Skip to main content

20-year-old man dies after marathon gaming sessions

An avid Xbox gamer died from a blood clot which formed as a result of marathon gaming sessions, an autopsy has revealed.

According to the UK’s Sun newspaper, 20-year-old Brit Chris Staniforth, who had never had any serious health problems before, played on his Xbox for up to 12 hours at a time.

Recommended Videos

The pathologist who performed the autopsy said that the clot, known as deep vein thrombosis, was the cause of Staniforth’s death.

Such clots can form in the legs or lower part of the body when a person stays in the same position for a long period of time without taking a break. For the clot to be fatal, it would have to become detached and enter the bloodstream, where it can eventually cause a blockage in the lungs. Air passengers on long-haul flights are particularly at risk if they sit in the same position for the entire journey.

Chris Staniforth’s father, David, told the Sun, “Chris lived for his Xbox. When he got into a game he could play it for hours and hours on end, sometimes 12 hours in a stretch. He got sucked in playing Halo online against people from all over the world.”

He continued: “I’m not for one minute blaming the manufacturer of Xbox. It isn’t their fault that people use them for so long. But I want to highlight the dangers that can arise.”

But let’s just take a moment to get this into perspective. Most gamers do not die from blood clots caused by playing video games for long stretches. Staniforth was extremely unlucky.

But just as passengers on long-haul flights are advised to do, it would be wise to get up and have a stretch from time to time – it’ll prevent the onset of a stiff back if nothing else.

A spokesperson for Xbox-maker Microsoft told the Sun: “We recommend gamers take breaks to exercise as well as make time for other pursuits.”

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
3 new Game Pass games to play this weekend (June 13-15)
The mobile base in The Alters.

If you're a superstitious person, Friday the 13th might be a bad sign for this weekend. While I can't say you won't encounter any bad luck, what I can promise is that you will have more than enough fun with all the new Game Pass games hitting the service. Last weekend's Xbox Games Showcase showed off too many upcoming Xbox Series X games to count, most of which will be day-one Game Pass games when they come out, but we still have a while to wait for games like Keeper and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. All that excitement may have overshadowed the latest batch of Game Pass games, including a fantastic day one sci-fi survival game like nothing else, a delightful co-op strategy game, and the biggest sports game just in time for the World Cup.

The Alters

Read more
Ninja Gaiden 4 is PlatinumGames at its best (and bloodiest)
A ninja faces off against an enemy in Ninja Gaiden 4.

Earlier this year, I revisited a golden age of gaming when I played Ninja Gaiden 2 Black. The remake brought me back to a time where character action games ruled, and each one felt different in its own way. It felt so distant from today's landscape, filled with Soulslikes that worship at the altar of the parry button. That experience left me feeling prepared for the series' next installment, Ninja Gaiden 4.

Or so I thought. It turns out that the upcoming sequel, scheduled to launch on October 21, is a new beast entirely. I found that out when I played a chunk of it following last weekend's Xbox Games Showcase and walked out with a big grin on my face. Though its changes to the series' patented action may bum some purists out, I'm personally thrilled to report that developer PlatinumGames has taken this opportunity to create the most Platinum game possible. And thank God for that.

Read more
Ratatan successfully transforms an 18-year-old PSP classic into something new
Little critters fight a crab boss in Ratatan.

I don’t quite understand why we’re in a sudden Patapon revival, but I can’t complain about it. The cult rhythm game, in which players control an army of weird little dudes to the beat of music, will return this year with Patapon 1+2 Replay. That would be exciting enough for fans, but the bigger development is that the series is getting a full-on spiritual successor. Ratatan picks up where Patapon left off, bringing back that series’ colorful visuals and musical action.

Ahead of its early access release on July 25, I went hands-on with the upcoming indie at Summer Game Fest to see how developer Ratata Arts is reimagining a nearly 20-year-old game for modern audiences. Though it took me a few tries to fully understand how it all worked, I walked away charmed by Ratatan’s playful spin on the roguelite genre once I found my groove.

Read more