You can die of thrombosis
Marathon gaming sessions aren't uncommon. But when it starts to threaten your life? Yeah, that might be taking things a bit too far. A condition called deep vein thrombosis can result from frequently sitting still for too long. One British gamer died of blood clots probably formed by thrombosis after he built a lifestyle of frequent, 12-hour gaming sessions. And a New Zealand gamer went to the hospital with life-threatening blood clots in his legs after playing his PlayStation for four days on vacation.
Your heart can fail, and you can die
As CNN reports, a 32-year-old man in Hong Kong was found dead at an internet café following a nonstop, three-day gaming binge. The man entered a Hong Kong internet café on January 6, 2015, to start playing — and he was found dead by an employee on January 8. The cause of death? Cardiac failure, largely caused by immobility, cold temperatures, and utter exhaustion from lack of sleep. Employees reported he would often stay there for days on end to play, and news outlets note the other gamers at the café were unfazed by the paramedics and police who responded to the scene when the man was discovered. Staying awake for days on end puts an extreme strain on your body, and if you're in poor health already, it can prove too much pressure for your heart.
You can develop Nintendonitis
Even if you do take breaks and keep your body active between gaming sessions, the repetition of using a controller for hours, days, weeks, months, and years on end can still take a toll. Gaming typically requires a lot of repetitive motion with your thumbs and fingers, and the BBC reported in 2003 that some players can develop repetitive strain injuries (aka Nintendonitis) because of it. The condition happens when you repeatedly do the same motion over and over (e.g., furiously punching the same button to frag your buddies). It typically affects the wrists and hands, but can move up to forearms and elbows depending on the person and the playing style.
If you have epilepsy, it can trigger seizures
If you're prone to seizures, it's a good idea to be careful with your gaming sessions. As a 1994 report published by the National Institutes of Health noted, the majority of patients with epileptic seizures in a small study suffered seizures while playing video games. Factors that can contribute to seizures include photosensitivity, intermittent photic stimulation, and more. For 27 of the 35 seizure patients in that 1994 study, their first seizure came while playing video games. It's important to note that games have changed a lot since 1994. There are now standards in place to guard against these sorts of triggers, although publishers might not always meet those standards.
You can literally become addicted
Do anything long enough, and it can become a very strong habit that is hard to break. The same applies to video games. CNN recently reported on a study by Douglas Gentile, a psychologist at Iowa State University, who has been tracking video game players for decades. According to his findings, approximately 8.5 percent of children who play video games in the United States are addicted. Those statistics held up in several other countries, too. Gentile said the estimates can vary, but most studies found that 4-10 percent of children were classified as "addicted" to video games.
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