Another Man Dies After Marathon Gaming Session 486
loserMcloser writes "Another Chinese man has died after spending three days in an internet cafe for an online gaming marathon session. He apparently fainted and died at the cafe from exhaustion. 'The report did not say what the man, whose name was not given, was playing. The report said that about 100 other Web surfers "left the cafe in fear after witnessing the man's death."'"
oblig. futurama (Score:5, Funny)
ObTron (Score:4, Funny)
Re:oblig. futurama (Score:5, Funny)
And the culprit is .... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:And the culprit is .... (Score:4, Funny)
Too much over-time at work.
anyone else hear that (Score:5, Funny)
Re:anyone else hear that (Score:4, Funny)
Re:anyone else hear that (Score:3, Funny)
Re:anyone else hear that (Score:5, Funny)
He'll just respawn back at the entrance.
Re:anyone else hear that (Score:3, Funny)
"No, don't you get it? If you die in Bejing, you die in real life!"
Re:anyone else hear that (Score:5, Funny)
Only one thing to do then .. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Only one thing to do then .. (Score:4, Funny)
-Rick
Re:Only one thing to do then .. (Score:5, Funny)
It worked here for the war on drugs... oh wait.
Re:Only one thing to do then .. (Score:5, Insightful)
To put it into Slashdot terms: it would be like the government outlawing encryption to prevent terrorists from communicating. If they're talking about blowing up a building do you really think they are afraid to have a copy of PGP installed on their computer? Nope. All outlawing encryption does is take it away from the people who were originally using it for non-illegal purposes, or make criminals out of those who refuse to give it up even if their original actions were perfectly legal. Same applies to guns.
Re:Only one thing to do then .. (Score:5, Insightful)
a) It is assuming that people are rational beings and that all actions are well premeditated. It's pretty well known by now that people are irrational [blogspot.com] (hey, how's that for a slashdot audience, this is a blog entry by the gmail creator!). Basically, in a surge of emotion (think domestic fights, a depressed / severely stressed kid (say a highschool shooting)), if one can easily have access to guns (by opening the local cabinet, going to a store, etc.), they can cause massively more damage, significantly more easily.
b) That the massive number of guns going around in a society will always be used by the people they were intended in the way they were intended. This is patently not true, as demonstrated by kids getting access to their grandfather's gun, or various people we (the west) have massively funded and provided guns to (think Bin Laden and the Mujahideen's in Afganistan vs the Soviets, or Saddam versus the Iranians).
There's also, of course, a moral argument. The only primary purpose of the gun is to kill. The whole protection stuff is completely secondary; a gun 'protects' by killing, or threatening to kill. I, personally, think that society has an obligation to protect its citizens, and banning a device the purpose of which is to kill is a good idea.
Guns don't kill people, people kill people. And monkeys kill people. If you give them a gun. (to quote eddie izzard)
Re:Only one thing to do then .. (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Only one thing to do then .. (Score:3, Informative)
Drug-runners? Yes, they'd keep getting them. In fact, if you were to ban weapons here in the US, they'd become the new pipeline for all firearms, and the ones illegally obtained would become MORE dangerous, not less. It's a felony to possess an illegally obtained semi-automatic rifle, and it's a felony to possess a select-fire AK-47. If you're gonna go, go all out.
Random jerks on the street? They'd still have them. The number of times I have been asked if I was carrying a weapon, either by law enforcement or anyone who I couldn't just lie to about it if I were, has been precisely zero.
Of course, the problem with states like California and New York is that we simply don't have enough guns on the street in the RIGHT hands. States which allow individuals who've passed psychological profiles, proficiency tests, and regular testing/certification in exchange for the right to carry concealed weapons which they've qualified with, tend to have their crime rates go down. This is a reasonably well documented (on both sides of the argument) talking point to research, so I'll let you guys do your own reading on the matter. One pro-gun book to begin your search with is "More Guns, Less Crime" by John Lott. There are, of course, contrary viewpoints which are worth looking into as well, but they'll frequently reference Lott's work, so it's a good general purpose search term to dig up both ends of the argument.
