Can Skyrim Kill You?

Every so often the media likes to slam video games.  What appears as fun entertainment to gamers is often demonized by the press.  In fact, gaming has been blamed for many of our society’s ills — everything from violence to the increase in childhood obesity. Societal problems are complicated, and it’s an oversimplification at best to point the finger at gaming  as the chief cause of our woes. Regardless, video games are many times made out to be the pariah.

Last week I happened across a news story that claimed video games could lead to life threatening blood clots. As soon as I read the headline I thought to myself “oh no, here we go again.” Sighing in exasperation, I read the article, and although it tended towards the sensational at times, it did cause me to stop and think about my own gaming  habits.

Video Games Can Be Deadly?

The story has been picked up by several news agencies, and you can read the New York Daily News version here. Basically, a case study was published in the Journal of Medical Case Reports that indicated video gaming is a risk factor for blood clots. Apparently a 31 year old man on vacation spent 8 hours a day in bed for 4 days in a row playing video games. He ended up developing deep vein thrombosis in one of his legs (deep vein thrombosis is a blood clot that occurs in the deep veins of the leg, and can be caused by being sedentary for long periods of time). Thankfully, he sought medical attention because of the pain, but the blood clot caused by his immobility could have killed him.

Unfortunately, a 20 year old gamer from Britain wasn’t so fortunate. Back in 2011, the young man died after developing deep vein thrombosis. He too spent a lot of time being sedentary, and his father claimed “he lived for his Xbox.”

Can Skyrim Kill You?

While I wouldn’t consider myself an extreme gamer by any means, there have been times when I’ve played Skyrim for 8 hours or more in a day. An 8 hour marathon gaming session is the exception though, and not the norm. Usually my game times last an hour or two, but the Skyrim experience is so immersive it’s easy to lose track of time…

While I think it extremely unlikely that video games such as Skyrim can kill you, I believe there are two simple steps all gamers should take to minimize  health risks associated with immobility:

1. Pay attention to how much time is spent in-game (it’s far too easy to lose track of time)
2. Hit the pause button and take  breaks (stand up and stretch, take the dog for a walk, etc.)

In the end, it’s important to keep gaming in perspective. As shown by the Journal study, prolonged sitting on the couch or in front of the PC day-after-day could have negative health consequences. No one wants to develop a blood clot, so it’s important to take a break  and get up and move.

Final Thoughts

What do you think? Can video games be deadly, or is this just another media slam against gamers? Share your opinions in the Speak Your Mind section below. Until next time!