None of the symptoms were serious, but 16 children were hospitalized. The program usually has audience rating of more than 15 percent. The Tokyo Fire Department fielded calls from parents who said their children suffered something like an epileptic seizure during the program. The show featured a scene in which a bright red explosion filled the screen as a soldier wandered into digital space. A doctor at a hospital in Fuchu, Tokyo, told The Yomiuri Shimbun that she suspected the symptoms were similar to the ones children playing video games often suffered although she could not determine this without conducting brain scans.
Experts say children often go into convulsions while playing video games.
A sudden strong light or flickering light reportedly causes this. Many cases like this are reported in the United States and Britain. I was shocked to see my daughter lose consciousness. All had convulsions and some vomited. After the treatment there, all six returned home before midnight, a hospital employee said.