Details Don't Add Up In Story About Mother's Game Addiction

[guntotingtomcat]

There are also a number of issues with this story that are raised by common sense: Did the kids not know how to cook or clean for themselves? The oldest is apparently 13; I was certainly capable of making my own meals, doing laundry, and going to the store on my own by that point. Also, leaving two dog corpses to rot for a couple of months seems a little too shocking to actually be real.

I disagree with this specific point. It wouldn't stand up in court if the children had died and the mother said "Well, they should be able to feed themselves." The feeding of a dependant, which a thirteen year old is, is the responsibility of the parent/guardian. OK, perhaps they should have been taught, but again that is the fault of the mother, not the kids.

However, you are absolutely right in every other respect. The newspapers exagerate in order to demonise.

I believe their primary target, however, was the mother. The game just caught some collateral flak.

 

[srm79]

Okay, so the Metro isn't the most reputable source, being a free newspaper they give away on buses,

It's not the "free" bit that makes Metro about as (un)reliable a source as The Daily Mail. It's published by a division of DMGT called Allied Newspapers Limited. Can anybody guess what Allied Newspapers Limited's biggest selling publication is?

Step forward, er...The Daily Mail! In fact it's normal to see the majority of Metro articles appear in a longer form in its sister publication.

"You cannot hope
to bribe or twist,
thank God! the
British journalist.

But, seeing what
the man will do
unbribed, there's
no occasion to." -Humbert Wolfe, "Over the Fire", in The Uncelestial City (1930)

 

[Andronicus]

This managed to make it to Australia as well. I'm not really a big newspaper reader myself, but I'll pick one up one a train ride home from uni every now and again. There was a small article about this in the paper I picked up yesterday. I can't really vouch for their reputability personally, but it is a tabloid, so I do take most things I see inside with a grain of salt. Their stories are more likely to focus on the entertainment side than anything else, rather than the informative, or accurate, most likely. I can't imagine they would have paid much attention beyond the "WOMAN BAD MOTHER, PROBABLY VIDEOGAMES' FAULT"-type story it offered.

Still, I must admit, the thought that her dogs may have actually been left to die of starvation makes me feel a little sick inside.

 

[vansau]

According to the Metro version it doesn't say the game was on facebook, but that a friend on facebook introduced her to it.

And I believe she got addicted to this: http://www.smallworlds.com

Which IS an online game.

And, erm, could we consider that they got the name of the game wrong? Seeing as it's pretty close. Does it really matter? The point is that a woman who lost her husband retreated inside a virtual world neglecting her pets and children. Resulting in the deaths of the pets and the near deaths of the children.

The woman pleaded guilty to the charges brough against her.... So, seriously, what is there to argue against here? A slight factual inaccuracy? The name of the game nor the platform it's on isn't the main point of the story.

Actually, it's the fact that the newspaper that broke the story said she was addicted to a game that isn't online (and provided a lot of accurate background information on the game, which means they presumably researched it and then didn't care that it wasn't online), wouldn't list her identity (which may be a difference in journalism between the US and UK, so that's just a little strange instead of being totally suspicious), included screenshots from Warhammer Online and put in a false URL, and has proven history [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daily_mail#Libel_lawsuits] of making stories up and writing stories/headlines that are widely criticized as insensitive and in bad taste. If you want further examples of the tabloid's vendetta against videogames, look up its coverage of Stefan Pakeerah's murder.

 

[Starke]

Wow. Just... gah.

I came on this website today hoping to have a little chuckle. Now, with this, and discovering that 72 cocking percent of the baby boomers support the video game bill, I don't think I'll be on again until Wednesday.

I mean, COME ON. A women neglects her children over an online board game? Is the Daily Mail working with Jack Thompson or Micheal Atkinson or Beelzebub to produce a story like this?

The 72 percent statistic was based off of a polling firm preying on the uninformed and unwary. This is article just shit journalism.

 

[Twilight_guy]

The least they could do is put in some research to make the lie sound more real...

I guess its become acceptable to put video games on the same plane as drugs and alcohol in the public sphere of addictions. We're really moving up the world, from closet geeks to possible addicts. Makes gaming as a hobby almost a negative thing.

 

[Reverend Del]

No doubt there is some truth to the story, certain obfuscation and more spin towards the Daily Mail's "We hate facebook" narrative they have going on. They really do hate facebook. Linked it to syphilis once, also did a report into the dangers of online predators claiming they'd done it on facebook when in fact they'd been nowhere near facebook to do that and had to say so later. But at least they didn't blame muslims for once or hoodies, or the EU or anything else they like to write scare stories about.

And just for lulz

 

[b3nn3tt]

I was thinking these sorts of things when I was reading it earlier. I'm pretty sure a 13 year old could at least heat up beans, if not make proper meals. And why did the kids not say anything to anyone?

The fact is, the woman still went out shopping, albeit to buy food that didn't need cooking (possibly), and the kids still went to school and everything. I fail to believe that she would also allow two dogs to rot for two months. Also, why didn't the kids feed the dogs? I assume that dog food would have been purchased with the food, and dog food is not difficult to serve up, no more so than opening a tin of beans

 

[ForsakenUK]

this is why I don't read newspapers....................

 

[Syntax Error]

Source: <a href=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1311368/Mother-obsessed-game-neglects-children-lets-dogs-starve-death.html>The Daily Mail

Well there's your problem.

 

[Hawk of Battle]

THIS JUST IN; DAILY MAIL MAKES UP BULLSHIT STORIES TO SELL PAPERS!

MORE AT 11!

 

[crotalidian]

This Just in: Days of Wonder goes on the offensive [http://blog.daysofwonder.com/2010/09/13/dow-responds-to-outrageous-uk-press-stories/]

Glad to see them sticking up for themselves!

EDIT just checked out www.smallworlds.com/ looks like a second life/habbo style online community. Nothing to do with elves, orcs, dungeons, dragons or demons!

 

[Illessa]

Looks like the story has mysteeeeeeeeeeriously vanished from the Mail website