Boy dies of computer game stress

A RUSSIAN schoolboy whose parents let him play computer games all day as a reward for good grades has died after a marathon session brought on an epileptic fit.

The 12-year-old, named only as Sergei, had an epileptic fit after playing a computer game for 12 hours without a break, Russian media reported.

He was taken to hospital in Yekaterinburg in western Russia after collapsing in a local computer game club.

Alexei Sulimov, spokesperson for Yekaterinburg hospital, said that the boy was healthy and had died because he “overworked” while playing.

At first the boy was diagnosed with epileptic seizure. He lost his bearings, could not recognise his parents and showed strange behaviour.

A week later he could breathe only with artificial ventilation of lungs and died shortly afterwards.

A post-mortem examination has shown that he died of stroke.

The boy had regularly spent 10 to 12 hours a day at the club since his school term finished in May, apparently with the permission of his parents who said they wanted to reward him for getting good grades.

Mr Sulimov said: “Brain haemorrhage took place due to sustained emotional stimulation of the brain. The boy had overworked.

“He was practically dying in that computer games club, but he still continued to play,” he said.

“This was the result of emotional stress because he was obsessed with the games. Apart from his obsession with computer games he was a healthy kid and there was no reason why he should not have had a long and healthy life.”

One of the club’s employees said children sometimes stay there even for the whole night.

“When this boy came last time, he felt quite good and played for long, almost for 12 hours. Then suddenly he fell on the floor and convulsed. We called an ambulance immediately, doctors arrived fast and took him to a hospital,” the source said.