Kim Kyung-jae lived for games. The 24-year-old South Korean was not employed full-time, and spent most of his leisure hours at a LAN café in the city of Kwangju.
His game of choice: NCsoft's Mu Online, a medieval fantasy MMORPG. The last time he played, the session lasted nearly three and a half days. Witnesses report he only left his seat to buy cigarettes or visit the toilet. On October 9, 2002, after 86 almost straight hours of Mu, he collapsed. Regaining consciousness briefly, he staggered to the toilet, where he collapsed again. He didn't recover. Kim Kyung-jae died for games.
The exact cause of his demise has been attributed to both 'exhaustion' and deep-vein thrombosis (DVT). This latter has been wholeheartedly adopted by sensationalist media as yet another reason why games are bad for the world. It's a horrible condition, for sure. Prolonged inactivity impedes bloodflow around your body, causing clots to form in the deeper veins - usually the legs, but occasionally the arms as well.
Having the clot at all is bad enough, but it can become dislodged and travel through the vein and rest near essential organs such as the lungs, massively increasing the chance of pulmonary embolism. That's medical talk for 'completely blocking the flow of blood in a vein'. In other words, it starves the lungs. Symptoms include difficult or painful breathing, and, in some cases, death. Note, though, that just one in every thousand people ever contracts deep-vein thrombosis, and of those only 1-5% die from it.
Kim Kyung-jae was the first reported person to die from playing a videogame for too long, but not the last. Just a few weeks later in Taiwan, 27-year-old Lien Wen-cheng undertook a 32-hour gaming session in a LAN café. He too collapsed in the toilet, reportedly foaming at the mouth and bleeding from the nose. Three years later, another Korean, a 28-year-old man named only as 'Lee', played Starcraft for some 50 hours, and met a similar fate. "We presume the cause of death was heart failure stemming from exhaustion," police stated at the time. Conjecture, though not proof, has also blamed DVT.
Tastelessly, the computing-related instances of DVT have been dubbed 'eThrombosis'. Though actual reported instances are few and far between, a few non-fatal cases have been documented. In 2003, a New Zealander passed out but recovered from this condition. It was attributed to his spending most of each day at his PC. In 2004, 14-year-old Dominic Patrick from Merseyside was hospitalised after spending ten hours knelt in front of his Xbox.
You could pass off eThrombosis as a by-product of the famously intense Korean gaming culture, but almost all these cases were before the release of World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings Online, and EVE. Before broadband was anywhere near as cheap and prevalent as it is now.
We westerners want something else from our games these days: we want to stay in one game for as long as possible. Kim Kyung-jae's 86 hours might be something we'd never do, but Dominic Patrick's ten hours and even Lien Wen-cheng's 32 are not even remotely beyond the realm of possibility in the UK circa 2007. Currently, eThrombosis deaths can be counted on the fingers of one hand, but as we become a culture ever more centred around sitting in front of a screen, this figure could rise.
Other, less fatal dangers are associated with intense videogame play. Sitting, it seems, carries its own risks. "We're seeing a dramatic increase in youngsters suffering back pain," says chiropractor Rishi Loatey. "It's to do with the amount of sitting we do. 60% of people in London don't leave their desk at lunchtime. There is an issue going on here. You're finding problems that you wouldn't expect to see in young people."
That dull ache in your spine is not because you 'slept funny.' It's because sitting down places six times as much pressure on the lowest disc in your back as walking around does.
"Developing countries don't get back pain as much," says Rishi. "They're generally moving around. Our lifestyle in the west is so sedentary."
What causes the pain? Your spine is a complicated system of nerves and blood vessels encased in a series of bone rings. Between the rings are spacers of cartilage. Intense and sustained pressure from sitting in a single position can cause those spacers to press against the nerves. Feeling comfortable?
Laptops are something to be particularly wary of: the screen is far below natural eye-level, the keyboard small and cramped. If that's your gaming system, Rishi's advice is to use an external monitor and keyboard, so you can sit at it more like you would a desktop PC.
In terms of what to look out for, well, you'll know it when you've got it. "Literally you'll find that you're either getting pain in the neck or lower back. There might be a tingling coming down through the arms. Your shoulders can be tight and tense. Movement with your fingers and thumbs can cause pain."
