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17-Year-Old Collapsed And Died At His Computer After Having All-Night Gaming Sessions

Medics said the teenager died from a stroke.

Cover image via Daily Mail

On Monday, 4 November, a father in Thailand found his son had died at his personal computer (PC) after having all-night gaming sessions during his school holidays

According to Daily Mail, the 17-year-old had broken up from classes towards the end of October and was using the free time to stay in his room on multiplayer battle games on his PC.

He reportedly spent hours on the computer at the home in Udon Thani, northern Thailand.

Image via Daily Mail

Medics who examined the body said the teenager died from a stroke

Prior to the medics, the father had tried to revive his son.

"I called his name and said 'wake up, wake up' but he did not respond. I could see he was dead," the devastated father was quoted as saying.

According to the report, the medics believed that the teenager suffered the stroke due to playing the computer constantly through the night.

The boy's body was taken from the hospital to a nearby Buddhist temple for the funeral.

His parents said that he would stay up all night in his room and then draw the curtains during the day to continue his fixation with gaming

According to his parents, Piyawat Harikun had refused to cut down the hours he spent on his computer despite their continuous urging.

On Monday, when Piyawat's father went into the bedroom, he found his son collapsed from the computer chair and was slumped against a PC tower on the floor.

There was a pile of takeaway boxes on the desk and a bottle of fizzy pop at his feet, while his headphones were resting on top of another computer tower, reported Daily Mail.

Image via Daily Mail

The father, who is an air force officer, has urged other parents not to allow their children to become hooked on the games

"My son was smart and always did great at school but he had a major problem with gaming addiction. He had already died before he had a chance to change," the father said.

I want my son's death to be an example...

He said that he wants it to be a warning "for parents whose children are game addicts", urging them to be more strict on their children's playing hours, "otherwise, they could end up like my son".

Earlier this year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recognised persistent or recurrent gaming behaviour as a 'disorder':

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