An obese young man from northeast China's Liaoning Province has died after a marathon
video games session.
The 26-year-old man, surnamed Zhang from Jinzhou, collapsed on
February 24, the last day of the week-long Spring Festival holiday, after hours of
non-stop online gaming. A doctor from the Liaoning Medical College
blamed "overwork and obesity" as the cause of Zhang's death.
An Internet addict, Zhang spent almost all his time playing
online games during the seven-day holiday instead of sleeping and
visiting relatives, his parents said. Moreover, he weighed almost
150 kilograms, and his heart struggled to pump blood throughout his
enormous body.
Zhang's story has shocked the local community.
"I am a little scared after reading the story of Zhang, because
I did almost the same thing like him," said Wang Rui, a young
photographer from an advertising company in Shenyang.
"I also played games for such a long time that I could hardly
find time to sleep during the holiday. Now, I just can't drag my
mind back to normal and feel rather tired."
Meng Xianyun, a doctor from China Medical University, said
symptoms such as tiredness and the inability to concentrate
properly were caused by "irregular lifestyle" excessive food and
drinking and a lack of exercise during the holiday period.
"That's all fine for the festival, but do not ignore your
health, especially those old and young people," Meng said.
Xu Yan, a female middle school teacher complained the "dull
life" during the festival 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?"
Xu said.
Liu Jie, an expert from local Shenyang Cultural and History
Research Institute, urged the local government organize more
"traditional activities" to entertain people during the
festival.
(China Daily February 28, 2007)