If I go to sleep, everyone is going to die -Game Addiction, not a joking matter-

The Russians did again.

Whether it is dying from 12-hour sex marathon

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,500645,00.html

or

a  hairdresser turning robber into her own sex slave:

http://indiehunk.wordpress.com/2009/04/18/russian-hairdresser-makes-a-sex-slave-out-of-a-robber/

it seems like crazy news is emerging from Russia every few weeks this year.

Now, a Russian teen got hospitalized after 40 hours of nonstop gaming marathon!

You can read more here:

http://www.mosnews.com/weird/2009/06/08/40hours/

Reported on June 8^th, a 15-year old was required to have medical attention after playing PC games non-stop. The shocking event happened because his parents restricted his gaming time.  Unlike most geeks, he wasn’t able to enjoy his geeky activity without lowered grades.  When his parents went away from the weekend, he did what any teens would do, and did whatever he pleased without parental supervision…. In this case, it resulted in extremely low blood pressure, then, say, hung over or engaging in an event that feeds the school rumour mill.

The most annoying thing about this article is that they don’t tell us what the game was!!  Which game is so addictive that you can play for 40 hours!!??

I was thinking of researching similar cases in order to write this entry, but the writer of the article has kindly done it for me.

“In 2007, a 30 year-old Chinese gamer dropped dead after a three day online marathon at a cybercafe. Earlier that year another Chinese, a 26 year-old obese gamer, died in a similar situation.

In 2002, a 27 year-old Taiwanese collapsed after playing computer games for 32 hours non-stop.”

Jesus.  I feel sorry for these guys dying, but think of their families!  How would they feel, knowing that their sons died from excessive gaming?  Think of the questions you get in the funeral!

Gaming addiction is not a joking matter.  Treatment centers that specifically address online gaming addiction can be found in South Korea, China, the Netherlands, and the United States.   In Korea, where the Internet is highly advanced – so advanced that vicious rumours spread over the net have been linked to suicide – special treatment centers with boarding facility for under-aged online game addicts are operated by the government.  Online gaming addiction has been a social issue in countries such as Korea, China, and Russia since the beginning of  2000s.  A book entitled “Netoge Haijin” (Netoge = abbreviation of Net game, haijin = cripple, a slang for addicts) which was published in Japan last May protests that the online gaming is starting to become a problem there as well.

Osamu Ashizaki, who wrote the book, details the youths that had their real lives ruined by their obsession with the game.  He describes a young woman, who lost the interests in friends, fashion, and the desire to go out, brothers that take turns playing games 12 hours a day, and a female highschooler that was hospitlized from too much gaming, the doctors being dumbfounded.

The author postulates that these people cannot stop playing games, not because they are fun, but because they feel the responsibility and pressure to keep on playing.  For example, in the popular “Final Fantasy XI,” players are teamed up in a group of six.  Playing without one person causes such a disadvantage that the party might disintegrate.  An addict was quoted in the book, sorrowfully saying “if I go to sleep, everyone is going to die.”

Games are made to be entertaining; in order to do so, the manufacturers create them in a way that fuels the player’s curiosity, sense of achievement, and eagerness to keep playing.  A video game nowadays can easily take up to 100 hours to complete.  Online games are made so that players who play more will have stronger characters.

Square-Enix recently announced that Final Fantasy XIV will be an online game.  The game manufacturers may not care as long as they make more money from the addicts, but the governments need to pressure the manufactures to implement rules that are more user-friendly.  Perhaps a system where a player can only log in for the maximum of five hours a day.  I’m not sure.  Saying that, if the current online games rewards the players for continuously playing, it will foster an environment where more addicts are made, paving for a way for a murky issue which the governments are forced to address.

Shocking Break-Up Retribution Story from Russia

Wow!  It seems like a lot of crazy news are originating from Russia these days.

Whether it is hairdresser turning robber into her own sex slave:

http://indiehunk.wordpress.com/2009/04/18/russian-hairdresser-makes-a-sex-slave-out-of-a-robber/

or a Russian man killing his neighbor with hi-ya! karate skill over lice infection:

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20090410/121047175.htm

or Russian tourists breaking the Florida law by having sex with a porcupine (ouch!) only to require medical attention (d’uh!  Poor porcupine):

http://english.pravda.ru/society/stories/18-05-2009/107573-porcupine_sex-0

Now on May 29th, it was reported that ditched and furious Russian woman decided to take the ultimate revenge by blasting off her loser ex-boyfriend by blowing his penis off!!!!  Many spurned women may have thought of doing that, but not that many carry that off!

