Teen dies after playing video game for 40 hours

London, July 19 (IANS) A teenager in Taiwan has been found dead in an internet cafe after reportedly playing a video game for 40 hours without a break.

The 18-year-old lad is believed to have collapsed during a marathon session of Diablo 3, an action role-playing video game which features elements of the hack and slash, and dungeon crawl genres. He was found by workers in the internet cafe in Tainan city, The Sun reported.

On July 15, an attendant entered the room in the morning and found Chuang resting on a table. After the attendant woke him, he stood up, took a few steps and then collapsed, reports said. He was declared dead shortly after being taken to a local hospital.

It is believed the boy had not eaten for two days and has so far only been identified by his surname Chuang.

Police were investigating the incident.

It has been speculated that sitting for long hours in a sedentary position created cardiovascular problems for Chuang, the daily reported.

The teen had been playing the latest instalment of the role-playing game.

Earlier, in February, a man in New Taipei city was found dead, slumped in a chair facing a computer with his arms still reaching out for the keyboard after playing for 23 hours. The cause of death was reported as cardiac arrest.