I actually work at gun shows on the weekends in California (just handled the Ontario one yesterday, actually), and you would probably not believe the number of folks who own unregistered assault weapons (not to be racist, but it seems that a quarter or so of the Hispanic guys out there have an unregistered MAK-90 in the closet, and ask me for folding stocks to dress it up with, making it even MORE illegal!) and usually at every show someone will mention an unregistered fully automatic weapon they have at home. These are only the turkeys who talk about it openly to everyone, and go to shows - which I would estimate at maybe 10% of the scofflaws out there. If it's not working in California, one of the "poster child" states for gun control, you can be pretty sure it's not going to work elsewhere. Every time they try to "tighten it up" here, more folks just start ignoring the law, and substantial numbers of the police become less interested in enforcing the laws which are starting to go well beyond what they consider reasonable.
The real answer to a reasonable amount of gun control, would be to restrict the scope of the more onerous and less adhered to laws, to only apply as sentence enhancements for violent crimes (or individuals with a weapons related conviction within the past 10 years). There really is no good reason why the 35yo guy with a clean record who wants to drive out every weekend to punch holes in paper with his AR-10 semi-auto rifle, and never uses it for anything else, should be treated the same as an on-again off-again drug abuser with a history of misdemeanors.
The purpose of guns is to accelerate lead to velocities at which it can travel in a straight line, until intercepted by a target. The designation of that target is entirely up to the shooter. I happen to legally build AK-47 rifles, assemble AR-15's for friends, reload my own ammunition, and own somewhere around 80 guns (yes, I do have records of all of them, I just don't feel like counting for a slashdot poll). None of them have been used in a crime, and I don't foresee that changing at any point.
Re:Only one thing to do then .. (Score:5, Funny)
What we really need is to define the standard metric unit of illegality. Here's some options:
- Five-megabyte unauthorized song downloads
- Men's room foot-tappings
- CIA agent identity leakings
- Sports memorabilia thievings
Come up with your own!
Re:Only one thing to do then .. (Score:5, Funny)
the standard metric unit of illegality
I propose the "hijink."
Re:Only one thing to do then .. (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Only one thing to do then .. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Only one thing to do then .. (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Only one thing to do then .. (Score:3, Insightful)
Liberals are always preaching about evolution, but they never seem to want to let it happen.
Die with a smile (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Die with a smile (Score:3, Funny)
Darwin for the Modern Era (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Darwin for the Modern Era (Score:3, Interesting)
For instance, game console manuals have been reminding you to take breaks for many years. The Game Gear manual, I know, had it.
Earthbound (SNES), too, actively alerted you after like 3 hours that you should really take a break (your dad calls your cell phone). It also had billboards about it (Mothers against Obsession or something).
I remember playing Earthbound till it alerted me several times. It helped; I'd be like "Oh CRAP, I have been playing a long time."
Re:Darwin for the Modern Era (Score:2)
Re:Darwin for the Modern Era (Score:4, Insightful)
I've had VERY long gaming sessions, even ones where I (quite foolishly) remained sitting for 12 hours in a row. But, one of the reasons I've never gone much longer that is that there were warning signs that I should quit, from yawning to blurred vision. There's no doubt in my mind that people who die in this fashion suffer symptoms long before they keel over, and at the very least there are the symptoms that everyone suffers when they need sleep (like, you know, falling asleep).
Of course, there's plenty of blame to throw around to others as well. How about the staff of this cafe? What could possibly possess them to let this guy keep going? What was he ingesting in order to remain awake for that ridiculous period of time, and why didn't they either stop him ingesting it or stop serving him? Heck, after 24 hours I'd probably call an ambulance on spec! But, it's China, so who knows how people react...still, just the process of one human caring about the welfare of any other should have caused some reaction.
To reiterate my original point, though: Now that it's over, it's probably just as well that he's gone. Not only was he dumb as a half-bag of rocks, but the fact that he could do this to himself in a public place tells me that he's probably better off dead than living in his community.
Re:Darwin for the Modern Era (Score:3, Informative)
You're right that staying conscious (or, at least, semi-conscious) for 3 days isn't a life-threatening problem by itself. It's the lack of movement, lack of hydration, etc. that can put you into the dirt (or the crematorium, YMMV).
But is it true? (Score:5, Insightful)
There's a lack of truthiness here.
Re:But is it true? (Score:3, Insightful)
No, there is an overabundance of truthiness here. What's lacking is truthfulness.
Re:But is it true? (Score:2)
Re:But is it true? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:But is it true? (Score:3, Funny)
Go outdoors. Now.