For those that are getting any wrong idea reading this, blowing your ex’s penis will end up with 12-yr jail sentence under the Russian law.

From

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/05/29/russian_firecrackers/

“A spurned Russian woman whose boyfriend declined to take her hand in marriage responded by blowing off his penis with firecrackers, Mosnews reports.

Victim Alik D. had been shacked up with Kira V. for about two years when she began to suggest that they should tie the knot. Mr D declined, and indicated he’d rather go back to his wife and child.

Ms V suggested a farewell dinner, and following “a hearty meal and some heavy drinking”, Alik crashed out. Kira then tied said fireworks to his todger and lit the fuse.

Intensive care operatives are fighting for Alik’s life. Kira faces 12 years’ hard time – even if her ex survives.”

Dutch People, Too Open-Minded for Me

Those people from the country above did it again. I thought I was open-minded – I support the women’s right to choose, am 100% for rights for transgenders, and love tofu – but next to Dutch politicians, I may be as closed-minded as Beenie Man.

From: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25402957-12377,00.html

“Dutch park unveils signs pointing to gay ‘cruiser’ areas A PARK near Amsterdam has unveiled information signs pointing out spots where officials say gay men are known to have sex – so no visitors are taken by surprise. The signs “clearly indicate what is happening in each zone; also those where gay men are known to practice ‘cruising’,” municipal spokeswoman Manon Koffijberg said. Cruising is a slang word used to describe the act of trawling for casual sex. “If you don’t want to be confronted by a vision of that sort, the signs allow you to avoid specific areas,” said Ms Koffijberg. The De Oeverlanden park in Slotervaart, southwest of Amsterdam, is known as a place where homosexuals from all over the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe go in search of sex partners. Ms Koffijberg said that while having sex in public was against the law, the park has been used for this purpose for so long that it has become “gedoog”, a Dutch word for tolerating unwanted behaviour. The sexual activities of cruisers, she said, kept mostly to the bushes in the park, and the new signs sought to ensure that they stayed there. “There are various groups of users of the park; people with small children who bathe on the beaches, those who walk their dogs, gays cruising and nature lovers,” said Ms Koffijberg. “Things are arranged so that each group can relax in their own area without intruding on each other.” There had been recent complaints of gay bashing in the Slotervaart area, populated by a large group of immigrants of Muslim origin, with reports of robberies and violence against gay men in De Oeverlanden park.”

Ewwwwwww……. Unless you are George Michael, “cruising” in park is gross. This coming from a man who didn’t know what that term meant until his co-worker used it. That park sure sounds like a busy place. Horny gay prowlers, granola-eating guitar-strumming health-conscious (40% of them wearing sandals) indie chicks/dudes, and parents with kids. It’s just like a disneyland. “On the right, there is the Buttlove World, right next to Nature World.”

I’ve been cruised once, in Japan. I was walking down Shibuya, around 10 or so in the evening, after saying bye to a friend. This latino looking men who was standing on the street made a blowing kiss gesture. It was strange. Being cruised at unsuspectingly leave you with a strange emotion. A mixture of disgust, flattery, and curiosity, I would say. As in, you wonder, “is this guy that sex-starved?” Or, “how could he tell I’m gay?” Yes, I am pretty obvious, and I would say 95% of accomplished gays would be able to tell that I am gay. But still. Having a guts to make a move on to some guy walking down the street?

I once was on a train, and this Indian guy placed his hand right next to mine on the train pole, and tried to hit on me. I was grossed out. Yet again, I was curios. There was a slight temptation for me to pretend to be interested, get out of the packed train together with him. He would follow my lead, walking behind with eyes glittering with hope. After taking few strides away from the platform, I would then turn around quickly, and shoot a barrage of questions: “So do you do this often? Do you get on a train and start hitting on guys?” “What is your success rate?” “Do you simply do it in the disgusting train toilet then?” “Are you too ashamed to go to gay bars? Or do you go to them, but your sex drive is off the roof, and you simply can’t contain myself?” “And please don’t tell me that you couldn’t help yourself cuz I’m ’special.’ Do I look like I’m 13?”

Talking about the Netherlands, open-mindedness, and park, last year, roughly the same time (March 10, 2008), the councillors over there decided that people can have sex in a popular park -provided that it is not in the proximity of the playground and is done in the evening – but banned dog owners to walk their dogs without a leash.

