BEIJING, China (Reuters)
-- An obese 26-year-old man in northeastern China died after a "marathon" online gaming session over the Lunar New Year holiday, state media said on Wednesday.
The 150-kilogram (330-pound) man from Jinzhou, in Liaoning province, collapsed on Saturday, the last day of the holiday, after spending "almost all" of the seven-day break playing online games, the China Daily said, citing his parents.
Xu Yan, a local teacher, said the "dull life" during the holiday prompted many people to turn to computer games for entertainment.
"There are only two options. TV or computer. What else can I do in the holiday as all markets, KTV and cafeterias are shut down?" the paper quoted Xu as saying.
China has seen an alarming rise in the number of teenage and young adult Internet addicts in recent years, despite attempts to restrict minors from cyber cafes and limit online game playing times.
About 2.6 million -- or 13 percent -- of China's 20 million Internet users under 18 are classed as addicts, state media have reported.
Co-Founder of OLGA and member since 2002
Once upon a time there was stuff called books, and nature, and sports, and friends, and talking casually and socially ...
agreed max
"This is the end...." The Doors
I also agree. But not too long ago there was no such thing as WoW or even the internet! I can't think of a single type of activity that we didn't try to coax our son to use to fill his time. We definitely provided nature, since we have a hike and bike trail just a minute's walk from our house. We had books, a swimming pool, a pool table, ping pong, we enrolled him in training and conditioning, we tried bowling, raquet ball, chess...the list goes on and on. From a teen's perspective, WoW is much more exciting. It's ever-changing and has no end. The guild doesn't expect you to keep your room clean, do well in school or finish your chores. You just have to be there, participate to your fullest and ignore real life. On top of that, kids with self-esteem issues can be somebody other than themselves. You aren't judged by your physical appearance at all. And best of all, your parents are still responsible for providing food and shelter so there isn't much to lose. It seriously scares me to think what my kids' generation will be like in the future. Technology is a great thing, but it's come with its own set of problems, too.
Not to downplay the impact to young folks, but adults of all ages and walks of life are caught up in this. Polls suggest that a large number, if not a majority of MMORPG players are adults. No one is safe. Ron
Co-Founder of OLGA and member since 2002
[size=14]
I know I am going back quite a ways, but I remember as a "kid" I basically did what ever my friends were into at the time. A From Stick ball in the street, to touch football in the street or local park, or hand ball then paddleball at local park etc etc... A If my friends were out I was out doing what ever it was the group was into at the time. I think now a days parents are more leery of letting kids out unsupervised at younger ages (and with good reason, the world can be a dangerous place) so kids may tend to find the social interaction and groups on the internet. A My son is almost 7. A At that age I think I can remember playing baseball in a driveway with neighborhood kids. A I know that my wife and I would never let my son out unsupervised to play like that in our neighborhood. A We live in a decent neighborhood in Florida. A I grew up in NYC. A At times I feel my son may be missing out on doing a lot of playing with peers. A Occasional play dates and playing during breaks at school probably isn't enough. A Now we have never really introduced him to computer or console games (don't own a console) but if we did I could easily see him slipping into the gaming world if we let him.[/size]
" ... don't question it just go" "... where the body goes the mind will follow"
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Borrowed from "Desire to Stop"
[size=14]Oh and I just read on some news site on-line that Video Games are now in 41% of homes in the US. Now they are talking more about game consoles but even consoles are starting to be more and more "on-line" http://cooltech.iafrica.com/technews/655691.htm There is a "how to" site that I get a how too of the day on my google home page and yesterdays how to was "how to get your girlfriend to play video games with you" http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Your-Girlfriend-to-Play-Video-Games Scary[/size]
" ... don't question it just go" "... where the body goes the mind will follow"
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Borrowed from "Desire to Stop"
This is an excerpt from the how-to list... says all, thanks for pointing it out Harold
That is so sick!
Liz Woolley
that's disturbing... geee... wonder how successful his relationships are?!
"This is the end...." The Doors