On November 20, media in Hong Kong reported that a university student in China, specifically in Henan Province, died due to extreme exhaustion resulting from staying awake for five consecutive days playing a video game while doing a collaboration for a company related to the industry.
According to the article, the third-grade student from the Department of Computer Science and Applications at Pingdingshan Vocational and Technical Institute in the province died on November 10. According to the father, the student had chosen a video game company in the province to do a six-month internship as part of school work, and had signed a contract with the company to play and stream more than 240 hours a month. At first, the student played during the day, but starting on November 5, he began to play all night, staying up all night for five consecutive days, from the night of the 5th to the morning of the 10th, and the day longest played for nine hours straight. The student died suddenly on the 10th while resting in a rented house outside the school.
The game the student played all night was the popular video game Genshin Impact. According to his colleagues, The student did not intend to play all night, but a company representative reportedly mentioned that many more people were browsing late at night, which could earn him more money in donations., and this was the reason why he started playing during the night hours. According to the student’s father, the boy had always enjoyed good health, and no abnormalities were found during his medical examinations.
Furthermore, according to the article, a legal representative of the company where the student was affiliated mentioned in this regard: “What was signed was a collaboration agreement, so there was no working relationship between the company and the student. Furthermore, the subject died in his own home after having stopped playing the video game, that is, placing the order for him, so the company had nothing to do with it. We do not force affiliated streamers to play all night“. It is also mentioned that the company will voluntarily give the sum of 5,000 yuan (about $700) to the family of the deceased.
On the other hand, a lawyer from a firm in Beijing commented on the case: “Many streamers have signed partnership-type contracts with companies, but the reality is that an employment relationship is formed. If any incident happens during working hours, and this can be proven, then the company should take responsibility for what happened.“.
And of course, the news did not go unnoticed in the comment forums:
- «Oh no, video game regulations will be back».
- «Is this the result of desperately trying to survive in this society?».
- «He is the first person I know of who dies after not sleeping for several nights.».
- «I don’t know, it seems like a pathetic way to die.».
- «I understand the issue of broadcasting at night because there is a larger audience, but I don’t understand the logic of not sleeping for five nights in a row».
- «I don’t understand then how some VTubers are still alive today».
- «Well it seems like he didn’t have time to sleep during the day, specifically because he had to go to school and work somewhere else.».
- «It’s not a game where you can do a lot for so many hours, what did you spend your time doing?».
- «There’s not much to do in Genshin Impact for so many hours at a time, what could I show viewers?».
- «If it were an MMO or PvP I would understand, but Genshin Impact loses its variety quickly, how can you play for five nights in a row?».
- «Staying awake for five days seems incredible to me, it’s like I’m already hallucinating on the third night».
Fountain: Yaraon!