From http://www.orange.co.uk/news/quirkies/default.htm?rm=storyitem&storyId=2761207

Dog owners angry at public sex plan

“Dog owners in Amsterdam are angry after the city legalised public sex in one of the city’s most famous parks. Councillors agreed that heterosexual and gay couples could have sex in the Vondelpark which has ten million visitors a year. But they promised to clampdown on dog owners who let their pets walk in the park without a lead. One dog owner protested: “As long as the park has existed, we’ve been allowed to let our dogs run freely. It’s outrageous that we will be punished from now on but public sex won’t.” A spokesman for the council which runs the southern part of Amsterdam said: “When the dogs are not kept on a leash they pee on whatever they see and they cause a lot of nuisance for other visitors.” Alderman Paul Van Grieken defended the decision to allow public sex in the park from September. “Why should we oppose a rule on something you can’t oppose a rule on. Moreover it isn’t a nuisance for the other visitors and gives a lot of pleasure to a certain group of people,” he said. “There still are rules,” he added. “They must take their garbage with them afterwards and never have intercourse near the playground. The sex must be limited to the evening hours and night.”"

I think it is the first time in history, that a park which is popular enough to be listed on wikipedia (it even has a film museum and open air theater!) legally sanctions public sex!

HELL YEAH!

Being a film buff, I think it is cool that film fantatics are given a chance to recreate a scene from the indie-favorite “Wicker Man.” For those that do not know the story, the film is about a devout Christian cop goes to a f-ed up sexually charged island to investigate a missing girl case. In one particular scene, my fave scene of the film, he stumbles across a park where bunch of couples are having sex. In the evening, of course. It would be amazing if local film groups host an event trying to recreate that scene! Oh, of course they will clean up after their mess. Film fans have great manners, don’t you know?

Applauding Miss California’s Answer Regarding Gay Marriage

Besides the fact that most people would look like the perfect guest for a cocktail mixer if they stand next to the disgusting uber-douche Perez Hilton, I feel like siding with Carrie Prejean on this one.

For those that do not pay attention to the US media, let me explain what happened. The disgusting man that should be forgotten, yours truly P. Hilton, was chosen mysteriously as a Miss USA judge. Erm…? I’m not saying gay people can’t judge a female beauty pageant, but him? Really? What credentials does he have?

Anyways, obsessed with being gay, he decided to ask the following question to the hapless blond during the Q&A portion:

“Vermont recently became the fourth state to legalize same-sex marriage. Do you think every state should follow suit? Why or why not?”

Visibly shaken, the Cali beauty did her best by replying:

“Well I think it’s great that Americans are able to choose one way or the other. We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. You know what, in my country, in my family, I do believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman, no offense to anybody out there. But that’s how I was raised and I believe that it should be between a man and a woman. Thank you.”

I still do not see anyone would make a huge fuss over her answer. Yeah sure, it is not something we would like to hear from in a political speech, but it isn’t. Some people have made fun of the term “opposite marriage,” but we all know what she meant.

P. Hilton, being a drama queen 24/7, blasted out that how she was a forerunner in the race, but blew her chance because of the answer. And that, “she lost not because she doesn’t believe in gay marriage, she lost because she’s a dumb bitch!”  Thanks Perez for tarnishing the whole gay rights movement with his over the top behavior.

Can someone please tell me why her answer is worthy of being called a “b1tch?”

I personally believe that people are born gay, and although gay marriage will probably mean nothing to people who won’t get it, like P. Hilton, it should be legalized. Saying that, gay marriage is still a hot topic in USA. I personally do not see how she could have answered the question without alienating or offending anyone. It is one of those “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” question, and I think is unfair.

Second, the truth is, a majority of people in the US is against gay marriage. Miss California had her opinion, shared by many, and said it in a candid and non-offensive manner. It’s not as if she went out and said “gays are filthy and icky. They should totally not get married cuz they are sluts anyways.”

Being an Asian, I sometimes experience racism in clubs. People would hassle me for my IDs then tell me they are not good enough, or tell me that I am not dressed appropriately, when I see Caucasians who look much more underage or under-dressed than me breezes in the club. The link below describes a study done regarding this matter in British clubs:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/yorkslincs/series11/week2_clubs_racism.shtml

Racism nowadays are more covert. If a shop clerk, who did not break a smile at all to me, but were extra-friendly to my Caucasian boyfriend, is it because I’m Asian? Or if people refused to speak to me from day 1, is it because of my race or just the vibe that I give off? It is frustrating when you can’t come out and say that they are being racists, for they haven’t spelled out.

