Shrygue
July 17th, 2007, 19:11
via Kotaku (http://kotaku.com/gaming/tragedy/teen-killed-by-brother-over-video-game-279272.php)
A Sunday afternoon of video game goodness turned deadly this past Sunday as a thirteen year-old boy fatally stabbed his sixteen year-old brother in the chest during an alleged dispute over who got next. The younger brother stabbed his sibling in the chest twice, puncturing his heart and a lung. A tragic situation like this could quickly turn into an anti-gaming media circus if handled incorrectly. Luckily Lansdowne has one of the more sensible Police Chiefs.
"I don't believe the actual game itself was the cause of it. I don't believe they were acting out in any way or mimicking anything in a video game. I believe it was actual use of the game and whose turn it was," said Lansdowne Police Chief Daniel Kortan.
It sounds like he phrased that response specifically to ward off a potential wave of violent video game outcry, doesn't it? It's nice to see that situations like this can be resolved without immediately tossing the blame on our favorite hobby.
Thirteen year-old Jahmir Ricks was arrested at the scene, tearfully confessing to police upon their arrival. He is being charged as an adult with murder in the first degree. Something failed in this situation that had absolutely nothing to do with video games. Normal people don't go from arguing over who gets to play a video game to murderous rage in the blink of an eye.
A Sunday afternoon of video game goodness turned deadly this past Sunday as a thirteen year-old boy fatally stabbed his sixteen year-old brother in the chest during an alleged dispute over who got next. The younger brother stabbed his sibling in the chest twice, puncturing his heart and a lung. A tragic situation like this could quickly turn into an anti-gaming media circus if handled incorrectly. Luckily Lansdowne has one of the more sensible Police Chiefs.
"I don't believe the actual game itself was the cause of it. I don't believe they were acting out in any way or mimicking anything in a video game. I believe it was actual use of the game and whose turn it was," said Lansdowne Police Chief Daniel Kortan.
It sounds like he phrased that response specifically to ward off a potential wave of violent video game outcry, doesn't it? It's nice to see that situations like this can be resolved without immediately tossing the blame on our favorite hobby.
Thirteen year-old Jahmir Ricks was arrested at the scene, tearfully confessing to police upon their arrival. He is being charged as an adult with murder in the first degree. Something failed in this situation that had absolutely nothing to do with video games. Normal people don't go from arguing over who gets to play a video game to murderous rage in the blink of an eye.