New WeChat 'Airplane War' game sending addicted players to hospital

Chinese WeChat users addicted to a new airplane game included in the mobile social network’s newest iteration are now finding themselves in hospital with severe cases of “gamer’s thumb.”

Both women said they were big fans of the game, and Xu said she played it on the bus, at work and in the toilet. She said that sometimes, she did not sleep because she was playing it so feverishly to achieve the highest score. Li had a similar story, telling doctors her husband believed she was "ensnared" by the game.

Dr Zou Cheng, an orthopaedic doctor who diagnosed both women, said that their finger pains were a sign of De Qiervain syndrome, sometimes known as “gamer’s thumb". Nicknamed after its tendency to appear in the hands of video game players, De Qiervain syndrome is a painful swelling of tendons usually caused by thumb overuse or constant grasping.

Airplane War, which requires players to control a small aircraft with their thumbs, was the culprit, Zou said. The doctor prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs and recommended the women let their fingers rest, but not before warning them that De Qiervain syndrome could be potentially more serious.

“[In some cases], surgery may be necessary, such as making an incision in the thickened, inflamed tendon [of the thumb],” Zou said.