The answer that Miss CA gave was honest open answer about her belief. If you don’t agree with her, simply ask why she would say so, and what your belief is. People can hide their discriminatory feelings, but come voting day, and they will vote the other way around.

And gay people who are up in arms with the answer should ask themselves this question: “Would you have been gay-friendly if you were straight?” There is no excuse to be discriminatory when you reach a certain age and are able to form a coherent logical thinking. Saying that, it is hard not to grow up being homophobic in parts of our world. People see b1tchy queens, conniving slutty gay characters, and Perez Hilton on TV. They also see grown men wearing tight vibrantly colored speedos, prancing on the van in a society where straight women and men would not do such a thing. My slutty acquaintance once told me how there was a gay Disney event, and he thought it was hilarious because families with kids were there and they were offended. If that was true, I personally think gay Disney is gross. If I had kids, or were taking care of my relatives’ kids and was at Disneyland when that took place, I would be offended.

Our society is saturated with information and images that make it easy for people to be homophobic. There is no way in the world people would change their ideas by blasting them off without giving a proper reason.

Just like in the Aesop fable of “The Wind and the Sun,” discrimination cannot be overcome if one throws a hissy fit when a person shares their opinion in a candid and polite manner, but making the person see why their belief is wrong in a polite way.

Russian Hairdresser Makes a Sex Slave Out of a Robber

Rape is not a joking matter, but I found the following news interesting

From http://www.mosnews.com/society/2009/04/14/1013/

Hairdresser turns robber into sex slave

14 Apr, 03:05 PM

A young hairdresser in Kaluga, Central Russia, locked a robber who tried to steal her money in the basement of the beauty salon. After that, she has brutally raped her hostage for three days. A court in Kaluga has filed criminal charges against both of them, the Russian website Newsru.com reports.

The robber, who has not been named, burst into the salon armed with shotgun at about 17.00 on March 14. He demanded money. There were two hairdressers and one client in the salon at the time. One of hairdressers, who was studying judo and taekwondo, disabled the robber with a smashing body blow. Then she carried the unlucky robber to the basement and bound him with a hairdryer cord.

The hairdresser told her scared colleague and the client that she would call the police. But she did not. After work, instead of calling the police, she made her hostage undress. The perverted hairdresser forced the hostage to take several Viagra tablets. She chained the unfortunate robber with pink furry wristbands and painfully raped him for the next three days.

After his release, the exhausted robber filed charges against the perverted woman. The frenulum of his penis was torn as a consequence of rape session.

“That’s ridiculous. We had sex just a couple times. I brought him brand new jeans. I fed him every day and gave him one thousand rubles ($25) before his release,” the hairdresser said.

In response, she filed charges against the robber.

The robber admitted that the hairdresser really did feed him royally.

“I actually don’t know what will happen to them. But it’s a pity that they could not meet in the cell. They would be a great couple,” one of the police officers said.

First reading this news, I wondered how attractive the guy was. How in the world would you come to think of turning the guy you just beat up into a sex slave?

And on the second note, for a rapist, she did treat they guy well. Well, she didn’t go out of her way to abduct guys, but when you here about male rapists/abductors, such as Charles Ng, they were pretty brutal to the victims….

And third, how much of this just sounds like a porn script? I can picture a Russian porn company making a porn film based on this!

As for the woman herself…. Some readers might wonder how she might look like… I mean, you would assume rapists to be unattractive bunch, right. Well, judging from the pic provided from the link below, she’s not such a bad looker.

I am quite sure there would have been tons of guys who would have gladly traded place with the hapless robber.

http://russiatoday.ru/Top_News/2009-04-14/Hairdresser_turns_robber_into_sex-slave.html?fullstory

Evil Mother-in-law Cannot be Killed, Even with Rockets

Where can this happen?

Bosnia, of course.

A man blaming his divorce on the mother-in-law, tried to kill her with missiles and a machine gun, but she refused to die….
Although no one except for them know the exact details, I guess that the mother-in-law, probably not the sole reason, did meddle with the guy’s affair.  Clearly, murder is not the way to go, but I cannot help but to be amazed by this woman’s vitality!  Or maybe she was just that evil and wicked.

From

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_3260168.html

“They’re tougher than cockroaches and have more lives than cats……………

A desperate husband tried to kill his mother-in-law with an anti-tank missile launcher after claiming she’d turned his wife against him.

Bosnian Miroslav Miljici wanted revenge after blaming his wife’s mum for the break-up of his marriage.

