A Taiwanese man died after playing online games at an Internet café for three days straight.
The 32-year-old, identified only by his surname Hsieh, was found unresponsive and slumped in his chair at an unnamed Internet café in Greater Kaohsiung, Taiwan, the Daily Mail reported.
He was pronounced dead after he was rushed to a local hospital. Medical officials said Hsieh experienced a "sudden death" caused by "prolonged computer gaming" for 72 hours straight.
Hsieh, a regular at the café, was spotted sitting motionless in his chair before he was found but staff and other customers simply thought he was sleeping, according to the Mirror. A worker went to check on him and called paramedics when it was determined he wasn't breathing.
"Hsieh was a regular customer here and always played for consecutive days," the employee who found him told the Taipei Times.
"When tired, he would sleep face-down on the table or doze off slumped in his chair. This is why we were not aware of his condition in the beginning."
Local reports said Hsieh was playing "combat" computer games before he was found.
Hsieh's death marks the second time this year a man from the island located off China died after an online gaming binge. On New Year's Day, a man was found dead at an Internet café in New Taipei City after playing games for five days straight, the newspaper reported. Police noted at the time other patrons were oblivious to the man's death and continued playing even as police showed up to investigate.
Police Chief Weng Chun-neng urged Internet users to take breaks and keep their health in mind during prolonged playing.
"We advise people to get up and move around after every two hours of computer gaming," he told the Taipei Times. "More patrols will be conducted to reminds residents about the dangers of prolonged sitting and game-playing."
