Chinese man dies after week-long gaming session

Beijing (China) - A 26-year-old man from northeastern China died after a "marathon" online gaming session.

Chinese media did not announce the man’s name, but quoted his parents as saying that he spent almost all of the seven-day Lunar New Year holiday break playing online games.

During the holiday week, virtually all places in China are shut down, including restaurants and stores.

State media did not release details of the actual cause of the man’s death, though it was reported that he just suddenly passed out near the end of the week and never regained consciousness. His weight of about 330 pounds is being blamed for the death.

China has seen a lot of trouble with citizens becoming addicted to the Internet and gaming. Around 2.6 million of the country’s 20 million Internet users are reported to be addicts. This has led to documented cases of death, violence, and health problems.