Mod parent up (Score:2)
In other news today ... (Score:3, Funny)
Comcast has yet to release a statement about the deal however the President has been heard stating in the back "It's Comcastic!!"
Re:But is it true? (Score:2, Informative)
It's not unimaginable that it happened in a Cyber Cafe, it certainly does happen and will happen.
Re:But is it true? (Score:2, Informative)
And can the Internet really you? (Score:4, Insightful)
It would definitely be more relevant to know whether he was using any stimulants to stay awake.
Re:But is it true? (Score:2)
What would the Chinese media or the Chinese Government gain from this?
There's no reason to release details. It would only embarass the gamer's family. Having an addiction is a weakness, and the media did (IMHO) the right thing in not releasing the gamer's name. There is no reason to shame the gamer or the gamer's family.
Also, if the Chinese Government wanted, they could easily impose a curfew on Internet cafes such as the curfews that are imposed on bars in the USA. In many states they are required to close after a certain time, such as 2AM or 4AM and not reopen again until something like 10AM or noon. It would be very easy to impose such a curfew and require that the facility remain closed for a period of at least 6 or 8 consecutive hours out of each 24 hour period, though exceptions could be granted for tournements, etc.
The Chinese government are serious about battling this sort of thing, but as you can see they are not going to resort to a knee-jerk reaction and start shutting everything down. They are trying to find a proper balance.
I'm sorry, cduffy, I do not see a conspiracy here. I respect your opinion, and I can see how you arrived at it, but from my experience and what I have learned about China from my Chinese friends I do not see a conspiracy here.
-Q
Right up there with Fan Death (Score:2)
Maybe this is China's way of making using the Interweb "scary?"
Believe it or not... Parent is actually +5 funny. (Score:2)
Fan Death: Menace from Above.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_death [wikipedia.org] and http://www.fandeath.net/ [fandeath.net]
The best part of Fan Death is that fans made for the Korean market have automatic timing devices that are designed to prevent "accidental" Fan Death by shutting the fan off.
Wonder why.. (Score:2, Insightful)
I mean geez I have hard enough time playing xbox for more then an hour without having to at least get a bottle of water. How do they do it ?
Do you think when he died he dropped any loot ?
Re:Wonder why.. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Wonder why.. (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Wonder why.. (Score:2)
60% of the world's population is Asian. For any given strange occurrence, odds are it happened to an Asian, by weight of numbers alone.
Re:Wonder why.. (Score:2)
> Do you think when he died he dropped any loot ?
LOL .. love it.
And I thought ... (Score:2)
Seriously, what makes people drive themselves to die from exhaustion like this?
Looks like addiction to me.
Re:And I thought ... (Score:2, Funny)
Cocaine Addict: Marijuana is not a drug. I used to suck dick for coke. Now that's an addiction. You ever suck some dick for marijuana?
Re:And I thought ... (Score:5, Insightful)
This could have been avoided (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Hoist the Jolly Roger? (Score:3, Interesting)
I certainly don't see Atari and Midway suing people for trading Pac-Man and Zaxxon roms on Bittorrent.
The problem with today's youth is ... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:The problem with today's youth is ... (Score:2)
Re:The problem with today's youth is ... (Score:2)
Mega Kill!!! (Score:5, Funny)
Multi Kill
Mega Kill!
ULTRA KILL!!
M-m-m-monster Kill.
LUDACRIS KILL!
H O L Y S H I T!
R E A L I T Y KILL!!!!!
Re:Mega Kill!!! (Score:5, Informative)
There's no evidence he's ever done that. "Ludacris" is a rapper. "Ludicrous" is the adjective you want.
Re:Mega Kill!!! (Score:3, Funny)
Microsoft Vista Prevents this Problem (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Microsoft Vista Prevents this Problem (Score:2)
My Vista PC hums along just as nicely as my Ubuntu machine, although I do reboot Vista more often.
Doesn't happen here? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Doesn't happen here? (Score:2)
Re:Doesn't happen here? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Doesn't happen here? (Score:5, Funny)
Excuse me sir, but I regret to tell you that you're quite addicted to food. Withdrawal will include death and unpleasantness.
Re:Doesn't happen here? (Score:2)
Re:Doesn't happen here? (Score:4, Insightful)
Perhaps we have a lot less to escape from.
