The dangers of internet addiction in China were demonstrated yesterday, when an unidentified 30-year-old man collapsed in an internet cafe outside of Beijing following three days of nonstop online gaming.
According to witnesses the man had been playing an online game at the internet cafe for three days, taking in little food or drink and getting absolutely no sleep whatsoever. He collapsed Monday evening, slipping into a coma. He later died at a nearby clinic.
The man had apparently spent more than 10,000 yuan ($1,500) on internet gaming in the past 30 days.
Police confiscated several computers from the internet cafe, but have ruled out homicide. The exact cause of death is currently being investigated.
It sounds to me like internet cafes in China need to be run by people responsible enough to meter usage. That a man can spend the better part of 36 hours sitting in front of a computer, slowly killing himself, without anyone attempting to stop him makes no sense to me whatsoever.
一男子连续上网数天后猝死 [Jinghua.cn via FoxNews]