John Junior agreed to put their love of gaming under the microscope for a jaw-dropping new show, and they were left reeling from the results.
John, who has been a gamer for 20 years, had their PlayStation console, keyboard and headset analysed by scientists for the factual entertainment show Gross Up pn E4 digital, which sends participants' belongings away to a lab to test for viruses, fungi and bacteria.
John was shocked to be told that dangerous bacteria had been detected on their gaming equipment, caused by their habit of urinating in bottles instead of breaking off to use the bathroom in order to stay in the game.
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On the console a microbiologist found gut bacteria that can cause urinary tract infections, skin infections and pneumonia, a potentially life-threatening infection of the lungs.
Asked how bacteria from the gut had ended up on the Playstation, the microbiologist explained: "If you are urinating in your bottles in your room and then not washing your hands afterwards."
On John's keyboard they found bacteria which tends to come from either around the gums or again from the intestines.
And on their headset they detected a harmful organism that can cause abscesses, boils and infected eczema as well as more serious disease.
John, 33, was especially surprised by the results because they have OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) and are fastidious about cleansing their hands.
After having the CSI treatment, John has overhauled their routine and they've stopped peeing in bottles, saying it's 'put them off.'
"I'm constantly cleaning my hands so when I found out there was urine on my keyboard I felt disgusted," they said frankly.
"We had a laugh but I couldn't believe what they had found on there.
"It has made me clean my PlayStation every night and clean my headset differently."
John, from Wilmslow, explained about the habit: "When you're gaming you don't have time.
"You can't pause when you're gaming, it's constant.
"So I turned the microphone off and would hide in the game quickly."
John, who games for 12 to 15 hours every day, continued: "It's a common thing and I know a lot of people who do the same.
"But there is a stigma attached to weeing in a bottle when you game and this has opened a can of worms.
"My reaction was 'oh my god, that's disgusting' and I was disgusted."
They added: "I could have been dead.
"Gaming could have caused my death. I never would have thought that gaming is a risk to health but it could have killed me.
"It scared me when she said about the pneumonia. Now I clean the equipment every day.
"I didn't think it was an issue before. I always use anti-bacterial hand gel on my hands so it must have been splashes on the keyboard.
"Now I've changed the hand sanitiser I use."
John, who uses they/them pronouns, is a mental health activist who last year starred in a series of short films exploring the real-life events which helped to inform some of the Channel Four soap Hollyoaks’ most powerful storylines.
