Playing video games for long may lead to serious health issues, new research claims.
According to a report on the Independent, team of Dutch researchers gathered all reported cases of Nintendo-related injuries over 30 years to see whether it was a safe present to give at Christmas.
The findings, published in the Christmas issue of the British Medical Journal, include early reports of seizures, dubbed “Nintendo epilepsy”.
Researchers reviewed two medical databases and found 38 reports of injuries and problems ranging from neurological and psychological to surgical.
There have been reports of two patients who were rushed to hospital having had a stroke after playing on a Nintendo Wii console, while another needed surgery for a hernia after exercising on the Wii Fit game. In another case, a 55-year-old woman who had fallen on the couch while playing tennis on her Wii was found to have suffered a massive chest bleed.
There were also two cases of Nintendo-related incontinence, where children ignored the need to go to the toilet as they went totally engrossed in playing Super Mario Bros. In 2011, a 7-year-old boy suffered permanent vision loss after he accidentally stuck his left eye while playing Wii Sports.
The researchers, led by Dr Maarten Jalink of the University of Groningen, concluded the report saying that “Overall, a Wii U is a relatively safe Christmas present.”
But they added that while playing players “should be careful about where they play, and they should take frequent breaks”.
“The Wii is often credited with getting people up off the couch. But, as with any activity, people should pace themselves and not overdo it,” a Nintendo spokesman said.
