Video Game Addiction Claims Another Life

Video game addiction is front and center in the tech world after a 20-year-old man was killed by a pulmonary embolism, which is a condition that can occur when someone sits in the same position for too long a period of time. The man in question, Chris Staniforth, would play Xbox for up to half a day.

The sad news of Mr. Staniforth is not the first time video games have gotten the better of a human being. The addictive and entertaining medium continues to captivate the attention of millions of people across the globe, and the addiction to video games showed up in several different ways with often dire consequences:

China, 2011

Earlier this month reports were circling that a Chinese couple sold their three children to fund their video game habit. The couple, who paid to play games at Internet cafes, allegedly started selling their children in 2009 for prices ranging from $500 to $4,600. A family member finally turned the pair in, while the parents claim they did not know they were breaking the law.

Reno, Nev., 2007

In Reno, Nev., in 2007, a couple was allegedly so obsessed with video games that they let their 22-month-old and 11-month-old children nearly starve. The couple, Michael and Iana Straw, had food for their children, but was so preoccupied playing online video games they overlooked actually feeding their children. The kids were treated for a variety of issues at a local hospital, but were reportedly doing well in foster care.

Colorado, 2011

Earlier this year a woman in Colorado was busy surfing Facebook and playing online games while her one-year-old was in the bathtub alone. Allegedly, when the mother, Shannon Johnson, went to check on the child after ten minutes of silence she found him slumped over in the tub drowned. Johnson pleaded guilty to felony child abuse and received ten years in prison for her crime.

South Korea, 2010

Last year in Seoul, South Korea, a 41-year-old husband and 25-year-old wife were found guilty of abandoning their newborn child to starvation while they played an online game to raise a virtual child. The couple reportedly played the online game for ten hours a day and fed their actual child once a day.

Jason Gallagher is a former travel professional and long-time Pennsylvania resident. These experiences give him a first-hand look at developing situations in the state and everything included in the travel industry from technology to trends.