Killed by blood clot after 12 hour gaming of Xbox

A mourning father has sent out a plea to other parents to protect their children from the dangers of playing computer games.
Blood clot victim, Chris Staniforth, 20, died after spending up to 12 hours at a time playing on his Xbox.
The gaming enthusiast suffered a blockage to his lungs when he developed deep vein thrombosis – commonly associated with passengers on long haul flights where they are relatively immobile for hours on end.

Chris’ heartbroken father, David told The Sun, ‘As a parent you think playing computer games can’t do them any harm because you know what they are doing.

‘Kids all over the country are playing these games for long periods - they don’t realise it could kill them.’
Chris, an avid player of popular games such as Halo collapsed after an interview at a JobCentre while telling a friend he’d been experiencing peculiar pains in his chest.
He explained how he was woken in the night by a ‘strange feeling’ in his chest and that his heart rate was incredibly low, although this returned to normal and he fell back to sleep.
During the conversation outside the JobCentre David explained the moment Chris started to suffer:


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2020462/Xbox-addict-20-killed-blood-clot-12-hour-gaming-sessions.html#ixzz1VERYVKBX

Play time with Consoles

QUIRKY new shapes of game controllers are perhaps prompting families to play video games together.

Consider the guitar-shaped controller and drums for music games like Guitar Hero World Tour and Rock Band, and the microphone used in karaoke game Lips for the Xbox 360 console.

The controllers are non-threatening and intuitive, so they are easier to use.

Of course when the games go beyond shooting and punching and involve family-friendly activities such as participating in a quiz show and taking part in a sing-off, the stage is set for lots of interaction between the generations.

Banker Peter Zotos, 39, and his wife Kelly, 39, a housewife, need no invitation to join their children, aged 10 and eight, in playing Rock Band.

"It ’s easy to play the guitar," said Kelly of the controller, which requires her to simply press coloured buttons in tandem with what is shown onscreen.

Here are some other games for all ages, that come with controllers mum and dad can easily pick up:

Buzz it
Playing games like Buzz! Quiz TV on PlayStation 3, or the Scene IT series on Xbox 360 just involves pressing a button to answer a multiple choice question.

These games which test general knowledge come with four special controllers, so up to four can compete at any one time.

The quizzes can be as easy as identifying a popular movie star or as tough as guessing the title of an obscure movie from a single line of dialogue.

Sing along
Games like Lips on Xbox 360 and SingStar on PS3 require you to just sing or scream into a microphone. The better you sing, the higher your score.

It is karaoke with a competitive streak.

Ham it up for the cam
How well can you put on a show? Find out with the Xbox 360 ’s You ’re In The Movies, where you are filmed in action by a Web camera and featured onscreen in video clips.

You don ’t need a controller here except to switch the game on. The action takes place in front of a webcam. The game "directs" you on what you need to do.

Say, if the clip is one where you are pursued by wild animals, you will be asked to run in front of the camera. The footage will be incorporated into the clip and you can watch yourself being chased.

The Straiits Time
Singaapore

Feds: Meeting On Xbox Live Led To Sex Crime

FRESNO, Calif. - A 27-year-old Missouri man who drove almost nonstop to California to meet a teenager he met on Xbox LIVE was indicted Thursday in federal court.

Edward Preston Stout, of Richmond Heights, Mo., communicated with the Sanger, Calif., teen on both the video game system and through MySpace accounts, according to federal officials. They also communicated by text messages and telephone calls.

The U.S. attorney's office in Fresno alleges Stout sent the teen a cell phone as a 15th birthday present so they could communicate more frequently and privately.

On Jan. 25, Stout drove for 30 hours to meet the teen, federal officials said.
He then took the teen to a motel and engaged in criminal sexual activity, the U.S. attorney's office said.
Stout was indicted on charges of using interstate commerce to entice or coerce a minor to engage in sexual activity and travel in interstate commerce to engage in illicit sexual activity.

Virginia Girl Latest to Be Lured by Xbox Predator

Rhode Island Man Charged With 'Carnal Knowledge' in Girl's Disappearance

A 13-year-old Virginia girl is back home after being lured away by a man she'd been chatting with for at least six months through a Microsoft Xbox 360 game, police said.

Andrew Holloway, 21, who allegedly traveled to Evington, Va. from his home in Rhode Island, has been charged with a sex crime in connection with the case, according to police.

The teen was the third child in recent weeks to have left home to meet adults they came in contact with through an Xbox game. The others were a 16-year-old girl from Detroit and a 12-year-old boy from Ohio.

The 13-year-old Virginia girl first met Holloway through the game system's chat capabilities and then continued the relationship on the Internet after her Xbox broke, police said.

Bedford County Sheriff's Office spokesman Ricky Gardner said the girl was reported missing Tuesday evening by her father. An hour prior to his call, Gardner said, his office had received a tip from a neighbor about two suspicious people walking along the road near her home, later determined to be the teen and Holloway.

"Every time a car would come, they'd jump over to the wood line" to hide, Gardner told ABCNews.com today.

Police responded and found no trace of the pair, but when the girl's father reported his daughter missing a short time later a team of police, firefighters and K-9 units responded to the area as well as a state police helicopter with thermal imaging equipment.


While police, family and friends were searching for the blond teenager, she and Holloway were apparently figuring out their next move. Ultimately, Gardner said, they ended up knocking on the door of a house about a mile away from her home the next day, asking to use the telephone.

While one person at the home distracted them, the other, who recognized the teen from the news reports, called 911. Police responded and arrested Holloway, charging him with three counts of "carnal knowledge," Gardner said, and two counts of soliciting a female younger than 15 over the Internet.

Messages left with the public defender's office, which is representing Holloway, were not immediately returned. Holloway, who is being held without bond, is due in court Tuesday for a bond hearing.

More news....

Games gift restores faith in humanity

Just days after thieves stole their Christmas presents, tears turned to cheers for the McConnell brothers.

Eddie, 11, Jarrod, 8, and Joshua, 4, were devastated to discover their new Nintendo Wii console and games were among a number of items stolen from their Allansford home while they were on a family holiday in Nelson.

But that was a distant memory yesterday when the youngsters picked up a new Xbox 360 donated by Jack ’s Games owner John Murnane.

Store manager Wayne Stevenson said after reading about the boys ’ bad luck in The Standard both he and Mr Murnane were pleased to be able to put a smile back on their faces. "It ’s never good to have anything stolen, but right after Christmas is terrible," Mr Stevenson said. "We ’re just happy to be able to do something for them." The boys received two games with their new console and a gold membership at the "It ’s very good thing and shows the kids there are decent people in the world." Vicki Burns DVD and games rental store.

Vicki Burns said she and her partner Steve McConnell were "overwhelmed" at the generosity of the donation to their children. "It ’s very good thing and shows the kids there are decent people in the world," Ms Burns said. "They are very excited and very surprised but it ’s much appreciated. "They couldn ’t wait to get here to see it and they can ’t wait to get it home." Ms Burns said the family returned home from a weeklong camping holiday in Nelson to discover their home had been broken into and numerous possessions stolen. "Pretty much everything of value had been stolen," Ms Burns told The Standard earlier this week.

The thieves also took the boys ’ Guitar Hero set, an older Xbox console, controls, games and a laptop computer. Ms Burns ’ Pandora bracelet, rings and a necklace were also taken along with alcohol, an iPod, video cassettes and a backpack.

Ms Burns said their home had been locked while they were away.

The toilet window had been forced open by the thieves.


By Tina Liplai