Don’t drink and play games, warns insurance firm

Forget the Red Ring of Death, spilt drinks are the most common cause of console damage, according to insurance firm Protect Your Bubble.

Targeting gamers during the biggest release week of the year so far, the online broker highlights the arrival of Black Ops and Kinect, but warns that technology can go wrong – and that all it takes is a rogue drink to ruin the fun.

According to the specialist online gadget insurer, a quarter of all games console claims (24 per cent) are for spilt drinks.

"Consoles are no longer just for solitary gamers," are the wise words from Protectyourbubble.com’s director Stephen Ebbett. "Families and groups of friends getting together for a karaoke contest on SingStar or a competitive game of tennis on Wii Sport in the living room with food and drink nearby ups the risk of spillages.

"Unfortunately, electrics and liquids just don’t mix," he added, sagely.

The insurer’s top five common games console claims are:-

Software problems (33 per cent)

Spilt drink (24 per cent)

Hardware failure (16 per cent)

Red Ring of Death (14 per cent)

Game stuck in machine (five per cent)