Re:Doesn't happen here? (Score:3, Funny)
I don't know, my cousin in guangzhou has a life similar to mine. Wake up, work 8-10 h at a tech shop. Go home spend a few hours with the GF. game. Sleep. Except I get 1 more day off a week, My overtime is optional and infrequent, and my GF is hotter although his is very cute too. Life isn't so bad in the parts of china I visited (shanghai, beijing, guangzhou, HK, Macau, Xin Hua).
Re:Doesn't happen here? (Score:2)
Re:Doesn't happen here? (Score:2)
The other option is one another person posted above: it's all BS/propaganda by the state looking to get "lazy" gamers back to work.
Re:Doesn't happen here? (Score:5, Interesting)
In my experience, Asian gamers take it a helluva lot more seriously. I used to play SC2 against my roommate. I just wanted to pick it up and play every once in a while, and learn a few tricks. I could beat almost anybody else on the floor. My roommate, though, his goal was to become a monster. And so we were pretty competitive for a few months, and then I lost interest in improving while he just kept at it. He became nigh-unbeatable. It was pretty much the same deal with respect to CounterStrike and two other Asian guys in the building or Starcraft and another set of people who liked that or whatever else we were playing back then.
As for whether this applies to general work ethic, or sports, or arts, I'm not so sure, but it seems very true of gaming.
Re:Doesn't happen here? (Score:5, Funny)
Marathon session (Score:2, Offtopic)
That was a hell of a week.
Re:Marathon session (Score:2)
Re:Marathon session (Score:2, Insightful)
Man, what times
Re:Marathon session (Score:4, Funny)
Exploited by the evil multinationals (Score:2)
Obviously, the man was driven to death by the evil corporations dealing in virtual worlds' artifacts [wikipedia.org]. His "gaming" was, in fact, earning a (hard) living. Just another casualty of America's insatiable corporate greed.
Not really an epidemic (Score:5, Insightful)
Real problems could include: chronic disease, car accidents, criminal violence,
I think it's more of a problem that 100 people fled the scene than one guy dying from his compulsive personality disorder.
Re:Not really an epidemic (Score:5, Funny)
Hey, some people are addicted to computer games, some are addicted to gravity...
Re:Not really an epidemic (Score:5, Funny)
I tried going off gravity cold turkey... I crashed hard.
Re:Not really an epidemic (Score:3, Insightful)
How appropriate (Score:3, Insightful)
To err is human -- to blame it on a computer is even more so.
Oblig. joke (Score:2)
Chinese != Korean (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Chinese != Korean (Score:2)
hypocrisy (Score:5, Insightful)
People here are laughing about this guy because he neglected sleep and nutrition to compete in this contest. They are saying "darwin award." Where was this same sentiment when Microsoft caused students to do the same thing for a different contest?
Health should come before work and play, people! Your job is worthless if you are dead or ill from a terrible lifestyle. Don't let your boss force this behavior on you, and don't let companies like Microsoft force it on students.
24 hours? lol (Score:5, Insightful)
Are you telling me you can't see the difference between a voluntary competition (hint: its kinda fun to pull an all-nighter every now and then... I have a wife and 2 kids and if I come across a fun project, I still do it from time to time) and a man who was either incapable of determining his tolerance or chose to ignore it (most likely the latter)?
And I suppose you would have people oppose the voluntary fund raiser Up till Dawn [stjude.org] as well? I mean, think of the college students that will be kept up all night and have to go to class in the morning!
Fatality (Score:2)
*scary lightening*
OOOGEEEBAAAAGEEWAAA!!!!!!!!11
Was it really out of fear? (Score:3, Funny)
Are we sure it wasn't just the smell?
How can this happen? (Score:3, Interesting)
Only on Slashdot (Score:4, Funny)
How funny/sad is that? No "did he have a medical condition?", no "was there evidence of foul play", no "is there an autopsy scheduled", just "what game was he playing?"
Obligatory (Score:5, Funny)
Backfiring of "one child per family" policy (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:$5 says... (Score:5, Funny)
What? It did say he was Chinese, right?
What?
Re:$5 says... (Score:5, Funny)
If that were true, I'd say his life just improved.
Re:$5 says... (Score:5, Funny)
If that were true, I'd say his life just improved.
Perhaps he thought his Second Life would kick in.
Re:$5 says... (Score:2)
Re:$5 says... (Score:2)
Re:$5 says... (Score:5, Funny)
Nobody ever learns from history.