MMORPGs are designed to encourage players to spend hundreds of hours on getting their characters to the highest levels of the game. While this can certainly lead to some great gameplay and storytelling, it can also have some negative consequences. The most prominent example of this is when players die during gameplay.
According to The Mirror, a Chinese "World of Warcraft" player died after playing for more than 19 hours. 24-year-old Wu Tai had spent a significant amount of time in an Internet cafe in Shanghai, China playing "WoW." After over 17 hours of gameplay, Tai slumped over and coughed up blood. When other visitors at the cafe inquired further about Tai's status, he waved them off and continued playing. One of the visitors called the local ambulance to come take care of Tai, but he died before the medical crews arrived. The bloody moment were recorded on CCTV and posted on the Mirror.
A spokesman from the Chinese police noted that "An autopsy will determine the cause of death but there seems little doubt his playing on the computer for 19 hours instead of resting contributed to his death."
Geek Magazine suspects that Tai likely suffered from a previous ailment, and that his death occurred because he chose to play "WoW" rather than rest or recover.
This isn't the first time a player has died in the middle of an extended gaming session. Dozens of similar accounts have been recorded where players died from cardiac arrest and bodily failure after spending days playing without taking a break.
