, June 03). Retrieved February 16,
2016, from http://news.yahoo.com/mexico-mom-gets-25-years-starving-daughter-145411042.html
Pan, J. (2015,
January 03). Man dies after five-day gaming binge. Retrieved February 16, 2016,
from http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2015/01/03/2003608347
Young Addict's
Suicide Sounds Stark Warning. (2005, May 31). Retrieved February 16, 2016, from
http://www.china.org.cn/english/Life/130551.htm
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