Police Attempt to Link Vicious Murder to D&D

[Keava]

Games in such cases are usually only a catalyst, inspiration, just like anything could be. Obviously he has some mental issues himself if he is capable of cold blood murder with sexual assault. With such condition it can be so that a game he played, book he read, movie he watched or even article about crime could trigger his imagination to the point where he wanted to fulfil such fantasy.

All in all it just seems like looking for tying games into controversy again where there is no reason for it. Exploring the motive is standard procedure, i don't see why that article even made it to gaming community, since it really has very little actual connection.

 

[Vuljatar]

Aw jeez, not this stupid shit again...

 

[ShadowsofHope]

Calm down people. They didn't say they were blaming it, they said there was a connection to it.

If the kid went straight to D&D after killing someone, then yeah, I would take a look at the connection too if I was a police officer on the case. It could be that the child has trouble distancing themselves from the fantasy, and those types of angles need to be covered or the child could end up living with an undiagnosed mental problem and not receiving the help he needs.

The thing is, it isn't the game itself in any accord. It's the player whom can't control his perception of reality from fantasy. Blaming the game in connection with a murder is the same stupid crap the cops and knee-jerk parents have been pulling with all these cases, taking the easy way out in "solving" the psychological aspect instead of doing proper investigation.

 

[Devil's Due]

Eh, this just seems like a case of a bad tag line. They're looking at a murderers hobbies and how he approaches them to determine his mental state.

This is true, and I am saddened by the majority of Escapist users who are only reading what they want to read: "Police Blame Games." They do not in this case, they are simply trying to figure out what the hell made this freak snap.

To the thread, I already knew this was going to happen, because I live in the same state only a half a hour away from where this happened. It was all over the news for days, and at the end they talked about how he coped with it, and when I heard "D&D", I instantly knew I had to watch the Escapist news and wait for it. Common posters, it's the polices job to investigate things fully and not half-assed. They're not blaming the game, they're just trying to find out why it's connected.

Also, my heart went out for the poor girl. Text on a screen makes it sound emotionless, but if you heard how shaken the reporters were when they found out how badly this kid went on the young mentally handicapped girl, you'd be a bit nervous as well about this freak.

PS: Not sure which order he committed the crime, but last night they reported he killed her, and THEN raped her body after she was dead to try and make it look like it was someone else's doing. Just to give you all a idea of how bad this case turned out to be.

 

[manaman]

I have a small history of disagreements with the police in the greater Tacoma area. They are not exactly the most competent bunch.

The 70's called they want their scapegoat back

That would be the 90s calling. They are checking the link between DnD online a videogame, not the boardgame.

 

[Mr. Omega]

As much as it does worry me that the police are not-so-subtlely trying to use the game as a motive, it disturbs me more that this is clearly just them taking a shortcut. It's not that they're using the game as a scapegoat; its the fact that they're even using a scapegoat in the first place. What worries me even more is that if this works... well...

They are now combining D&D and video-games into one super scape-goat that can cover any crime. *sighs*

That sums up why I pray that this will not be accepted in a court of law. Don't get me wrong, some people are genuinly disturbed and given the circumstances, the game may be an actual factor, but this guy just used D&D to cover his guilt, not as his motive. But if this investigation gets him convicted using D&D as a motive, considering how games are today, if anyone who owns a console or plays MMOs commits a crime, not only will gaming get flack, but the real motives will just be lost to the "its the game's fault" excuse.

Is this pessimistic? HELL YEAH it is. But humanity has yet to prove me wrong on stuff like this.

 

[bam13302]

/facepalm
seriously?
SERIOUSLY?
ok, ok, there are fanatics and lunatics that will take anything to the extreme, but if thats the reason your gona start banning stuff, religion should be pretty high up the **** list, its caused, hell, it is causing -wars-
im not saying to ban religion, but worse will come from getting rid of stuff because a few fanatics took it too far then will come from leaving it be

 

[oktalist]

Meh. The "we're not blaming the game, but..." comment seems quite responsible. The police have to investigate all possibilities, but they are doing what they can to keep the press from turning it into another huge "games are evil" narrative. Reserve judgement for when they actually conclude the investigation.

This is why I think reporting on the preliminary stages of criminal investigations should be limited in the general case. When they're done, the police might turn round and say actually, it was nothing to do with gaming; but the damage would already have been done, and it's more the fault of the press for demanding answers too early than it is of the police for giving them those answers.

 

[GonzoGamer]

*facepalm*

seriously, gah. I'm off to the 'oh for christ's sake' room.

Suit yourself. I'm going to my angry dome.
At first I thought I time warped back 30 years.

 

[Stabby Joe]

I thought we were done blaming D&D over a decade or two ago.

 

[Dancingman]

If this slaying was actually motivated by someone's DnD fantasy than I think it says more about the person's mental stability than it does about DnD, otherwise it's just more sensationalism about a game that people were supposed to get over ages ago.

 

[Bruce Edwards]

I wonder if the police department are making a show of investigating this to shut down any later attempts by the defence to apportion blame to video games.

That's what I hope, anyway.

I must admit that when I first read the headline I felt a little shiver run up my spine. I still have friends who are convinced D&D will drive you to become a murderous devil worshipper.

 

[DarkDain]

Well if I lived there I would move immediately since it is clear the cops are out to find the quickest explanation they can.

lol guilty much? XD

 

[minimacker]

It's Mazes and Monsters.
MAZES AND MONSTERS, HO GAWD!

No, wait, what?

 

[MangaVally]

No matter how often this happens it still pisses me off to no end!!! Using games as a cheap and easy excuse for someones irrational behaviour when its been consistantly proven games have little to know effect on a persons metal state!

 

[Treblaine]

police are now looking into whether the game "somehow became his point of reference on reality."

I'd have to wonder what that police department's "point of reference on reality" is.

Remember people, these are the people whose job it is to protect you.

 

[Ashendarei]

/facepalm

Go go washington state police, way to drop that IQ another precious point.

 

[Tiny116]

Two words
Ball and Shit
So there is a murderer who play DnD Several play chess...And listen to music...don't get me started on some of the music.
I fear for this world I really do.

 

[samsonguy920]

Dick Wolf would as soon slam his head on a desk than to present this scenario in any of the Law & Orders. I want to find the carnival where these cops got their badges, so I can arrest them myself for being dimbulbs.
That poor girl's family is not going to get the justice they deserve with these morons on the case.