Freelance personal trainer Sean Trevena, who works at PC Gamer's local branch of gym chain Fitness First, has concerns about a predominantly gaming lifestyle, but he's not quite convinced it means the end of mankind. "I don't believe that computers will get to such a point that the majority of the population will go home and play a game rather than do what they've always done - socialising, going to the pub or playing sports. There are always going to be people out there who want to do physical things."
He still has plenty of doom and gloom for anyone who spends most of their life gaming. "You won't be using your heart and lungs much, and there'll be muscle atrophy and wastage." The worst-case scenario? "Osteoporosis, because your bones will no longer be doing the weight-bearing that they would if you're walking around." In other words, your bones will become brittle and children will call you Mister Glass.
In a healthy, active lifestyle, bones are constantly remodelled and reshaped - calcium deposits placed upon what was laid down earlier in life. If we don't do much moving about, that replacement doesn't happen. If eThrombosis doesn't kill you when you stand up after 85 hours of sitting, your legs shattering might.
Another risk is the poor nutrition inherent in extended gaming sessions. "If you don't eat the right foods, the body will start to cannibalise itself." Oh. God. "If you have a calorie deficit, the body has to look for other sources. Your body will start to break itself down and use muscle for fuel. If you choose to keep living that way, there comes a point when organs start to fail."
Sean pauses. "I don't think you'll really get organ failure playing computer games." More likely though, is that you'll simply become sickly. "If you spend most of your free time on the PC, your body will just be weaker," says Sean Trevena. "Things like afflictions and colds will hit you harder. A healthy, fit body will more easily fight off disease."
The good news? Pretty much any damage you do is reversible. "It's one of the amazing things about the human body. In most cases you can come back from it if you choose to change how you're living."
Dietician and spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association Jacqui Lowden agrees that death is the only point of no return in terms of changing your ways. But she adds some additional potential horrors.
"Obesity is a risk factor for all sorts of problems such a high blood pressure, which can lead to heart disease. Type 2 diabetes and strokes are also a high possibility. One in three people die of heart disease in the UK... Along with cancer, it's the single biggest killer. You don't necessarily have to be overweight to develop heart disease - if you have a very poor diet you're at risk."
The way to stave off a heart attack? Replace the Pepsi and jellybeans with a bowl of fruit. That five portions of fruit or vegetables a day that the government advise us we should eat isn't a recommendation. It's a necessity. "In actual fact it should be between seven and nine portions a day," says Jacqui. "That's exactly why we chose five - if the government made a campaign to do more than that most people wouldn't manage it. The national average is three to five is achievable."
Though it's just as much a problem for anyone who spends hours a day at a PC, obesity is one those bugbears often linked to gaming and TV lifestyles, and just as often shrugged off by the people actually living them.
While it's not going to affect everyone, you shouldn't discount it just because you're not the size of a house after a couple of weeks of inactivity. "You're gaining the weight over a long period of time," explains Jacqui. "As the months and weeks go buy you can gain two stone without realising. Some people think it's never going to happen to them, but it will catch up to them. A heart attack is a real wake-up call."
Exercise won't help you in regard to repetitive strain injury (RSI), however. This is an ailment that's a direct result of extended PC usage, and you've probably suffered at some point whether you were aware of it or not. If you're sitting in one position all day, making constant, repeated tiny movements like tapping WASD or clicking a mouse button, the muscles, tendons and nerves in your arms and upper back are kept in a tense state. They become aggravated.
So, once again, let's talk worst-case scenario. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is one of the less common (at least for computer users) variants of RSI, but it happens. It occurs after compression of the carpal tunnel - a passageway in the wrist down which passes the median nerve, which runs down the entire arm.
Compression places the median nerve under great stress, expressed as tingling, numbness, muscle weakness or pain. Treatment can be anything from rest to steroid injections to physiotherapy to, in the most severe cases, surgery - cutting apart the carpal ligament so it no longer presses on the nerve. It's at least ten times as horrible as it sounds.
In reality, your PC use is most likely to win you a far less severe form of RSI - such as tendonitis, which generally requires staying away from the keyboard for a few days and taking painkillers.
The tendons in the hand or arms become inflamed and swollen from all those repetitive movements, and start to rub against each other very painfully. I've suffered from it in the past, and embarrassed myself by dropping an entire pint on the floor because of the intensity of the pain when I rested my RSI-addled wrist on a pub table. Nurofen contains ibuprofen, which as well as reducing booze-pain is an anti-inflammatory. It won't work overnight though - you could be out of action for a good couple of weeks.