And when his mother-in-law survived the rocket attack on her home, he tried to finish her off with a machine gun, a court in Doboj, Bosnia, was told.

Amazingly, she survived both attacks with barely a scratch, judges heard.

In defence Miljici – jailed for six years for attempted murder – told the court he could no longer take his mother-in-law’s nagging.”

GTA Addictions Lead to Murder

Yet ANOTHER crime related to the controversial game series “Grand Theft Auto” occured.
This time, the one with the murdourous rage was the not the gamer herself, but the partner of the gamer.
Being forced to sleep in the conservatory while Carol Cannon was playing GTA all night long, her partner Malcolm Palmer, 62, stabbed her after a quarrel.  The 30-year long relationship deteriorated after Ms. Cannon became addicted to the game, when she initially purchased it for her son.

Read more at:
Father killed partner who became hooked on Sony PlayStation
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/5077892/Father-killed-partner-who-became-hooked-on-Sony-PlayStation.html

Letting a six-year old total a car is a fine example of a CRAP PARENT

The verdict on “violent videogames” are still out, but let’s all agree for a moment that “not everyone who plays Doom shoots others in the head,” and “parents should regulate the violence intake of the kids to a certain degree.”  Well, the following news proves that there are f-ed up parents out there who can’t see that letting a six year old play GTA is a bad bad thing.  There would be far less concern on “violent media” if the parents like the one below actually pay attention to the well-being of their kids for once.

And as for the quote at the end, The Lord wouldn’t have wasted a miracle if you were being a better parents, eesh.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iKKETCuXgBnZdJiuCYCqcRYR6w0gD95HS7K00

From the news:

WICOMICO CHURCH, Va. (AP) — A 6-year-old Virginia boy who missed his bus tried to drive to school in his family’s sedan — and crashed. His parents were charged with child endangerment. State police said the boy suffered only minor injuries and authorities drove him to school after he was evaluated at a local hospital for a bump on his head. He arrived shortly after lunch, Sgt. Tom Cunningham said.

It happened around 7:40 a.m. Monday on Route 360, about 61 miles east of Richmond.

The boy, whose name wasn’t released, missed the bus, took the keys to his family’s 2005 Ford Taurus and drove nearly six miles toward school while his mother was asleep, police said.

He made at least two 90-degree turns, passed several cars and ran off the rural two-lane road several times before hitting an embankment and utility pole about a mile and a half from school.

The boy told police he learned to drive playing Grand Theft Auto and Monster Truck Jam video games.

“He was very intent on getting to school,” said Northumberland County Sheriff Chuck Wilkins. “When he got out of the car, he started walking to school. He did not want to miss breakfast and PE.”

His parents, Jacqulyn Deana Waltman, 26, and David Eugene Dodson, 40, are each charged with child endangerment, Wilkins said. Waltman is being held without bond. Dodson was released on a $5,000 bond.

It was not clear if they had attorneys.

The boy and his 4-year-old brother were placed in protective custody.

“This really is a story of miracles,” Wilkins said. “The Lord was with him, along with everybody else on the highway.”

(Pay me to) Fly me to the moon

* A bit of an old news, but I forgot to post, so here it goes*

On October 24, Richard Garriott returned to Earth safely from his trip into space. Garriott, an online game magnate, has become the sixth self-funded space tourist. Upon arrival, he was quoted of saying, “I feel great. I feel very good. Re-entry was perfectly smooth,” and “is ready to go again.”

He makes it sound as if space traveling, which many have dreamed about for centuries, can be easily accomplished. Obviously, that is not the case. It was reported that Richard Garriott paid 30 million dollars (2.9 billion yen) for his 12-days in space.

You might be wondering what exactly Richard Garriott does that lets him even contemplate of dispensing such a large amount of sum (that most of us would never be able to earn in our lifetime) not once, but twice. Well, he is the co-founder of the North American subsidiary of Korea’s NCsoft Corp, the world’s largest online game developer and publisher, responsible for creating games such as the “Lineage” series. He is most famous for developing Ultima Online (UO), a popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). UO is considered to be instrumental to the development of genre, and is still running today, making it the longest-running MMORPG ever.

People who are not into online gaming may find it difficult to picture just how lucrative the industry is. The current most popular MMORPG, “World of Warcraft,” has made a new record in the gaming industry with having 9 million active players and counting. In 2006, it was reported that there was a total of 30 million MMOPRG subscriptions, 73% of them coming from the Asia-Pacific region. Many research papers predict the continuous growth of the industry. It has been estimated that revenues from U.S online gaming service will increase from $1.1 billion in 2005 to more than $3.5 billion in 2009.

