The Australian, citing the United Daily News, has reported that a teenager who has died after playing 40 straight hours of Diablo 3 has prompted an AMA alert.

The AMA now wants internet cafe owners to be more aware of the dangers associated with obsessive gaming and pay more attention to the length of time that customers play for.

The Taiwanese teenager, age 18, died after collapsing having played 40 hours of the online game without eating. The young man identified only as Chuang, his surname, reportedly booked a private room at a cafe in South Taiwan where he remained. Almost two days later, an attendant entered the room and found Chuang resting on a table. When he was woken up, he stood, only to collapse. He was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital.

Dangers of obsessive gaming without food or water are dehydration as well as the lack of electrolytes, which can induce cardiac arrest, from sitting for too long. However, the actual cause of death has not yet been determined.

A Blizzard spokesman, the company that produce Diablo 3, says:

“While we recognise that it’s ultimately up to each individual or their parent or guardian to determine playing habits, we feel that moderation is clearly important, and that a person’s day-to-day life should take precedence over any form of entertainment.” 

This is the second gaming related death that has been reported in Taiwan this year with similar deaths having been reported else where. In February, a man in New Teipei died of heart failure when he was found slumped in a chair facing a computer after playing League of Legends for 23 hours. In February 2011, a Chinese man died in Beijing after gaming for three days.

Source: The Australian