The less physical dangers of videogaming are also less definitive, despite repeated scaremongering about addiction and violence. What, for example, are the mental effects of people over-gaming?
"It can impact on their relationships with partners, family and friends causing them concern and/or relationship conflicts," says Richard Wood, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Nottingham Trent University. "This may particularly be the case if someone feels they are being neglected. Playing games too much can also impact on work or school performance, particularly if the person doesn't get enough sleep." Which is pretty much the case with any hedonistic activity, but what can be done about it without having to chuck your gaming lifestyle out of the window?
"Being aware of these possible impacts is a start," says Richard. "Organising specific times when you will play is the best way to manage this. Sometimes it is necessary to sit down with a relative or partner to agree how much time is appropriate to play per week and when. Avoiding time-loss while playing can be avoided by setting alarms and/or timers, having other people interrupt at pre-defined times, playing in a room with other people present, or taking regular pre-defined breaks."
And if there's one piece of advice coming from every health camp I talked to, it's "take breaks". It's common sense, but so common that it's all too easy to shrug off. "Just one more hour won't hurt..."
Those hellboars you've been farming for their hides will still be cheerfully respawning if you take a break for five minutes. And if five minutes of gentle movement every hour seems more of a hassle than dying or suffering permanent bodily damage, then, well, perhaps it's not only physical help you need.
It's important to have a good posture in front of the computer. And to take regular breaks. At work you would probably be advised to take a 5 min break every hour or so - and why shouldn't that apply for gamers as well?
Posture - laptops tend to contribute to worse posture.
When sitting, one's feet should be able to rest flat on the ground The legs should not have to extend from the hips for the feet to touch the ground.
One should sit straight. The highest level of the screen should be at eye level when the neck is straight. If you have to look at your keyboard while typing, then the keyboard should either be elevated or at an angle to minimize movement of the head.
The back should be supported.
Arm rests on chairs may not be helpful if the shoulders are not level and relaxed, and if your arms are not at right angles.
Some of those gel based keyboard/palm rests are helpful, especially if u have a corner table where the keyboard covers an angle.
A little googling for ergonomic, body posture or even ergonomical furniture and accessories can go a long way...once you know what you are looking for, you might find the chair being sold at the local clrearance sale to be exactly what u need!
"Laptops are something to be particularly wary of: the screen is far below natural eye-level, the keyboard small and cramped. If that's your gaming system, Rishi's advice is to use an external monitor and keyboard, so you can sit at it more like you would a desktop PC."
Darn it !!!
However, the 17" screen helps spread the keyboard out so it is not far off the size of a regular keyboard!
Also for those people who read this and then "start feeling pains", its ALL in your head. You become paranoid and then start thinking that you may have these problems etc. etc.
Oh and about the screen being below natural eye level, sit up, tilt the screen back and voila!!
Right now i can see myself coming across as arogent. However i am not, i do understand the affects of DVT, but if you have say a 2 hour gaming session and then go on a bike-ride 15 minutes later, surely you will be fine ?
So those super long loading times when we change levels or sitting there waiting to re-spawn after being the first casualty in Counter Strike is really an excuse to get up and run arond the house. Got it!
I'm Twenty-six, ten-stone and fit as a fiddle.. This is remarkable! After reading this 'Tripe' I have only one thing to say, "How do games make a man/lady fat or thin?" Surely any person with a shred of intelligence can eat whilst on a mad gaming binge.. Get up and do something to stop DVT?
But deep down this is just a bunch of psycho Neo-puritans who are jealous of my physical prime after twenty years(Since I was SIX!!) of serious gaming.
I have lost jobs, friends and other things due to games.. Perhaps my sanity has been effected. But not my health.
If they want to spoil the party on-board the Funk train, then why don't they link games to mental illness?? Or would Silicon valley all have to be put down. Or how about DVT on planes?
No, these scientists don't care for reality.. it's us gamers who keep it real!
Now I have a child (1y 6m) and rarely get to sit for more than an hour during the day. If YOU have a problem then sort the problem out! Don't blame society and the things you love, PCs are not the scapegoat for lazy people!
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