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Sonic the Hedgehog blamed for heart attack death

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Worth reusing

If there’s one positive aspect to writing online, besides it not being a dying medium like print, it’s that a cock-up can be noticed immediately and rectified. That’s a fact that also extends to stories that are complete and utter bullcrap, much like the Daily Mail’s recent reach-out-of-its-arse story about Sonic the Hedgehog being a blue grim reaper.

Over in the UK, the Mail ‘reported’ that a 16 year old boy with Asperger’s Syndrome and Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome suffered an eventually fatal heart attack, all thanks to a game of Sonic the Hedgehog. “Excitement ‘triggered fatal heart attack of teenager who died while playing his Xbox’,” read the Mail, presumably while burning copies of its university text books where the first year courses included such topics such as ‘research’ and ‘ethics’.

As for the devastated mother of the child, she wants more measures to be taken for young people to be screened in advance for such conditions, but such a plea for reason only warranted a mere footnote mention in the Daily Mail article as opportunist/writer Kerry McDermott took a swipe at gaming.

Death by Xbox folks. Another example of sterling investigative journalism by the Daily Mail, which has already spread articles of hate about anyone who doesn’t happen to be an Enoch Powell supporter.

Last Updated: July 18, 2013

42 Comments

  1. Yeah, read this yesterday, crazy stuff man.

    EXCEPT, that it could have happened whenever the kid got excited, strip club, scary movie, etc. but NOOOOOOOOOO blame innocent video game.

    Kerry McDermott you bloody muppet!

    Reply

    • HvR

      July 18, 2013 at 11:33

      During the chorus of his favourite gospel at church.

      Taking dump (actually happens a lot, know 2 people who passed away due to heart conditions on the throne)

      Reply

  2. Spathi

    July 18, 2013 at 11:21

    Header of the week right here ladies and gents!

    Reply

    • Admiral Chief Groot Wors

      July 18, 2013 at 11:25

      I dunno, some good ones this week

      Reply

  3. Ultimo_Cleric N7

    July 18, 2013 at 11:25

    It was a Sonic game, so it must have been so bad that the kid died.
    Ok, too far……This is sad but I MEAN COME ON! Next I will hear that gaming is responsible for the Crusades and Global Warming.

    Reply

    • Admiral Chief Groot Wors

      July 18, 2013 at 11:25

      Heh, Crusades

      Reply

  4. Umar Kiiroi Senk?

    July 18, 2013 at 11:28

    I agree with the mother though. I’m not too sure about the whole video game death now, but Parents should be watchful over their children, If your kid suffers from Epilepsy , you can’t let him play REZ now can you. Don’t let you 12 year old kid play COD either….it’s too easy to keep blaming video games, he could have gotten over excited by looking at boobies too ….

    Reply

    • Admiral Chief Groot Wors

      July 18, 2013 at 11:31

      Yes, parents are also at fault here, I agree with you

      Reply

      • HvR

        July 18, 2013 at 11:38

        Well I think that is a bit unfair, it is tragic circumstances.

        Most of these conditions can only be detected with a combination ECG and audible heart beat test. GP’s won’t pick it up when listening to your heart beat.

        As far as I know the mother is not blaming games.

        Letting your epileptic kid play anniversary edition of pac-man and listen to dubstep (regardless of health) is bad parenting.

        Reply

        • Umar Kiiroi Senk?

          July 18, 2013 at 11:40

          which is why I agree with this mother, and which is why parent should also take extra measures to protect their kids. Very tragic indeed and i don’t blame the mother

          Reply

          • HvR

            July 18, 2013 at 11:49

            Well it is difficult to check for everything, taking your child to cardiologist for heart test will cost you a couple of thousand rand.

            And then you’ve only covered the heart, for everything you need genetic screening (that will cost you the same as small car), brain scans, nervous system analysis.

            Luckily for future generations there is a lot of work being done on cheaper alternative for routine scans. For instance heartbeat analysis system that enables a nurse to be 99% as accurate as a cardiologist to pick up problematic heart mummers at a clinic.

          • Umar Kiiroi Senk?

            July 18, 2013 at 12:14

            that is true yes. not that I blame all parents, just, they should be mindful of things…

        • Admiral Chief Groot Wors

          July 18, 2013 at 11:41

          I hear ya, what I’m referring to is Umar’s point above

          Reply

        • RinceWind

          July 18, 2013 at 11:44

          Agreed. This has nothing to do with parents. Most children aged 16 have not been to a cardiologist, which is really the only person who would pic up on this.

          Reply

      • Weanerdog

        July 18, 2013 at 12:15

        It was an undiagnosed condition, his heart was I time-bomb. Read that the doctor said it was probably the excitement from playing the video game but would have happened with any activity that raised his heart rate.

        Reply

        • Admiral Chief Groot Wors

          July 18, 2013 at 12:17

          Yeah zigactly, you are ferpectly right. Why blame games? Could have been anything

          Reply

          • Weanerdog

            July 18, 2013 at 14:04

            Yes the blaming games thing is purely the media trying to be clever and not based on fact.

