Worried that his son was spending much time online, a Chinese father recently hired some virtual "hit men" to hunt down and "kill" his offspring ... in various games.

The man, identified only as Mr. Feng, had grown concerned about the amount of time his 23-year-old unemployed son was spending with online gaming.

He hoped his actions would deter his son from playing the games. According to the BBC, his son eventually asked one of the gamers why they kept targeting him.

Was it effective?

"It's not going to do much for family relations." Professor Mark Griffiths, a gambling and addictions expert at Nottingham Trent University, said.

"I've never heard of that kind of intervention, but I don't think these top-down approaches work. Excessive game playing is usually a symptom of an underlying problem."

Prof. Griffiths said he heard from many parents who had grown worried about their children's gaming habits but often times it was not an addiction.

"I've spent 25 years studying excessive video game playing," he said. "I've come across very excessive players - playing for 10 to 14 hours a day."

"But, for a lot of these people it causes no detrimental problems if they are not employed, aren't in relationships and don't have any children."

"It's not the time you spend, it's the impact it has on your life."

Father and son are said to have reconciled but World of Warcraft expert Olivia Grace said she did not think Feng's actions would act as a deterrent.

"Being killed by someone happens all the time," she said.

"People are just like that online."