A young man who was fixated with playing an online computer game has died after reportedly playing it for 22 DAYS solid.
And the 17-year-old, who had broken his leg and was bored at home, saw his character die on screen before he passed away at home.
The teen, known only as Rustam, was playing the game Defence of the Ancients almost continuously, only stopping to sleep and eat.
Investigators stated that the addicted gamer spent more than 2,000 hours playing the game in the last year-and-a-half.
It's a schedule which works out at around six-and-a-half hours a day, culminating in the intensive almost non-stop sessions over 22 days leading to his death.
A young man who was fixated with playing an online computer game has died after reportedly playing it for 22 DAYS solid.
And the 17-year-old, who had broken his leg and was bored at home, saw his character die on screen before he passed away at home.
The teen, known only as Rustam, was playing the game Defence of the Ancients almost continuously, only stopping to sleep and eat.
Investigators stated that the addicted gamer spent more than 2,000 hours playing the game in the last year-and-a-half.
It's a schedule which works out at around six-and-a-half hours a day, culminating in the intensive almost non-stop sessions over 22 days leading to his death.
Last days: The 17-year-old had broken his leg and was bored at home when he became addicted to the game The tragic death happened in the town of Uchaly in southern Russia's Republic of Bashkortostan.
His parents told BlokNot that they usually heard him pounding at his keyboard but on August 30, all went quiet in his room.
He was rushed to hospital but declared dead on arrival.
Doctors believe he could have died from second class syndrome, thrombosis from not moving around, as on a cramped long haul flight.
Police spokeswoman Svetlana Abramova confirmed: "In the last 22 days it is suspected he played the game almost all the time, stopping only to take a nap and grab a snack.
"Since August 8 he had a broken leg and has spent all his time at home playing computer games."
Russian representative for children Pavel Astakhov said: "It is important to follow what your kids are doing. In the case of the 17-year-old, it is suspected he spent what was the equivalent of 83 whole days online out of the past year-and-a-half. A dependence on computer games is one of biggest dangers for the kids nowadays".
Medical expert Azat Hafizov explained what could have happened: "People can suffer from such problems during long flights when they are forced to sit. The boy presumably died from a thrombosis. They are appearing in 50 percent of cases when people have fractures."
The boy collapsed as his virtual online persona was also killed in the game.
Psychologist Rustam Kalimullin said: "Problems with video games become bigger if parents do not take enough care of children.
"It does not have to be that parents drink or take drugs, but simply do not pay enough attention to children. In those cases children escape from problems into virtual worlds."
Defense of the Ancients is a multi-player online battle arena model for the video game Warcraft III. It involves units known as heroes and fighters and has featured in worldwide tournaments.
By Kirstie McCrum, MIRROR
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