Korean Job Discussion Forums

Real Reality · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: Seoul

Game player ends up as a terminal case
A 28-year-old computer game player, police say, overdid it.
After 50 hours of nonstop action in front of an Internet cafe terminal, the Daegu resident collapsed Friday night. He died in a hospital from heart failure brought on by exhaustion, doctors later said.

According to the Internet cafe's owner, Mr. Lee often stayed up two to three nights in a row. He had his food delivered to the cafe and hardly left his computer except to go to the toilet. Mr. Lee reportedly slept on a makeshift bed in the Internet cafe's administrative office.

As Mr. Lee had not come home for a while, Mr. Lee's mother asked her son's former coworkers to find him. They had located Mr. Lee at the Internet cafe on the day of the incident. "He promised that he would play just a little more and then go home," one of his coworker said. "Then, after five minutes, he collapsed."
by Hwang Sun-yoon, JoongAng Daily (August 09, 2005)
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200508/08/200508082230146779900090409041.html

yemanja · Joined: 29 Sep 2004

chiaa · Joined: 23 Aug 2003

Farmer's Daughter.

He was trying to figure out how to get the shit off his work boots.

yemanja · Joined: 29 Sep 2004

Did you know there is a typo in your sig?

Needs Books????
Needs needs no s.

So what's your shop? is it some kind of book shop??

Gopher · Joined: 04 Jun 2005

These "computer games" in Asia carry an entirely different sociocultural meaning than they do in the U.S., I think.

I saw a CNN interview with a Chinese exec on this. He said that these games played an important role, especially for someone who has no real "status" in life...that is, it was a chance to get another kind of "status," high score, top winner, whatever. I've thought of that interview everytime I've stepped foot into a PC bang since.

Maybe it's like soccer in South America or people living vicariously through soaps in the U.S.? The OP here seems to suggest that it's kind of like a drug, or more appropirately, a gambling addiciton for some...maybe it's the modern day opium?

yemanja · Joined: 29 Sep 2004

I wonder what the reaction would be from the makers of the game the guy was playing?

Good News? Bad News?

For a game designer, it would be a complimet wouldn't it?

Would he put it on his resume?
Achievements: Wrote a game that was ssooooo addictive that....

spidey112233 · Joined: 21 Jul 2005

WOW! 50 hours of non-stop GO-STOP! Very Happy

Captain Corea · Joined: 28 Feb 2005 Location: Seoul

16 hours is my record. Shocked

Can't imagine 50

VanIslander · Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2005 5:50 pm Post subject:

I once stayed up non-stop from Sunday morning until Thursday afternoon, over 100 hours straight.

(chocolate-covered coffee beans helped me get through bouts of drowsiness on Tuesday)

It was the last week of the fall semester of second year university and I had four term papers to write by week's end.

I did it. Thankfully I was 20 and otherwise healthy. (Maybe still a little lucky.)

The funny thing is Thurday afternoon when I was finished everything I didn't feel tired! I was in a neutral feeling state, a zone I called it. My father had to talk me into putting my head on a pillow for ten minutes, after which.... I slept for 26 hours! My father said I got up to urinate twice but I had no recollection of that.

When I finaly awoke I was so refreshed and energized that I described my previous state as zombie-like.

Once in a lifetime.

As for the death, I feel sorry for the guy. Hopefully the Korean press starts emphasizing this sort of thing as a healthcare issue.

I see teenagers and young adults in PC rooms all hours of the night. I sometimes have gone at dawn and seen guys who seem to have been there all night.

That can't be good if done long term.

joe_doufu · Joined: 09 May 2005 Location: Elsewhere

It's about winning. Everybody needs to be a winner in some part of their life, for confidence and health. In a society where older people are always "above" younger people, you can't win until everybody older than you dies, so people seek success in video games and sports. And there isn't much real estate for sports.

yemanja · Joined: 29 Sep 2004

It was minesweeper, the easiest level! Shocked

At home I guess the PC bang would be sued for "breach of care" or something like that....you don't hear of that much here, at least I haven't..granted I don't read the papers much or even the full article that was quoted here.

Any word on if the PC Bang will cop some heat?
Mostly young guys working at PC Bangs, high customer to staff ratio.
I wouldn't like to be some young student having to tell a bunch of gamers its time to go home

itaewonguy · Joined: 25 Mar 2003

I cant believe someone can die just from being awake for 50hours!
thats only 2 days! I know friends who have stayed awake for 7 days non stop of course they were on drugs.. but still thats 7 days awake and on drugs so you would think that would cause more pressure on the heart
sounds like this guy had some heart problems! you dont just drop dead from being awake 48 hours.. I have stayed awake for 36 hours without drugs many times..

mindmetoo · Joined: 02 Feb 2004

I like the bit about how he was like "yeah yeah just ten more minutes and I'll take a break... *gasp* *ack* *collapse*"

A Darwin nominee for sure.

bossaco · Joined: 13 Feb 2005 Location: jongro-gu

accdg to Chosun Ilbo he was playing starcraft

yemanja · Joined: 29 Sep 2004