Sudden gamer death: non-violent death cases linked to playing video games

Abstract

Background and aims Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is an emerging problem. Rarely, media reports about people, who have died during playing video games, but thus far no systematic, scientific study is available about the topic. We investigated such cases, looking for common characteristics, connection between gaming and death, and the possible reasons leading to death. Methods Cases were collected through internet search with general keywords, with ones specific to identified cases, and by working along cross references. Results 24 cases were found: one from 1982, the others between 2002 and 2021. Twenty-three of the victims were male, age ranged from 11 to 40 years. More than half of the cases originated from Southeast Asia, and 12 deaths happened in internet cafes. Gamers played action-rich multiplayer games. In 18 cases the gaming session before death was extremely long (around a day or even several days) with minimal rest. The cause of death was pulmonary embolism in 5 cases, cerebral hemorrhage in 2 cases, most of the rest was presumably due to fatal cardiac arrhythmia. Discussion Long sedentary position and dehydration may precipitate thromboembolism, acute blood pressure elevation during gaming may promote cerebral hemorrhage, and several factors (including acute and chronic sleep deprivation, exhaustion, stress) can lead to acute autonomic dysfunction and fatal arrhythmia. Conclusion Incidence of non-violent death cases linked to playing video games is presumably very low. It mostly occurs in young males and it is often characterized by extremely long gaming time.

A Systematic Review of the Association of Internet Gaming Disorder and Excessive Social Media Use With Psychiatric Comorbidities in Children and Adolescents: Is It a Curse or a Blessing?

“…One study specifically highlighted the exacerbation of preexisting mental disorders, linking ADHD to disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD) in the presence of internet gaming problems [23]. Additionally, another study revealed the potential risks associated with prolonged video game-playing sessions, leading to mortality [24]. Lastly, a few studies reported some positive effects on academic performance, as well as mental and social well-being [9,15,17,[25][26][27].…”

“…There have also been incidents of violence and suicides where video games were cited as the main motivating factor. A study conducted by Kuperczko et al aimed to identify cases reported in online newspapers, blogs, and video portals where a gamer's death was directly attributed to playing the game (excluding suicides or homicides driven by frustration, anger, impulse, retaliation, or carelessness) [ 24 ]. Most of the 24 victims identified were from internet cafes in Southeast Asia.…”

“…Players would become completely absorbed, losing track of time and neglecting basic needs such as thirst, hunger, or rest, which could have fatal consequences. There have been instances where excessive gaming time has been linked to fatal pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis [ 24 ]. Acute autonomic dysfunction caused by stress and lack of sleep can also lead to arrhythmias, which can be a contributing factor to death in certain cases.…”

How do video games affect mental health? A narrative review of 13 proposed mechanisms

“…Commonly-cited displaced activities include gaming leading to lost sleep (Guo et al, 2022), lower performance at work or school (Drummond and Sauer, 2020), or failure to maintain social relationships (Kowert et al, 2014). In the most extreme examples, gaming can displace all other life activities to the point of player death after multiple days of uninterrupted gaming (Kuperczko et al, 2022).…”

The Basic Needs in Games (BANG) Model of Video Game Play and Mental Health

“…However, this focus on quality should not be understood as an indication that quantity of gameplay never affects mental health. Evidence from case studies demonstrates that excessive time spent gaming can come at a severe cost to some players-with the most extreme examples involving player death after multiple days of uninterrupted gaming (Kuperczko et al, 2022). More typical examples involve time spent gaming leading to lost sleep (Guo et al, 2022), lower performance at work or school performance (Drummond and Sauer, 2020), or the inability to maintain social relationships (Kowert et al, 2014).…”