The death of 20-year-old British student Chris Staniforth has been linked to a marathon Xbox gaming session.

The post-mortem exam on Staniforth revealed that the student, who had been offered a place to study Game Design at Leicester University, died of pulmonary embolism which can occur if someone sits in the same position for hours. He had no underlying medical conditions and was complaining of a low heart rate before collapsing outside a Jobcentre.

Deep vein thrombosis normally affects passengers on long flights but medical experts have warned that gamers who spend too much time in front of their consoles might also be at risk.

"Games are fun and once you've started playing, it's hard to stop. Kids all over the country are playing these games for long periods - they don't realize it could kill them," said David Staniforth, Chris' father in an interview with The Sun.

Staniforth's father said his son would spend up to 12 hours playing on his Xbox.

"He got sucked in playing Halo online against people from all over the world."

Professor Brian Colvin, an expert on blood-related condition said it was unhealthy for youngsters to spend so much time in front of their consoles.

The Staniforth family has now launched a campaign to raise awareness about the health risks in prolonged playing of computer games.

Gamers collapsing after spending hours in front of their television or computer screens have been more prevalent in Asia. In 2005, a South Korean gamer died after playing games for three days without rest.

Microsoft recommends gamers to take breaks to exercise as well as make time for other pursuits.