  5. Trevor Davies

    July 18, 2013 at 11:35

    Thankfully with the Xbox One’s fancy new Kinect with biometric feedback these things won’t happen because it’ll stop you playing when your heart rate gets too high.

    Yes, I probably am going to hell.

    Reply

    • RinceWind

      July 18, 2013 at 11:45

      I’ve got a toasty spot for you here 😉

      Reply

    • Weanerdog

      July 18, 2013 at 12:21

      You know even though you are trolling, it may be able to give early warning of a possibility that you may need to go do a real scan. Microsoft make this work and you can market to parents that your console is actually looking after the wellbeing of the kiddies. All this for only $100 dolla moar.

      Reply

      • Trevor Davies

        July 18, 2013 at 12:43

        The sad thing is I won’t be surprised if someone does now market it that way.

        Reply

  6. RinceWind

    July 18, 2013 at 11:43

    Yeah, I saw this. Was rather disappointed in the Daily Mail, but what do you expect from a piece of shit sensationalist newspaper.

    Reply

    • Sageville

      July 18, 2013 at 12:00

      Don’t buy Daily Mail, Don’t buy!

      Don’t buy Daily Mail, Don’t buy!

      Reply

  7. Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew

    July 18, 2013 at 11:44

    “Professor Sanjay Sharma, of St George’s Hospital in South West London, said: ‘There is a definite risk in predisposed young people playing video games that causes surges of adrenalin in the blood.’ ”

    Yeah? So does playing ANY SPORT!

    Reply

    • RinceWind

      July 18, 2013 at 11:46

      And I am pretty sure that was misquoted, I saw something similar on BBC, but not worded exactly.

      Reply

      • Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew

        July 18, 2013 at 11:50

        Yeah, trying to find the article I read. The guy I believe went on to say that adrenalin can be caused by sports and the kid was as likely to have this happen on a sports field as playing a game, if not more likely on a sports field

        Reply

    • Sageville

      July 18, 2013 at 11:59

      As does masturbation and watching emotive TV/movies.

      Gooo, relevance!

      Reply

  8. ElNicko

    July 18, 2013 at 11:57

    My Goodness , the Daily Mail is turning into the british version of Fox News……SMH.

    Reply

  9. Guest

    July 18, 2013 at 11:57

    It’s not just Daily Mail, but also our very own Parents24 website, with the choice headline of “Teen’s Xbox heart attack” http://www.parent24.com/Teen_13-18/health_safety/Teens-death-blamed-on-Xbox-game-20130717

    Reply

    • Guest

      July 18, 2013 at 12:00

      They have changed the headline a number of times since being published (as per the comments under the article), but their first headline was actually “Teen’s Death Blamed on Xbox Game” – have a look at the complete URL

      Reply

      • RinceWind

        July 18, 2013 at 12:01

        Ah, yes, this is where I first saw it, nice find there buddy. I’d say boycott News24, but LG is listed under their games section! lol

        Reply

  10. FoxOneZA - X-Therminator

    July 18, 2013 at 12:01

    I’ve being seriously worried if upcoming cell-shaded games with static colours running at 60FPS at 1080P will be mentally detrimental to the health of gamers.

    Reply

    • Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew

      July 18, 2013 at 12:06

      Please tell me you are just trolling

      Reply

      • FoxOneZA - X-Therminator

        July 18, 2013 at 12:08

        No. Just concerned. I have a Wii U and Ninty are pushing a few of their new titles at Full HD and 60FPS.

        Reply

        • Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew

          July 18, 2013 at 12:10

          Seriously? I don’t even.

          No it’s not mentally detrimental. There have been loads of cell-shaded games on PC with no detrimental effects other than the usual epileptic fits that can be caused by fast moving lights and images (which means anything from games to a club with lots of lights)

          There is seriously no way a game is going to be mentally detrimental. It’s just absurd!

          Reply

  11. Kromas

    July 18, 2013 at 12:06

    I blame all taxi driver collisions on the fact that they learned to drive from need for speed.

    Reply

    • Sageville

      July 18, 2013 at 12:07

      Who didn’t

      Reply

      • Kromas

        July 18, 2013 at 12:32

        I learned to drive from Cal Games.

        Reply

    • Weanerdog

      July 18, 2013 at 12:22

      Surely you mean carmageddon

      Reply

  12. DrKiller

    July 18, 2013 at 12:17

    But if they had a Kinect 2.0….. PS34 would be blamed!

    Reply

  13. DBL_ZA

    July 18, 2013 at 12:54

    The Daily Mail are always quick to jump to conclusions… How they actually manage to maintain a firm reader-base is absolutely beyond me….

    Reply

  14. Skyblue

    July 18, 2013 at 16:18

    Yeah, fuck that, I’m def going PS4 now if Xbox’s are killing people.

    Reply

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