Xbox addict 'dies from blood clot'

[Erinnightwalker]

Tsunamis and the possibility to rip entire continents apart.

 
....... You mean like the music video to "Ultimate Orgy of Homosexuality"?

(And if anyone goes looking for it, remember- the animator's name is NSFW Productions. They live up to that title.)

[Sperran]

I feel sorry for the family, sure, but ... do I REALLY need to be told that sitting on my butt for 12 hours in front of a glowy screen is bad for me?  I mean, sheesh, move the snacks to the other side of the room!  They'll move!

 
I do think that a lot of people don't realize how bad it is to remain completely sedentary for long periods of time.  But that isn't a game issue so much as a modern society issue.

[victoreia]

you could suffer a PE from sitting and reading for 18 hours a day. Frequent breaks to move, walk a bit, and stretch should be encouraged for ANY activity where you are stationary for a significant amount of time, not just gaming.

 
*Nods* And that's even before the whole history-of-clotting-disorders issue, which not everyone may be aware of. (Personal experience here--I knew my dad has a clotting disorder, but I didn't know one of his sisters has it, too.)

Anybody who has any knowledge of a family history of clotting disorders, talk to your doctor if s/he wants to prescribe something with a clotting side effect. Some of those disorders can be tested for.

[Asch]

 
http://games.yahoo.com/blogs/plugged-in/taiwanese-teen-dies-40-hour-diablo-iii-marathon-190451985.html

[MadZealot]

I do think that a lot of people don't realize how bad it is to remain completely sedentary for long periods of time.  But that isn't a game issue so much as a modern society issue.

Indeed.  If you MUST play games for hours on end, get yourself a small treadmill and a wireless controller.  

[mandrina]

Anyone who jumps all over the "video games kill" message is completely missing the point. Anyone who remains in the same position for most of a day is at risk for these clots. (bit of background, I'm an EMT and going to school to become a paramedic) If we suspect a pulmonary embolism, which this was, we need to determine if the patient has been stationary for a significant length of time. Transatlantic flights are a biggie, as are invalids who are confined to a bed. It's not so much being sedentary, because you can be sedentary and you're still getting up to walk around and go about daily activities. So, one could argue, you could suffer a PE from sitting and reading for 18 hours a day. Frequent breaks to move, walk a bit, and stretch should be encouraged for ANY activity where you are stationary for a significant amount of time, not just gaming.

 
Heck my grandpa got one going from Peoria Il, to Las Vegas.  Ruined his vacation.  Course, then he didn't lose any money on the slots.