Gamer dies after presumably playing Diablo III for 3 days

[Black Panther]

Though not the first time somebody died while playing a game, this is sad news indeed.
Obviously not the game's fault, but illustrates the importance of keeping ourselves healthy, to take regular breaks from gaming, and to exercise.

..Diablo III Claims its First Real-World Victim, 32-Year Old Russell Shirley

Good friend and writer here at Gameranx, Dave Oshry tweeted that the first Diablo III-related death has occurred. It’s sad that we have come to see this as a common phenomenon. It is as if we all expected there to be deaths associated with the game.

32-year old Russell Shirley was found dead in his home over the weekend by his landlord and coworker. He suffered a heart attack after a three-day binge on Diablo III.

The blog post Oshry linked us to indicates that Shirley lived a sedentary lifestyle, and while his place of employment offered free gym membership, he was hard pressed to use it.

I suppose it goes without saying that everyone should monitor their playtime, and take time out for physical activity. Personally, I get my daily physical activity through the sport of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu; there are tons of other options, though. Try and channel that competitive spirit you have fostered through gaming into self-improvement once in a blue moon and the results might be more attractive than you thought.

Our hearts, thoughts, and controllers are with Russell Shirley. We here at Gameranx ask that you treat games as anything else, and only use them in moderation.

http://eu.battle.net/d3/en/forum/topic/4210084967

I don't agree with the event being labelled as a diablo-related death. Unfortunately many deaths occur when the person in question is excited, stressed and tired. The game is exciting, and playing for 3 days is stressful and tiring. One of the worst things for the body is to be in 'fight or flight' mode while being sedentary and not physically expending that energy pent up inside.


_______________________

UPDATE:

A blog post on the BuildStarted website, which has now been taken offline, claimed that 32-year-old Russell Shirley passed away from a heart attack after playing Diablo 3 for three days straight. The blog claimed Mr. Shirley was found at his computer after apparently having a heart attack.

The blog post, a cached version of which can be viewed here, was written by Ben Dorris, who claimed to be a "good friend and co-worker" of Shirley's. He added:

"I'm not trying to blame the game for killing him. I'm trying to place blame on the lifestyle choice he made. His health issues combined with a sedentary life must have taken its toll. It just happened to be during a Diablo 3 marathon that he died."

Dorris also tweeted about the death saying: "He's always been a big guy and we're sure he had a heart attack but he also took 4 days off to play it."

The news spread around the internet and was even reported on the Gameranx website where Shirley was a writer. Various internet forums, including one on the official Diablo 3 site, began criticising Shirley for playing the game for too long.

However, a couple of days after the blog post was written, another friend of Shirley's got in touch with Gameranx to say that the blog post by Dorris was not accurate. To verify his friendship with Shirley, the anonymous source emailed the website a picture of the deceased man and his friends.

Gameranx retracted the contents of the previous story they published saying: "We believe that the blog post Gameranx reported on was not trustworthy and it was a mistake on our part to have even used its content. Please remember Russell Shirley not as a Diablo III-addicted gamer, but as a great person - kind, loving, and caring."

Another person claiming to be one of Shirley's "best friends for many years", commmenting on the updated piece on the Gameranx website, said: "Russell had struggled with apnea for the entirety of the decade and a half that I knew him, due to complications in that regard he'd had trouble managing his weight, but it was believed by the coroner that was at the scene that Russell had not died of a heart attack but instead died due to his apnea."

Apnea is a term for suspension of external breathing. During apnea there is no movement of the muscles of respiration and the volume of the lungs initially remains unchanged.

The sommenter, identified as Wutend, added: "It was an overzealous assumption on someone's part that he died of a heart attack, there was no fact backing the statement."

Another commenter on the piece, Dylan Squires, identifies herself as the landlord who was creditied as finding Shirley in his apartment. She also rubbishes the 72 hour marathon claim, saying: "As for this marathon session nonsense...This was an opportunity for him to put in some long hours on a game he loved without worrying about waking up at 6 or 7am. That doesn't mean 72 hours straight. Where that number came from I'll never know. He had a waking and sleeping life like anyone."

Volte6 claims to have spoken with the coroner at length at the scene and the early diagnosis was that Shirley did not get enough oxygen while he slept. Official results from the autopsy will not be known for another month.

Read more: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/34...#ixzz1vszkBOca

[LifeOnMars]

So is it as a result of a pulmonary embolism from DVT? Or was it a standard heart attack? Sad that someone can let this happen but tbh I am very sedentary myself and need to sort it out, I get all kinds of leg pain.

Edit - Thanks, yeh I just read about the apnea, poor guy. RIP

[Mr McC]

Sensationalist journalism: the fact that he was playing Diablo III is incidental, he died because he suffered from serious conditions that were exacerbated by the way he lived.

In any event I say let him rest in peace, Diablo III needs no more publicity, negative or otherwise.

[Sh00t1st]

When bf3 came out i played it for 3 days straight, if anything you get into this mode where your heart rate is actually below normal and your reactions require seemingly no thought, its one of the most relaxing and fulfilling states you can be in, its called the mental state of flow.
Its also WHY i played it for that lengthy amount of time :-D

[MatTheCat]

ban diablo 3!

[lyndonguitar]

Too bad, reminds me of this

I read somewhere lol: If I ever die like this, it was the way it was suppose to be. Died doing what I love. This is a lucky lucky man.

