Middle-Aged Gamer Assaults Teen Over Black Ops Beatdown

[DevoutHedonist]

in the uk thankfully
across the pond a .22 would have been fired at the kid

 

[Brutal Peanut]

I don't feel sorry for the man,....the kid either. But I can't help but be reminded of what I always told about driving; don't be a absolute dick to people in traffic because you don't know who is going to snap, get out of their car, and try to beat you to death with a tire iron.

 

[Piecewise]

How the hell did he even find him? Was the kid screaming so loud that he could track him down?

 

[The Lugz]

Kid probably deserved it.

yup, this is why competitive games should not have chat built in
ass-holes will incite psychopaths to murder them.

 

[CardinalPiggles]

Mute mute mute a thousand times mute every little fucker wearing a headset.

 

[Laser Priest]

I would talk about how this guy probably shouldn't have done that and how he's probably given gamers a worse image, but I am laughing too hard.

 

[Revolutionary]

Ok Yeah the Kid shouldn't be playing Black-ops at thirteen. Secondly he shouldn't be trash talking like a shit head. secondly the guy overreacted...a lot. But I still found this amusing. This is why I never use a headset and immediately mute everyone in the lobby.

In summary

Bad Parenting
Bad online etiquette
Bad self control.

All three of these contributed to what happened. If just one is removed incident never happens.

 

[Danzavare]

If the mom hadn't stopped him and the man had killed the kid, would you all still be supporting him? He didn't just go over to backhand him, he CHOKED him.

Let me get this straight, going to Facebook Memorial pages to talk shit about the deceased to the grieving family is perfectly alright and within freedom of speech, but apparently talking trash in an online match is grounds for getting your ass kicked?

...Stay classy Escapist.

This. And also what the guy who got warned for the other post said. Someone talks smack in a video game, kill them. Someone torments a dead girl's family, it's the internet man grow thicker skin. It's like you people are the Joker or something.

Yeah, I'm the "guy who got warned" earlier.

They're not the joker, that's just what they aspire to be. They feel projecting some sort of nihilistic and sadistic persona over the internet makes them "superior" or "cooler" than the majority of modern society; They make comments like "haha, kid would never do this in real life so he deserved what he got", and meanwhile would never make that assertion to anyone else in "real life" who would question them because they're the insignificant little worms they are.

The internet is a twisted triangle of hatred, misanthropy, and hypocrisy, and this thread really only serves to prove that. Christ, I thought the Yahoo! message boards were bad (and they are, to a hilarious degree), but this thread alone is beginning to reach the asinine levels of stupidity that I've come to expect from the media outlets/boards we so frequently mock (like Fox News).

I wish there was some way I could give Escapist badges of appreciation to you three. Judging by the first page, I didn't expect to see much sense in this thread. Thank you for providing that glimmer of hope~!

The only thing I could add is that this isn't a matter of bad parenting. In my online experience I get most smack-talk from 20-something year olds. (In many cases before matches start) Whether we like it or not, it's a big part of most competitive online experiences. I think it's best we remember the '13 year old cursing jerk' hyperbole we use to describe most of our less pleasant opponents isn't necessarily factual. Yeah, there are jerk kids, but there's a lot of jerk adults. His age has no real bearing because there is no X age where people magically stop playing like jerks. This issue wouldn't have been avoided if he were older. The real problem is that there's a mentally disturbed person going unchecked in an environment that is highly likely to set him off.

Here's the hope that this thread isn't picked up by some journalist because it makes strides against gaming (and people who play games) becoming something respectable.

 

[SimpleJack]

Lol people are still playing call of duty?

 

[Danzavare]

I wish there was some way I could give Escapist badges of appreciation to you three. Judging by the first page, I didn't expect to see much sense in this thread. Thank you for providing that glimmer of hope~!

The only thing I could add is that this isn't a matter of bad parenting. In my online experience I get most smack-talk from 20-something year olds. (In many cases before matches start) Whether we like it or not, it's a big part of most competitive online experiences. I think it's best we remember the '13 year old cursing jerk' hyperbole we use to describe most of our less pleasant opponents isn't necessarily factual. Yeah, there are jerk kids, but there's a lot of jerk adults. His age has no real bearing because there is no X age where people magically stop playing like jerks. This issue wouldn't have been avoided if he were older. The real problem is that there's a mentally disturbed person going unchecked in an environment that is highly likely to set him off.

Here's the hope that this thread isn't picked up by some journalist because it makes strides against gaming (and people who play games) becoming something respectable.

No, thank YOU. Your appreciation is more than enough to make up for the... *ahem* REST of this thread.

Seriously, I encounter WAY more hateful adults then I encounter annoying kids online (Especially on Xbox Live). The sad thing is that almost 90% of the time the kids I end up playing with/against are just trying to have fun and be good teammates even if they aren't all that good at the game, but the obnoxious 10% is what everyone assumes them to be.

CASE IN POINT:

I played two games of Madden 2012 online today.

My first opponent was a kid who sounded to be about 11-13 (higher pitched voice) who was very respectful and decent; I had a nice conversation about the NFL with him, and even shared a few tips and tricks with him to help him improve (since he asked nicely). After I won, he politely told me "good game" and said he was going to try and get better.

My second game was against an older gentleman, probably in his 30s based on his profile, who immediately greeted me with the ever-pleasant "WHASSUP ******, READY TO GET YO FUCKING ASS HANDED TO YOU?" The entire time we played he spouted hateful and racist garbage, quitting halfway through the third quarter because he blamed a few calls that didn't go his way on the "n-word" referee. Classy.

The above is generally my experience on Xbox live, especially Madden. I haven't played Call of Duty since World at War came out, so I can't generally speak for that particular population, but I can't imagine it's much different from my experiences on other games.

Children just make easier scapegoats. It's not recommended for them, so we can say they're not meant to be there. The rudeness online? Oh, clearly it's an age thing for people who are not meant to be there anyway, those of us that are 'meant to be there' aren't rude at all! It's a superficial way of distancing the fact that many people who are 'supposed' to be playing games are jerks. Most people don't want to accept that the gaming community can be terrible because it has 'legitimate' members that are themselves horrible people.

Some kids shouldn't be allowed to play these games (especially online), but I can say the exact same thing for many 'adults'.

 

[Yanzo]

Oh the daily mail; trust them to ignore the fact the kid was probably being one of those insidious twats who plague everywhere.
But really they're both in the wrong; I'm just hating on the daily mail.

 

[rohansoldier]

The guy should realise that it is a game and to have a bit of control, but the kid should also realise he needs to learn some manners.

Plus to Mum, why the hell is your 13 year old playing an 18 game? An adult like you must have bought it for him!! Can you not read age ratings? Or did you buy it just to shut him up?

I will never buy my daughter an age rated film/game that is over her age no matter how much she asks/begs/moans to get it! Admittedly she is only 2 years old right now but I am sure this will come up at some point in the future.

Age ratings are there for a reason and buying a kid something too old for them to shut them up is bad parenting in my book.

 

[Bucht]

Since CoD Blops is 18+ I blame the parents.
Oh and if someone insults me and i find out they don't live over an hour drive away, I'd probably go look for him too...

 

[Silver PBall]

Sometimes, you gotta get punched. Kid probably had it coming, age difference means nothing here.

 

[8-Bit Grin]

Let me get this straight, going to Facebook Memorial pages to talk shit about the deceased to the grieving family is perfectly alright and within freedom of speech, but apparently talking trash in an online match is grounds for getting your ass kicked?

...Stay classy Escapist.

Keep in mind that Escapist is a Gaming forum, not a Mourning forum.

We can empathize more.