Strange But True Teen’s Feet Rot Following 6-Day Video Game Binge In China
A Chinese teen was so addicted to online video games, his feet started rotting during a six-day gaming binge in an internet café in Hangzhou.
They say video games can rot your brain, but in extreme cases, they can rot your feet, as well.
A 19-year-old Chinese teen from Hangzhou was found lying unconscious with rotting feet after he spent six days straight playing online video games in an internet café. The hooked gamer (whose name has yet to be revealed) hadn’t stopped to wash himself in the 144 hour gaming marathon, after which he took to the streets in a dazed and dizzy state and passed out from extreme exhaustion and hunger.
Police discovered the avid gamer near train tracks and immediately called an ambulance after they realized the teen’s feet appeared severely infected and had a strong putrid odor, according to People’s Daily Online. When the teen briefly woke to ask for water, he told police that he’d spent all the money he had playing the online games and hadn’t eaten or slept in several days. After identifying the man, the cops learned that he had developed a gaming addiction and had run away from home 10 days earlier. His father reportedly wanted nothing to do with a child who has no interest other than playing online games, but he eventually allowed his son to come home after hearing the severity of his condition.
The exact cause of what lead to the teen’s feet rotting hasn’t been released by doctors, but medical authorities did confirm his condition as necrosis, which is characterized by the cells beginning to destroy themselves. Chinese media reports that the condition was caused by poor hygiene and lack of sleep, and if police wouldn’t have found him, he likely would have died.
Oddly enough, this isn’t the first time China’s serious video game addiction problem has been front and center in world news. A Chinese couple reportedly tried selling their children to support their gaming habit, a Chinese boy was discovered to have been living in an internet café for a whopping six years, and another Chinese boy chopped off his own hand so he could resist the temptation to continue playing online games.
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