Swedish Boy Collapses After Playing ‘World of Warcraft’ For 24 Straight Hours

Don’t try this at home kids. A Swedish schoolboy collapsed and experienced convulsions after playing the latest version of the World of Warcraft computer game for 24 hours without a break.

The 15-year-old had what appeared to be an epileptic fit while playing the game with friends, it was reported in Sweden.

It seems video games can induce latent photosensitive epilepsy, which is most common in those aged between 7 and 19, the group that plays the most video games. The fits are usually triggered by particular patterns of flashing light or intense shades of red.

The teenager’s father revealed that “They played all day and all night. Maybe they got a few hours of sleep. They ate a little food and breakfast at their computers.”

Doctors said that his son’s bodily functions had been struck by a combination of sleep deprivation, lack of food and long periods of concentration from playing the game.

The launch of the new version World of Warcraft has seen fans lined up for hours to purchase a copy. Some doctors have expresed concerns that youngsters could become addicted to the game.

Dr Richard Graham, a child psychiatrist at the Tavistock Centre, told the BBC: “Some of my clients will discuss playing games for 14 to 16 hours a day at times without breaks and for those the consequences are potentially very severe,” he said.

“The problem with World of Warcraft is the degree it can impact and create a socially withdrawn figure who may be connecting with people in the game and is largely dropping out of education, social opportunities.”

Just one more reason to keep PCs out of kids bedrooms and introduce strict limits on how long they can play for.

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