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 long periods of time. 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 a school project, and had signed a contract
with the company to play and broadcast streaming more than 240 hours a month. At
first, the student played during the day, but starting on November 5, he
started playing all night, staying up all night for five consecutive days, from
the night of the 5th to the morning of the 10th, and on the longest day he
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 classmates, the student did not intend
to play all night, but a company representative reportedly mentioned to him
that many more people were browsing late at night, which which could make him
more money in donations, and this was the reason why he started playing
during the night hours (while still studying and working during the day).
According to the student's father, the boy had always enjoyed good health, and
no abnormalities were found during his medical examinations.
In addition, 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, for 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 law firm in Beijing
commented on the case: “Many streamers have signed partnership-type
contracts with companies, but the reality is that a employment relationship. 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 to die 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 I didn't have time to sleep during the day, specifically
because I 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 in a row, what could I
show the viewers?».
- «If
it were an MMO or a 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».
Fuente: Yaraon!
