Boy, 15, collapses after playing WoW for 24 hours straight

18 November 2008 16:10 GMT / By Verity Burns

A 15-year-old boy collapsed and had to be taken to hospital after he played the new World of Warcraft game, Wrath of the Lich King, for a reported 24 hours straight.

The teen from Sweden was playing the game with his friends when he went into convulsions, suffering what appeared to be an epileptic seizure.

The boy's father told a Swedish newspaper: "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."

Apparently doctors put the boy's collapse down to a combination of lack of food and sleep, mixed with extended periods of concentration.

The boy is expected to make a full recovery, although his father has said he plans to limit his son's time on the computer, and urges other parents to do the same.

Child psychiatrist Dr Richard Graham, believes such cases of gaming "addiction" in youngsters are not rare. He 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.

"The problem with World of Warcraft is the degree it can impact and create a socially withdrawn figure who may be connecting with people in the game and is largely dropping out of education, social opportunities."

Despite this, it seems hardcore gamers don't have sympathy for those that can't hack the pace that games such as World of Warcraft demand, including the Swedish teen. Comments left on The Times website about the story saw most people passing off a whole day non-stop gaming as child's play.

Peter in London said: "24 hours only?! Part timer", while Will in Lewes said: "If you can't handle the pressure then don't play the game! This guy who collapsed is obviously a total n00b, and he should maybe try playing something a little more intense, say COD4, for 24 hours."

Well that told him. Over eleven million people now subscribe to World of Warcraft around the world, with more than 2,000 people in the UK queuing for up to 18 hours to get their hands on the latest WoW expansion pack on launch day.

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