Scottish Police Blame Throat Slashing on Gears of War

[Galletea]

Considering that he wouldn't have met the guy if he wasn't playing Gears, then I'd say it is certainly a factor. The problem is that it is a factor that should have been monitored by his parents. Someone must have got the game for him, but a sexually active 13 year old is unlikely to be stable anyway.

Again, gaming was mentioned as a factor, and the gaming community gets all up in arms. Of course it is a factor. A psycho is a psycho whatever, but a psycho who plays violent games is going to be affected by them. It isn't the root cause, but it is factor.

And it's already illegal to carry knives around. Reduces the number of such things happening.

 

[IamLEAM1983]

I don't have time for this shit anymore.

You and me both. It's getting to the point I'm losing interest in being a part of the culture anymore.

Me either, but I'll take a different approach. Let the fundies and conservative demonize and throw stones all they like - they'll always be lacking the needed data to make an informed observation.

Keep gaming, folks. We'll never be part of the gloriously accepted Cultural Mainstream, because there isn't such a thing. We like to think we're all young and open-minded, but even we will find some cause to huff and drop our monocles and clamour about the decay of society. It just hasn't happened yet.

 

[Li Mu]

Lets face it, this happened in Scotland. Highest stabbing rate in Europe. Highest drug addiction rate in Europe. Highest domestic abuse rate in Europe.

But they did give us this awesome guy;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k7VoFiagfs

 

[Izanagi009_v1legacy]

People will always blame something other than the truth if it means that nothing gets done.

In this case, people would blame the non-human unfeeling software instead of an irresponsible parent because of assumptions of parents never being wrong or something along that effect.

Let us hope mob mentality does not take over and distort the truth: that the parents were irresponsible with weaponsand that the child was already mentally ill and the parents did not remedy the situation at all. One may argue that the game was the trigger but who though allowed the child's mental state to become so broken that a simple punishment drives him over the edge: the parents

 

[funkyjiveturkey]

all of my wut.

 

[unstabLized]

For once, I sort of agree with these types of articles. At least he said that the online play was a FACTOR. Not something like online gaming being created by Satan who powered it through souls and tears of little puppies. Plus, I kind of agree with him that 18+ games should not be played by younger kids unless approved by the parents. CoD/Halo Online proves that very nicely -_-. I played rated M games when I was 7, and it was GTA: Vice city of all games, but my parents also had an eye on me to make sure I didnt come out batshit crazy.


Captcha: linear algebra
I KNOW I HAVE MATH HOMEWORK, QUIT REMINDING ME.

 

[Shuu]

Keep a better eye on underage gamers getting their hands on older material? An interesting idea officer... Now tell us your plan for dealing with the case at hand - OOOOOOOOOOOOOH!! ;D

 

[Strazdas]

Is it wrong I sort of agree with him on this part? If anything, most parents nowadays have no idea what their kids do with their spare time.

My parents had no idea what I did with my spare time. The more I hear about my parents, the more convinced I am that their parents had no idea what they did in their spare time. It's nothing new; some parents take an interest and make an effort, and some don't, and those who don't quite often end up with children who are shits. Those who do occasionally end up with the same result, but it's an imperfect world. The point is that media may change, but human nature does not.

not to insult you or anything, but are you claiming that you yourself are/were "children who are shits"? kinda strange hearing this.
My parents didnt knew what i played. and i never cared for age restriction markers, and i think we should never classify peoples maturity by age and labels like 18 is stupid to begin with (btw why 18 is them magical number? physically people mature at 15, mentally, at 21, why is 18 chosen? (the numbers are average, there are some 11 year old more mature than 30 year olds). Yet i turned out alright and didnt kill people over internet games (though i met some that tried to stab me for not giving him money in online game).
Point being - parental control can affect it to a point, but it is never the deciding factor whether the kid turns out agressive. Human psychology is much more complex than parent knowing what games you play.

 

[Baron von Blitztank]

He's 13 years old, he's Glaswegian, he (supposedly) has his own kid, he's Scottish...

Yeah, I'm pretty sure Gears of War played a HUGE part in this.

 

[DjinnFor]

Unfortunately, the roots of their connection and conflict have police once again blaming games for causing violence. "The reporting officer was of the opinion that the violent videogames played online by the accused may have been a factor in his conduct," Brown told the court.

So apparently in Scotland, police officers are able to give expert witness testimony on child psychology. But wait, it's actually just the prosecutor relaying hear-say to the courts, because that's so much more reliable now.

Brian Docherty, the chairman of the Scottish Police Federation, also weighed in, saying, "These games are rated 18 and shouldn't be played by children of this young age - but online gaming may be outside their parents' knowledge. We need to look again at what we can do to stop this."

This just in: People using moral arguments without justifying them or qualifying them with any actual argument. More news at 11.

Seriously, world, "they shouldn't be allowed because, well... they just shouldn't be allowed!" does not count as an argument, not does "they shouldn't be allowed because some random organization pulled an age right out of there ass and slapped it on the game" (which in fact is really just another way of saying "they shouldn't be allowed because they shouldn't be allowed").

But that system is obviously dependent upon parental input and monitoring, which Docherty doesn't seem to think is an effective approach to take.

The amount of assumptions buried in this sentence is just... words can't describe, really.

