A 16-year-old boy keeled over and died while playing Xbox after the excitement triggered a fatal heart attack.
Jake Gallagher had an undiagnosed heart condition which his mother, Sarah Pyatt, believes was fatally set off by a surge of adrenaline.
Speaking to the Sun she said: "Sonic the Hedgehog was his favourite. He would get over-excited, jumping up and down, screaming at the screen."
He was taken to hospital but was declared brain dead and died two days later.
Professor Sanjay Sharma told the the Daily Mail: "There is a definite risk in predisposed young people playing video games that causes surges of adrenalin in the blood."
Jake was posthumously diagnosed with Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS) caused by a disruption of the electrical current that controls the rhythm of the heart.
Three young people die every week of the disorder.
The condition was thrust into the public consciousness last year when footballer Fabrice Muamba collapsed and nearly died on the pitch mid-match.
Jake's mother is now campaigning for the government to introduce compulsory screening for heart disorders in children. The test costs £25.