9 year old boy commits suicide, videogames to blame....really?

archvile93

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Kortney said:
A 9 year old wouldn't even fully understand the concept of suicide, and for someone so young to do that he must have been either heavily influenced or had a chemical imbalance in his head. Most likely a mixture of both. There is no reason why a video game could not induce this influence. Leave the Doctor alone, he is a Doctor for a fucking reason.
That's great, but what evidence does she have that a video game was the cause other than uninformed speculation? Show me the research and I will consider her argument.
 

ChromeAlchemist

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Tdc2182 said:
When I saw the topic I was about to say is it really so hard to believe that a kid took a game to seriously, but in this story(unless I am mistaken) the child has absolutely no link to videogames being part of his suicide. Not even a logical guess, she just stated she believes video games are to blame for his death. She took something completely unrelated and made it about videogames.

I mean, even the Topic poster gave her to much credit
ChromeAlchemist said:
The thing is, there is no actual way of pinning this child's actions (while a tragedy indeed) to video games directly, and yet she pretty much did just that.
Not even indirectly, this lady brought up a completely unrelated scapegoat. That is a prime example of control.
Bear in mind I'm from the UK, but what is it with american media and scapegoating
Yeah, we do have it pretty bad over here. But BBC is actually the most unbiased news you can get, so it is hard to compete.
The same can't be said for ITV news though. Jesus it's fast becoming the new FOX/Daily Mail.
 

Composer

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ive NEVER heard of a game where the main objective is hanging yourself....well there was like 1 really old flashgame but thats about it.
 

Canadamus Prime

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Jun 17, 2009
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olikunmissile said:
Well, that is straight up retarded.
That's not just retarded, that's pants-on-head retarded. We should ask that doctor if she has trouble dressing herself in the morning. Seriously, that's just stupid.
[sarcasm]Yeah, video games, that must be it. I'm sure he wasn't having family troubles or being bullied at school or anything. [/sarcasm]
 

userwhoquitthesite

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All of you guys are tools. Clearly games are at fault. After all, everyone knows how popular "Hanging Simulator 5000" is! And when you win, it mails you your own noose.

ugh.
 

TheBluesader

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Wait a minute. Am I the only one here who thinks the police need to make absolutely sure he killed himself, and wasn't actually killed by the nurse? I have no more information than the CNN coverage, and maybe they did this already, but all the same I'd like to see in print that they're sure he hung himself in a bathroom, and that this isn't some kind of weird cover-up.

No, I'm not paranoid. I just don't like having half-assed information.

BTW, that talking head they paid to talk about a case to which she has absolutely no ties only blamed TV and video games because modern parents blow a gasket if you imply their kids are screwed up because they're terrible parents (probably because they suspect it's true). If we had no entertainment media other than Bible verses printed on beef jerky, they'd be blaming the Bible Jerky every time their kids do something lethal. Therefore her specific comment about video games doesn't deserve any acknowledgment. What DOES is the fact that corporate media will attack any industry, art form, etc., as incarnate evil simply because idiots with children hate having it pointed out that that's what they are.

I'm not saying this kid's parents did something terrible to him. What pisses me off is that they can't do more than give that a passing reference, because their audience just wants to hear how something they don't understand is invading their homes and making it impossible to raise their children right. Even if it's something as seemingly innocuous as Bible Jerky.
 

The Only

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curse you digital awesome-ess!!!!!
wait...i wanna play the blame game too....
i blame oxygen for letting him live that long.
 

FrndlyMisanthrpe

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A lot of that content is not uplifting and it's not teaching our children how to handle problems and feelings.
You know what else is "not uplifting"? Really good works of Tragedy. Besides, I thought it was the parents' job to teach kids how to deal with emotional issues.
 

Railgun88

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WanderFreak said:
I like how she outright says "we don't want to blame the family."

So it seems we've moved beyond blaming videogames into outright exonerating any other possible effects outright.
What the fuk is wrong with these people!!!? Seriously, the family obviously didn't teach him shit. Also who the hell lets kids play violent videogames at that age!!!? Anyways the family should be blamed because they obviously haven't been good parents, and they should also look to see if the kid was bullied and such.

Sorry I kinda flipped but you know they're wrong and I just finished a paper on this thing.
 

doctorwhofan

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Mar 20, 2009
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OMG. Parents didn't do anything.

Yeah exactly they did NOTHING. THEY have control on their son's gaming, if it is even involved, and they cannot act like parents, they don't deserve to be ones. Sad that the kid died.

While we are at it, let's blame heavy metal for my depression, McDonalds' for my wieght issues, the '80's for my parnoia, this website for my carpal tunnel syndrome and JRR Tolkien for my bad eyesight.

As for the experts...Twisted Sister is my hearo...and not for the music!
 

Amardor

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Maybe is society didn't suck so bad the child might be alive.

Maybe if his parents bought him that PS3 he wanted for Christmas,

Maybe if he drank more milk?

Reasons for why a child would kill them self can vary wide and far and no one can really know why exactly except the child.
 

Railgun88

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Flos said:
Of course you are. You're no different than the hypocrites you hate (whether it be of religion or authority or crazy fans). No, nothing can taint your precious games and you'll be damned if you take another person's opinion into consideration.
Man I don't know if I want to hunt you down and kill you cause you sound like such a dick head, or have a meaningful talk about this in which we would sit and drink tea and bring up philosophy and share past experiences. Damn you got me in a mental fight with myself. Seriously, GOOD JOB!
 

mooncalf

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Jul 3, 2008
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Anyone else hear that noise? It's the sound of millions upon millions of happy, balanced, productive members of society happily gaming.

They, along with myself, are trying their best to understand why a small percentage of their communities are so irrationally hateful and villefying.

Our leaders quite often kill and fraud in our names, seeking profit or power, and they do this -actually-, so very realistically that it is conveyed to us in entertainment news, that we have weapons which rend flesh and bone and we're trying to get more of them, that this man or that woman have an opinion other than mine, and therefore must be destroyed.

I detest anyone who looks at real war, real politics, then at my intricate little farce of catharsis and spectacle, then has the galling audacity to say I'm the asshole. To attack the games themselves? Insanity. You can't take the effect and make it the cause, and you can't cure the ill by masking the symptom. Let censorship NEVER take away our eyes to know the ugly truths of our world, instead let our fears be faced forthrightly, and dealt with to the merit of mature minds coming together in harmony.

Gaming did not numb me to violence and sex before society crushed me with a weight of expectation and vicarious aggression.
 

Brad Shepard

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Sep 9, 2009
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Can anyone name for me a game where you hung yourself in it? the only game i can think of that you killed yourself in and still played as the same charecter is The Darkness.

I think i can hear Jack Thomas getting the paperwork ready now...
 

Darth Rahu

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Nov 20, 2009
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For the love of... Video Games don't kill children, it just kills their minds!! Nahh seriously, this is completely unfounded fearmongering and I can't stand it.
 

Void(null)

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Dec 10, 2008
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Good for him, way to free up the market.

Last thing any of us need is yet another person growing up and competing in the same job space as the rest of us.

6 more years and who knows, that kid could have been competing for my job.

Sorry but all life is not sacred, some idiot kid kills himself and his parents/media are looking for someone to blame, its an age old story. One of which I am sure is very sad for those involved, but honestly does not effect or concern me.

You can't change the view of an older generation about something they want to demonize rather than take responsibility for the society they have helped create.