A computer gamer has died in Taiwan after a three-day online binge of combat games, the second "sudden death" of an internet cafe patron in the country this year.
Staff at the game centre in the city of Kaohsiung told The Taipei Times that the 32-year-old man, only identified by his surname, Hsieh, appeared to be sleeping.
"Hsieh was a regular customer here and always played for consecutive days," an employee told the paper.
"When tired, he would sleep face-down on the table or doze off slumped in his chair. That is why we were not aware of his condition in the beginning."
Hsieh was rushed to a hospital when staff finally realised he was not breathing. Hospital authorities said there were no signs of external injuries and confirmed Hsieh had died from cardiac failure brought on by prolonged game-playing.
An official of the city's police force said patrols would be stepped up to visit game centres to warn players of the need to "get up and move around after every two hours of computer gaming".
On January 1, a 38-year-old man was found dead in an internet cafe in Taipei after five straight days of playing computer games.
In both incidents, police said players continued to play even when learning someone had died.
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