‘World Of Warcraft’ Marathon Death: Gamer Wu Tai, 24, Dies From 19-Hour Binge

The Mirror recently reported the death of a World of Warcraft gamer. Wu Tai, 24, collapsed and died inside an Internet café in Shangai, China, after playing the popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) for 19 hours straight.

Wu Tai reportedly coughed up blood as his fellow gamers tried to help him out. He said that he was fine and that he didn’t need any help. The owner of the café called for emergency services regardless of what Tai said. Unfortunately, the young gamer passed away before the paramedics arrived.

Surprisingly enough, playing World of Warcraft for 19 hours straight wasn’t the reason why Tai passed away. The Chinese man reportedly had a health issue prior to starting his online gaming session. Instead of getting rest as prescribed by his doctor, he decided to spend his time playing World of Warcraft.

Tai’s cause of death is unknown at this time. A spokesperson for the Shangai police department said that they will determine the real cause behind his death.

“An autopsy will determine the cause of death, but there seems little doubt his playing on the computer for 19 hours instead of resting contributed to his death.”

Fellow gamers were shocked to see Tai looking ill and frail inside the café. He reportedly looked pale with blood coming out of his mouth and nose. Hsin Lo, fellow gamer and friend, also called for the paramedics, according to AcardeSushi.

“I suddenly heard him groan, and when I turned to see what had happened, he was very pale and looked uncomfortable. He was dabbing his mouth with a hanky, which had blood on it.

I asked him if he was OK, and he said he’d felt better, but that he would be OK. I called for an ambulance while my friend went to get some help from staff. But while we waited, he just died in front of us, and there was nothing the staff could do.”

This isn’t the first time that a player died after playing World of Warcraft. A 32-year-old gamer died inside another Internet café in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, after playing the game for three days straight. He reportedly died in his sleep after his time ran out playing WoW.

Another World of Warcraft gamer from the U.K. died in 2011 after he had a blood clot in his leg from a 12-hour Xbox 360 binge. There have been several incidents involving gamers dying inside of Internet cafés all across Asia after binge gaming sessions. It’s unclear if all of these gamers were playing MMORPG games like World of Warcraft.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like Wu Tai’s death won’t be the last case, especially when the game’s new tokens brings it closer to being free. The Inquisitr previously reported that players will be able to enjoy World of Warcraft by purchasing a token from the in-game shop and redeeming it for 30 days of play time. Players can also sell tokens in the auction house in exchange for gold. It’s less expensive than purchasing a monthly subscription for $14.99.

Have you spent several hours or days playing World of Warcraft, or any other MMORPG game?

[Image: Juan Pablo Olmo]