Xbox and Playstation must incorporate a maximum usage time cap within their consoles to prevent people from spending too much time gaming.
This is the view of Fine Gael Senator Fidelma Healy Eames, who made the call following reports of a 20-year-old Briton who died from Deep Vein Thrombosis, allegedly as a result of excessive use of an Xbox.
According to Sen Healy Eames, the 20-year-old, who was otherwise in good health, “developed a blood clot in his lungs after spending 12-hour sessions playing the Xbox”.
“It is only now that research on the addictive nature of these gaming consoles is beginning to emerge,” she said. “I believe it is not unreasonable to demand some class of a microchip to be installed that shuts the game down after two hours, and that it cannot be restarted for another period of time.”
Sen Healy Eames said “spending endless hours” gaming impacts on “ emotional and mental health” and she will be “writing to the National Consumer Agency, in addition the manufacturers” to see what steps can be taken in this regard.
