seanpr92
Godlike
A LAD of 20 has been killed by a blood clot caused by playing his Xbox for up to 12 hours at a time.
A post mortem revealed that Chris Staniforth - addicted to games such as Halo - had suffered a deep vein thrombosis. It can be triggered by sitting in one position for long spells.
Stunned dad David, of Sheffield, said: "He lived for his Xbox. I never dreamed he was in any danger.
"As a parent you think playing computer games can't do them any harm because you know what they are doing.
Kids all over the country are playing these games for long periods - they don't realise it could kill them."
Chris collapsed seconds after telling a friend how he had been experiencing a strange sensation in his chest.
The pair were chatting outside a JobCentre where Chris had an interview.
David said: "He told his friend how he was woken in the night by a strange feeling in his chest.
"He said his heart rate had been incredibly low but it went back to normal and he fell asleep again.
"Then he dropped a packet of chewing gum and as he picked it up, he jolted back and began to spasm."
Chris's friend called an ambulance - but paramedics could not save him.
A coroner yesterday confirmed DVT had caused Chris's death and it was cited on his death certificate.
He did not have a history of ill health and had no underlying medical complications.
DVT is a blood clot which develops in the legs or lower torso, often when the suffer's movement is restricted for long spells.
If the clot travels up the veins to the lungs, it can cause a fatal blockage known as a pulmonary embolism.
DVT used to mainly strike passengers on long-haul flights who sat for hours in the same position.
But in recent years it has increasingly been seen among those who sit for longs spells in front of computer screens.
Seems suns bashing consoles lately
heres what game site destructoid said
The Sun has gone for a double whammy today! Earlier we talked about its continuing vendetta against the 3DS, and now we have a far more alarming story for your Saturday morning hysteria. The British paper, known predominantly for pictures of tits and histrionic drivel, has run the huge front-page headline, "DEATH BY XBOX."
The story concerns itself with twenty-year-old "gaming addict" Chris Staniforth, who died of deep vein thrombosis. The blood clot that finished him off, reports the Sun, is a direct result of his gaming habits. It might actually be true, since playing Halo for twelve hours a day could indeed lead to fatal problems, as could doing anything sedentary. That doesn't, of course, justify a "news" paper claiming that the Xbox killed you.
Interestingly, the parents of the dead man aren't angry at games at all: "I'm not for one minute blaming the manufacturer of Xbox," said his father. "It isn't their fault that people use them for so long. But I want to highlight the dangers that can arise. Playing on it for so long is what killed him -- and I don't want another child to die."
That's fair enough. It's a shame the Sun had no interest in contributing to a valid concern and instead went straight for the "videogames will MURDER you" message. And they wonder why intelligent, rational human beings think the Sun is a dribbling piece of shit
