Boy's Accidental Patricide Blamed on Games

Greg Tito

PR for Dungeons & Dragons
Sep 29, 2005
12,070
0
0
Boy's Accidental Patricide Blamed on Games



A 4-year-old shot his father for allegedly not bringing home a PlayStation.

There is sophisticated analysis of the facts, and there's jumping to conclusions (preferably on a mat). According to Saudi news site Asharq Alawsat [http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=1&id=29359], a four and a half year old boy waited for his father to get home. He walked through the door without the desired videogame console, and the boy was apparently not very happy about it. When his father was undressing, the boy picked up a loaded handgun his father left on the bed and shot him in the head. Instead of calling for gun safety reforms, the tragic accident dredged up old arguments about violence in games and how it influences the young.

"Violence has been linked to videogames; numerous studies have shown that more and more children are playing the violent videogames, which leads to greater aggression," writes the Christian Post.

"In this case, the 4-year-old had likely seen shootings enacted in a videogame he played. When he shot his father, he did not realize he would actually cause him harm; he was merely copying what he had already seen. There have been other cases of kids acting out or harming someone else after playing a videogame."

The Christian Post doesn't cite these "other cases" but does find time to plug television pundit Dr. Phil. "If you shoot somebody in one of these games, you don't go to jail, you don't get penalized in some way-you get extra points!" Dr. Phil writes. "It's absolutely not good."

I'm sure I don't need to point out to you how an accidental shooting - even if the child wanted a PlayStation - has no bearing on the content of videogames. The violence in games did not make the father negligent in teaching his son about gun safety.

Source: Christian Post [http://global.christianpost.com/news/saudi-boy-shoots-dad-over-playstation-will-4-year-old-be-charged-with-murder-73756/]

Permalink
 

Captain Pirate

New member
Nov 18, 2009
1,875
0
0
Yeah, the bigger issue heres are both letting a four-year-old play video games and, most importantly, leaving a fucking loaded gun within his reach.
 
Jun 11, 2008
5,331
0
0
Em yes people do come after you first the police and eventually the army. Then in other games you have a telepathic network of super guards that spawn like Tyranid/Ork hybrids and will chase you for not paying the fine. Also why was there a loaded gun which a 4 year could access.
 

Swifteye

New member
Apr 15, 2010
1,079
0
0
I"m having a hard time believing a four year old did this. I mean a four year old was upset that he didn't get a system and was able to wield a gun and successfully kill a person?
That is very strange. I have a half sister and she likes games but she can barely hold the controller and she's a year older than this kid and probably much bigger. You'd think he'd much prefer playing with toys and watching tv.
 

Jack and Calumon

Digimon are cool.
Dec 29, 2008
4,190
0
41
Okay, I think this family is more than a little fucked up. I mean, first of all, how would a 4 year old have access to a gun? Secondly, how would a four year old know how to aim and use a gun (I know it's not hard, but I had no idea what safety or even a trigger was when I was four)? Thirdly, what kind of family lets a four year old play violent games? Fourthly, why the fuck was the gun loaded? If it wasn't, why would the kid know how to reload a gun?

These are signs of irresponsible parents and they deserve to be sho...

Oh right.

Calumon: ...that was mean.
 

Terminate421

New member
Jul 21, 2010
5,773
0
0
Dr. Phil, please read the article of what happened again.

You may be an expert but read the damned thing again, please. Don't make me hate you.
 

UnderGlass

New member
Jan 12, 2012
210
0
0
It's been said but bears repeating. The man left a loaded handgun within reach of his 4 year-old child. For such an incredibly irresponsible act he deserved to be shot. I call darwinism here.
 

JoJo

and the Amazing Technicolour Dream Goat 🐐
Moderator
Legacy
Mar 31, 2010
7,160
125
68
Country
🇬🇧
Gender
♂
TizzytheTormentor said:
Kids a fucking nutcase, videogames did fuck all.
Well actually the kid almost certainly isn't a "nutcase", children don't usually properly understand death (especially the whole not coming back bit) until they're between 5 and 7 so this kid very likely had no idea Daddy would be dead permanently. He may well have copied video games too although it's not the games fault of course, it's the parents for leaving a loaded gun around.
 

Covarr

PS Thanks
May 29, 2009
1,559
0
0
I bet it turns out that he didn't even have any video games, and that he couldn't have gotten the idea from there. That's probably why he wanted a PlayStation so bad.

P.S. Thanks
 

orangeapples

New member
Aug 1, 2009
1,836
0
0
I don't understand how video games are to blame here. The kid clearly didn't have the capability of playing video games. The father was supposedly shot because he DIDN'T bring home a video game console.
 

Fox242

El Zorro Cauto
Nov 9, 2009
868
0
0
So the four year old knew how to use a gun? Not only that, but he shot his old man right in the head? I doubt he learned that from playing a game. I'm more concerned about the fact that the guy left a loaded gun for his kid to handle and that said kid managed to kill him in one seemingly well aimed shot.

Wait...he was mad at his dad for not brining home the game console. Does that mean that he didn't have a game console in the home to beign with? Isn't that something worth noting?
 

The Wykydtron

"Emotions are very important!"
Sep 23, 2010
5,458
0
0
So violent game content makes the kid think it's ok to shoot people? Yet he doesn't have a Playstation... So, assuming there isn't another console in play how can he even have seen the content in the first place?

It's gotta be done.



Also allow me to parrot everyone else in saying how idiotic is is to leave a gun within reach of a four year old.

/facepalm
 

LadyDeadly

New member
Mar 5, 2011
73
0
0
WHO LEAVES A GUN OUT ON THE FREAKING BED IF YOU GOT A FOUR YEAR OLD WALKING AROUND?!!?

WHOOOOO?????

oh god. . . .i just . . . cant. . .
 

Steve the Pocket

New member
Mar 30, 2009
1,649
0
0
OK, I've never heard about this "Christian Post" thing, but I'm gonna just assume it's about as close to being a mainstream news source as The 700 Club, and reports its stories from roughly the same viewpoint. But citing Dr. Phil as a credible source? I thought religious fundamentalists hated that guy.
 

Quakester

Blaster Master
Apr 27, 2010
62
0
0
Considering the kid was waiting for a console what video game was he playing without one?

Honestly, this is just retarded. If you leave something so inherently harmful around a small child, someone is going to get hurt.