The Sun leads with 'Death by Xbox' cover story

4.5
The Sun leads with a story that has no doubt caused headaches at Microsoft.

With a headline of ‘Death by Xbox’, the paper has pushed to the fore the tragic case of Chris Staniforth, a 20-year-old who died of deep-vein-thrombosis (DVT).

The report directly links the DVT to Staniforth spending up to 12 hours playing Xbox games – his father said he was “sucked in” to online multiplayer for games like Halo.

DVT is the formation of a blood clot that develops often without symptoms and is most commonly occurring in immobilised hospital patients or regular smokers - but is also linked to long-haul flights and travel, where it occurs due to lack of movement in transit.

The Sun throws in that “in recent years it has been increasingly been seen among those who sit for long spells in front of computer screens”. As tragic as this story is, that’s an odd claim to throw in when it can occur in anyone immobilised or still for a long period of time. (And let’s not forget an Xbox needs to be plugged into a TV, not a computer.)

Staniforth’s father David said he is now launching a campaign to raise awareness of DVT and video games – but added he isn’t levelling criticism at Microsoft.

“Kids all over the country are playing these video games,” he told The Sun. “They don’t realise it could kill them.

“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.

“Playing on it for so long is what killed him – and I don’t want another child to die.”

A statement from Microsoft said: “We recommend gamers take breaks to exercise as well as make time for other pursuits.”

The report comes just a few days after The Sun published a report about an asthmatic teenage girl who suffered “a heart attack while playing on her Xbox”, and four months after it ran a widely-mocked report about how the Nintendo 3DS poses a health-risk and made players ill or dizzy.

Posted:

Comments

"The Sun leads with 'Death by Xbox' cover story" :: Login/Create an Account :: 92 comments

If you would like to post a comment please signin to your account or register for an account.

AwwwwYeahPosted:

I am pretty sure it wasn't the Xbox that killed him,
He obviously had some sorta medical problem

TransformClanPosted:

thats sad i feel sorry for him he died playing xbox i dont think its fair just dieing just like that but what can i say its up to god when he wants to take peoples life he does.

1337ModzPosted:

4Sure I Cannot Sit Still For 1 Hr Let Alone 12...


I cant sit still for like 5 min. Gawd im healthy.

iainbruXPosted:

iAmMasterF the tabloid newspaper forgot to mention his poor health, and the time when he collapsed before he did the 12 hour marathon, the sun has a reputation for being so dramatic.

i admit that i play black ops for like 6 hours a day, sometimes like 10 usually in breaks, but my diet is healthy, i do about a 2 mile run everyday, even burping the worm would save your life lol.

i fidget a lot when playing & talk alot so i don't see this happening to anybody healthy, this was a 1 time happening event, these newspapers are just whores for the dollar. they will scare anybody just so they can sell.

But in the end it's always advised you take breaks, like usual stay healthy & if you are going for 12 hour marathons on black ops, just take some breaks in between.


Exactly.

One thing all American's MUST UNDERSTAND... If you are coming to Britain buy the Local Guardian and Daily Times ONLY!!!

iAmMasterFPosted:

the tabloid newspaper forgot to mention his poor health, and the time when he collapsed before he did the 12 hour marathon, the sun has a reputation for being so dramatic.

i admit that i play black ops for like 6 hours a day, sometimes like 10 usually in breaks, but my diet is healthy, i do about a 2 mile run everyday, even burping the worm would save your life lol.

i fidget a lot when playing & talk alot so i don't see this happening to anybody healthy, this was a 1 time happening event, these newspapers are just whores for the dollar. they will scare anybody just so they can sell.

But in the end it's always advised you take breaks, like usual stay healthy & if you are going for 12 hour marathons on black ops, just take some breaks in between.

VampiricPosted:

Well it says that DVT can be caused by being immobilised for long periods of time so it can be caused by anything, like sitting in a car for hours on end, watching TV, etc etc, in essence, DVT has nothing to do with Xbox, Xbox doesn't cause DVT or increase the chances of getting DVT, it is just coincidental that he died from DVT while playing Xbox, it could have happened just as easily as if he was doing anythng else that made him immobile for a long period of time.

Stupid report.

PrefirePosted:

Well looks like Microsoft should add "Dont play for 12 hours a day or you could die.." to the side of the console.

CaptainMorganPosted:

I bet the people who play for 12 hours a day still will play for that long a day even if they heard about this.

vorvPosted:

I Cannot Sit Still For 1 Hr Let Alone 12...

xblTalenTPosted:

i usually stay up to 24 hours playing halo :O holy lol, Thats y im number 1 x) hahah