[remixedcat]

wow that's pretty sad but he should have listened to his body...

mine normally will nag the hell outta me till I can't ignore it anymore if somethin's up

[Clubber_Lang]

Being an MX guy for 30 years......I can't understand how someone could actually sit there and play for 3 days strait. When I "used to" play a lot ( for me anyways ) on my very good gaming nights I would start in the evening and play until the damn sun was about to come up. I couldn't do that very often , but when I did , my fingers hurt , my legs and butt hurt from sitting for so long.

I don't know.......but for me , if I have a lazy day or two....with no real activities.....my body hurts. Stiff and sore and it takes a while to get things moving again.

I have broken almost every single bone in my body at least once.....some of them twice to three times. And if I don't stay active.....my body pays for it.

Either way......my advice is to get out and do something! You only live once.....don't waste it sitting behind a desk!

[Avelict]

While the issue is serious, I'm sure he's pissed that he didn't get to use his 4th day off of work.

[RejZoR]

Some ppl are weird. Am i the only one who goes to piss, drink something and eat something as well? Be it juice, chocolate or chips, something to avoid dehidration or hunger. It's the food of the gamers, drinks contain water and carbohydrates and the others contain fat and carbs. Everything the gamer needs to survive

[NinkobEi]

3 days straight? Was he fond of methamphetamines I wonder? That seems like an awful long time to go without some kind of artificial stimulus. Maybe he pounded back 50 Monster drinks. Those would likely be more responsible for killing him than D3.

[Black Panther]

Well the real cause of death is still unknown so let's keep a level of respect.
It's not difficult to get really hooked on a game one loves.
With games like Oblivion, Fallout and Skyrim I've logged in 5+ hours at a stretch. But then I live with family (who jolt me back to the real world at regular intervals!) I'd hate to think what I'd have done had I lived alone...

It depends on the game really. With Alan Wake for example, it keeps me so much wound up and on tenterhooks that I can't game more than 2 hours at a stretch for my fingers would start going stiff... then my arms... and then I'd have like rigor mortis from the shoulders downwards! But in games like Oblivion/Fallout/Skyrim there was the option to sneak... or to roam the villages in relative peace... ie take a break from the action while still continue playing the game and doing quests.

[robal]

Ban Diablo III !

[sneekypeet]

My guess is a blood clot made it to his lungs or heart and killed him. Doesn't matter how fit you are, if you sit in the same position for three days, anyone can produce these clots. From what I know, the body is supposed to move at least a couple times a day just to keep this from happening, but I am by far no real medically trained individual, for all I know its urban legend

[NinkobEi]

Originally Posted by sneekypeet

My guess is a blood clot made it to his lungs or heart and killed him. Doesn't matter how fit you are, if you sit in the same position for three days, anyone can produce these clots. From what I know, the body is supposed to move at least a couple times a day just to keep this from happening, but I am by far no real medically trained individual, for all I know its urban legend

I sense a new Fox series..."Dr. Peet, internet diagnostician" (now with 100% more drug addiction and hookers)

[sneekypeet]

Just so happens it was on "1000 ways to die" the other night, they just used a random game title while explaining the circumstances

[Avelict]

Like that episode in Scrubs when JD makes that fantastic diagnosis from watching a show the night before...

[W1zzard]

i played more than him and i'm still alive!

[sneekypeet]

Originally Posted by W1zzard

i played more than him and i'm still alive!

Straight through or were you getting up for beverage and potty breaks? The situation described that I saw, the kid was using a bottle and had a mini fridge so he didn't have to move at all.

[W1zzard]

Originally Posted by sneekypeet

Straight through or were you getting up for beverage and potty breaks? The situation described that I saw, the kid was using a bottle and had a mini fridge so he didn't have to move at all.

yes i did get up for drink, smoke, and bio. also slept a few hours strategically spread out over the day to handle downtimes

[NinkobEi]

W1z 1-upping a dead guy. lol

Shower shorts; for the man that has nothing to hide, but still wants to.

[erocker]

The man died doing something he enjoys. Not many people can say that... well no one can if thier dead.

[Black Panther]

Originally Posted by sneekypeet

The situation described that I saw, the kid was using a bottle and had a mini fridge so he didn't have to move at all.

Well, it's still unknown.

What's known is that the poor guy took 4 days off work to enjoy his game, and was found dead on the 3rd day. It doesn't mean he gamed for 3 days straight. He could have taken the days off only to be able to game late, and then wake up late the following morning (something I regularly do on weekends).

I hope he rests in peace and wish my condolences to all his family and friends.

Part of me created this post so that whoever reads it gets a reality check (I needed it too):
Gaming sometimes has the habit of tricking the brain into thinking you were physically adventuring yourself - you get endorphin kicks, fight/flight mode, sweats, elation feelings from the pineal gland of the brain etc...

Let's realize that it's easy to unwarily slip into the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle. We might think that we're changing activities and the brain feels better for doing so, but it'd be during the day at work in front of a pc, then at home you relax by reading the news and forums... in front of a pc.. and for fun you then play games... again seated in front of the monitor... At the end of the day, before dropping off to sleep in bed you'd think you did so much during the day. But if you think enough, you were sitting down the entire time.

[W1zzard]

Originally Posted by Black Panther

you get endorphin kicks, fight/flight mode, sweats, elation feelings from the pineal gland of the brain etc...

i want that game!

[sneekypeet]

I had an experience like that once, but it involved a 5 AM underworld run in Guild Wars while an earthquake hit