Addictive, ultra-realistic games are proving too much for some players, writes CIARA O'BRIEN

Gaming, like any pastime or hobby, has the potential to be addictive. It’s not hard to see why. Games are becoming more involved, more realistic. Add in the online competitive elements and it’s a heady mix.

There are some tragic stories. In 2005, a South Korean gamer died after playing online games for three days without a break. A 30-year-old man died in China under similar circumstances two years later. In 2009, a teenager in Ohio shot and killed his mother after she took away his copy of Halo 3.

There have been a number of tragedies where children have died from neglect while parents played online for hours at a time, including one horrific case where a father killed his 17- month-old baby after she knocked over his Xbox.

The most recent tragedy to hit the headlines is that of Chris Staniforth, a 20-year- old from Sheffield, who collapsed and died outside a job centre in May. A post- mortem revealed he died of deep vein thrombosis.

Media reports put the blame at Staniforth’s marathon gaming sessions on his Xbox, which his family said often lasted up to 12 hours. But instead of blaming games, the family is campaigning to raise awareness of the dangers of blood clots due to long periods of inactivity.

Among certain sections of the media, merely a hint of blame where games are concerned is enough to cause sensational headlines.

The launch of any new World of Warcraftgame will often trigger a stream of stories about marriage breakdown, and how WoW is responsible for a growing number of divorces.

And then there are the studies trotted out to back up these claims.

According to a recent survey from Divorce Online, a website that specialises in do-it-yourself divorces, those who blame videogames for the breakdown of their marriage has soared to 15 per cent. That might be impressive if the study wasn’t of 200 respondents. So that make 30 people who blame videogames for wrecking their relationships.

To deal with a growing internet and gaming addiction problem, South Korea plans to implement a curfew for teenagers playing online games. The so-called Cinderella Law will prohibit underage gamers from playing online after midnight.

The truth is that most players can take gaming or leave it – there is no real addiction, just a few long sessions and maybe a few short periods of obsession with a new game before you move on to the next.