An Ohio teen recently spent four to five days holed up in his bedroom playing a marathon gaming session on his Xbox, and then collapsed from dehydration.
According to Jessie Rawlins who lives in the Columbus, Ohio, area, her son Tyler, 15, collapsed three times before she called the paramedics. Tyler was given IV fluids and taken to a nearby hospital.
Tyler had been playing the game Modern Warfare 3, and rarely left his bedroom during the gaming session.
Dehydration can be deadly because the amount of fluid in your entire body is decreased, including fluid in your blood vessels, which results in decreased blood volume. Decreased blood volume leads to decreased blood pressure, and at a certain point if the blood pressure is low enough, there is not enough oxygen getting to the brain, which can cause you to pass out. It could even lead to death. But dehydration is not the only risk of extended gaming. It's also dangerous to stay awake for long periods of time without rest. Eventually, the body will shut down and you will pass out.
Rawlins, who feared that Tyler would die, has since taken the Xbox away from her son. She says it's "gone" and he has learned his lesson and accepted the consequences.