20 Sep, 2007
Chinese Man Drops Dead After 3-Day Gaming Binge
BEIJING — A man in southern China appears to have died of exhaustion after a three-day Internet gaming binge, state media said Monday.
The 30-year-old man fainted at a cybercafe in the city of Guangzhou on Saturday afternoon after he had been playing games online for three days, the Beijing News reported.
Paramedics tried to revive him but failed and he was declared dead at the cafe, it said. The paper said that he may have died from exhaustion brought on by too many hours on the Internet.
The report did not say what the man, whose name was not given, was playing.The report said that about 100 other Web surfers "left the cafe in fear after witnessing the man's death."
China has 140 million Internet users, second only to the United States. It is one of the world's biggest markets for online games, with tens of millions of players, many of whom hunker down for hours in public Internet cafes.
Several cities have clinics to treat what psychiatrists have dubbed "Internet addiction" in users, many of them children and teenagers, who play online games or surf the web for days at a time.
photo & story courtesy foxnews.com, 9/18/07
Game over?
Philippians 4:8 (NLT)
8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
What's the connection between today's God's Story scripture and the internet?
Even though Paul never imagined the internet or online games, he understood the principle that whatever you program into something determines the outcome. What we put into our minds determines what we think about, say, and do.
Paul is simply telling us (according to the Holy Spirit directing him) to program our minds with thoughts that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and worthy of praise.
How do Paul's words make you evaluate your current use of the internet?
If you're struggling with impure thoughts and attitudes or finding it difficult to manage your time, you will find it helpful to reprogram your mind with the kind of resources that Paul talks about in today's verse. Most important of all - make sure your priority is to spend time in God's Word and prayer.
The poor guy in China not only has "game over" but his life is over.
Are you addictded to the internet or to Jesus and His Truth!
- Take a minute to let God's Spirit lovingly convict you of anything that is dominating your thoughts other than that which pleases Christ. Confess it and thank Jesus for His forgiveness. Ask Him to reprogram your mind on a daily basis. Take another minute to praise Him for His work in your life.
- Memorize today's verse as a reminder to fill your mind with the right stuff.
- Write out today's verse and stick it on your computer or in your organizer or one of your school books. This is part of "reprogramming" your thoughts.
- For one month, keep a written log or journal of the amount of time you're spending on the internet, with video games, tv, movies and God's word or other Christian resources. Take appropriate action and thank God for His help in making you more like Jesus.
How can we connect today's story and God's Story scripture and our story to others?
- In your youth group or small group, brainstorm ways to use the internet and online games to get others involved who need to know Jesus.
- Use today's story about the Chinese guy dying after three non-stop gaming days to start a conversation with friends in your storysphere who need Jesus. Ask them what they think this guy's story might have been? Bored? Addicted? Listen carefully because you may learn more about their story as they express their opinion.
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