MMORPG has captivated many that reports of online game addiction have come from all over the world, and treatment centers that address online gaming addiction can be found in South Korea, China, the Netherlands, and the United States. The addiction can result in death as well. So far, three deaths have been linked to exhaustion from playing games for excessive periods of time. A spat involving a MMORPG game “Lineage II” caused a brawl that ended in one dead in Moscow.

The rapid growth of MMORPG has also created a sector of the gaming industry: gaming sweatshops. Because MMORPG requires the players to invest their time in order to make their in-game alter ego stronger and better, an industry has emerged where powerful weapons are sold to users for a nominal fee. Sweatshops where “gold farmers,” work in 12-hour shifts, “playing” computer games in order to obtain virtual goods and golds, to be later exchanged into real-life money, have been reported in China. It has been estimated that over 100,000 young people in China are working as full-time gamers.

Richard Garriott, a son of an astronaut, stated in interview that going into space has been his childhood dream. It seems that inventing something that affects millions of people all over the world,does the trick of achieving the most audacious dream that one had as a child. As the MMORPG industry keeps growing, Richard Garriott can probably go for that second trip.

The next expected space flight participants are Vladimir Guzdev, Russian politician, Charles Simonyi, former Microsoft employee software architect, and Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google.

Kid Shoots His Parents to Play Halo 3

Just when you thought reading a news article about an 8 year old shooting himself at a gun show (http://lateline.muzi.net/news/ll/english/10082039.shtml?cc=13425&ccr=) or a 12-yr-old and his family being shot for approaching a house for trick-or-treating (didn’t the guy realize that it was Halloween, and the odds are, kids with masks would be ringing his doorbell?  http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Halloween-Trick-Or-Treating-Boy-Aged-12-Shot-Dead-In-South-Carolina/Article/200811115139711)

last week, there was a murder trial taking place regarding a 17 yr old Ohio boy killing his mom, and shooting his dad because they took away his Halo 3 in September, 2007.

It was chilly to read the news report.  It wasn’t a crime of passion, but it was highly calculative.  Apparently, the perpetrator  approached his parents by saying, “would you guys close your eyes? I have a surprise for you,” only to shoot them both in the head.  He tried to make it look like murder-suicide by making his dad hold the gun.  When his sister and her husband rang the bell, the perpetrator told them that they should go away because their parents were having an argument.  It is really shocking to read that someone can be so cold blooded and calculative over a game.  He even took Halo 3 when he run away after being discovered.

Although as a reader, I feel like rushing into conclusion that he shot his parents because of Halo 3 only, but there probably were other issues in the family, and that was the tipping point.

It seems that whenever a video game is mentioned in conjunction with a violent crime, it is always of a violent type.  Like, you never hear about people killing others for emulating Mario Galaxy or dispute in Wii Sports ending up in real life murder, unlike say, Ultima or Lineage II where arguments regarding the game has actually caused real-life murder.

Video game and aggression is related, according to psychologist Craig A. Anderson who has done an extensive research regarding aggression for 50 years (such as how crime rates increase as the temperature rises).  He stated that watching violent clips increase aggression immediately after the viewing for 20 minutes or so, and repeated exposure to violence “strengthen the aggression script,” making one more prone to use those scripts when triggered.

Although playing violent video games can increase your aggression, it still doesn’t answer why some people would think it is a good idea to recreate the scene from Grand Theft Auto, whilst others wouldn’t even dream about it.  If you have attended an  university, you would be able to relate that it seems as if every other room in the hall with a male has at least one violent video game, whether it is Grand Theft Auto or Resident Evil.  But not all of them get involved in a bar fight.  I sure haven’t used flame thrower on anyone after playing Silent Hill and Resident Evil.  What kind of people are more prone?  And what can we do to decrease the negative effects of violent video games, if it is significant?

At the end of the day, there is no one specific reason that explains an action that one takes.  Each action we take is a result of succession of reasons.  It is preposterous to blame some video game title that was a very small part of the perpetrator’s life.  Violent video games are not for everyone, but it seems as if those who do not realize this are the ones that are negatively affected by fictional gun-duels.

For more on the news, click the following link:

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/12/boy_killed_mom_and_shot_dad_ov.html

For more about Craig A. Anderson’s research into violent video games, follow this link:

http://www.apa.org/science/psa/sb-anderson.html