1. Assumes there's a problem (based on nothing more that circumstantial evidence)
2. Assumes that it's solvable with an interventionist and centrally enforced solution (statistically, a fat chance of that happening)
3. Assumes that any proposed system would be remotely competent at solving the stated problem and wouldn't cause any other problems in the process (truly hilarious)
4. Assumes parents are completely incompetent at taking care of their children (the height of hubris)

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

Its nothing to do with the game, not directly. It said they had a falling out and thats why he attacked him. They blamed the game but it could be anything really. Dont they realise how many kids turn to arseholes playing these games? Im he killed him, called him a fag or a pussy and gloated. The loser kid got revenge. Instead of blaming a game, blame the kid, he was the one that committed the crime.

Sounds like he has parents that dont care what he does. Lives in a crappy area, maybe an estate. Maybe links to gang involvement. Just like in USA, you get kids that would take those insults as a major "diss to there rep" and will attack over it. Idiot kids.

Cant blame the game, its 18 rated, and they shouldnt be able to buy it at all as we have very strict laws governing who can buy them. But that doesnt stop parents buying it or old siblings or friends buying or just borrowing it off a friend. I dont know what else they can do? Parents need to do more, but his parents sound crap. Ive always watched violent horror movies from 7 years old and played games and never effected me. I know right from wrong and whats pretend and whats real. An if i lose? Will its annoying to not win but it doesnt matter.

Even then, slashing a throat is a severe over reaction to take over some name calling. When i was a kid, you just punched the kid in the face. Its about up bringing, how you were raised and what your parents taught you about life skills. Morals. etc I doubt this kid had any and learnt everything while raising himself on the street. Another generation lost as parents dont care about raising their kids and let the console/tv do it for them.

 

[Headdrivehardscrew]

Hey, Microsoft! I bought this 360 console, and it completely fails at raising my kid?

If the kid is mature enough to father a child, slash someone's throat and play adult-oriented videogames, I take it he's all grown up, enough to a) work to sustain that merry fucked up family of his and surely b) feel the full pachyderm brunt of the law?

I know Scotland has some royally messed up neighbourhoods, but I don't think blaming the sorry state of certain members of society on dem veedio games gets us anywhere. If parents are unable or unwilling to do their damn job beyond humping each other regularly, it's of very little use to start playing whack-a-mole with the many, many symptoms.

 

[Headdrivehardscrew]

1. Assumes there's a problem (based on nothing more that circumstantial evidence)
2. Assumes that it's solvable with an interventionist and centrally enforced solution (statistically, a fat chance of that happening)
3. Assumes that any proposed system would be remotely competent at solving the stated problem and wouldn't cause any other problems in the process (truly hilarious)
4. Assumes parents are completely incompetent at taking care of their children (the height of hubris)

Well, if I found myself having a son that, at the bittersweet age of 13 has fathered a child, slashed another kids throat and engaged in lowlife behaviour at least over XBOX Live, potentially in real life as well, I would absolutely question my own capabilities and vita so far.

Parents that are worth more than the general sum of eggs and sperms they lug around take care of their offspring. If they don't, they're but walking posterchild mutants for not-quite-better total control nanny state tomorrow. And we can't have that, now, can we.

There obviously are problems and issues at hand, even severe ones. Or, may I inquire as to how you would describe or interpret the story that transpired?

 

[Sansha]

two things.

1. the fact that he's 13 and has a child of his own proves that his parents are absent and inneffective, and with the xbox's parental controls, they could have prevented his exposure. although i dont blame the game at all.

2. he slashed the kid's throat deep enough to expose the windpipe and he didn't die? that's pretty hardcore. i usually think of throat-slashing as a death sentence. he's gonna have a badass scar.

1. Agreed. That this kid was cold enough to do something so horrifically violent in the first place shows a disturbingly jaded person, completely without conscience - a sign of total parental neglect to the point of it being abusive, again shown by the kid having bred at only 13, as well as having access to R18 games.

2. Agreed, fucking hell. This kid is indestructible.

 

[MammothBlade]

I agree mostly, children can be mentally damaged by violent videogames - I think some people in the gaming community are just apologists for brutalising minors. Though the same could be said across the board, with all forms of graphically violent entertainment. More strictly enforced ratings are one thing, but so is educating parents and their children about potentially harmful influences so they can make better choices.

Not to say that all children are vulnerable to violent media, but some with certain neurological structures and upbringings are highly impressionable, and hence may act out depictions of violence. I'm afraid some people are just in denial that violent videogames can cause any harm whatsoever.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Why is it the game's fault that parents don't control what their minors play with?

 

[loc978]

This story is downright horrifying. A 13-year old boy, who is himself a father, plays Gears of War on XBox live and then cuts one of his friends in a potentially lethal manner. This is the most extreme consequence of hands-off parenting I've ever heard of.

Moral of the story: if you're not interested in raising kids, don't fucking breed!
As a man with no kids who went out of his way to get surgically sterilized, I feel I have the high ground on this one.

 

[chiefohara]

wow...

A lot more wrong here than just a violent video game. I feel sorry for the baby of the 13 year old. Grandparent(s) obviously aren't worth a shit, Father will never be worth a shit. The mother slept with a 13 year old.... (dont know what age she is, not sure i want to know)

Sooner the baby is taken far far far far away from his fathers side of the family the better i think.

As for video games... im not worried, Industry is too big at this stage to be effectively censored, no matter what the medium portrays.

 

[Murgatron]

Blimey what a positive light my country is being depicted in 0_o

The need for education and good parenting is the main issue here. Although if one of the 13-year old's has a KID then I suspect either social services/my society needs a fucking wake up call. Ureggh.