Deadly Fad

Deadly Fad

                To me I see the video game fad as of lately becoming the most detrimental in our society today. The games have become so realistic that it seems there are people becoming “lost” in these fantasy games. There have been a multitude of deaths and suicides directly linked to these games by the gamer themselves by either their own admonition or through their suicide notes. The even bigger problem in my eyes is that these games keep the youth of our generation glued to the couch or monitor. There is such a lack of motivation to do anything else but sit and game all day and night. The lackadaisical attitude goes hand in hand with a poor diet and missing, sometimes altogether, physical exercise.  Then, the lack of exercise and poor nutrition lead to a multitude of physical illnesses such as diabetes type 2, obesity, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder(COPD), congestive heart failure(CGF). These previously mentioned ailments are just the biomechanical issues, what about the mental and emotional issues that are becoming more prevalent in these gamers; they are becoming rapidly more anti social. Look at the high rate of growth in online dating and dating from chat rooms. This is taken from Articlebase online “Online dating is more popular than it has ever been, and the numbers are growing. The number of people signing up for free dating sites is growing, and the number of marriages attributed to online dating with it. In 2008, over 100,000 marriages were credited to free dating sites, that is a lot of people who have found love online! Recent statistics show that over 30% of all Americans have either used an internet dating site or know someone who has. There are over 300 million people in the United States, That means over 90 million people have dove into the world of online dating!”

            That’s great that so many people are making that “connection” online, but where are their social skills? Gone! According to enrichment journal on the divorce rate in America:
“The divorce rate in America for first marriage is 41%, the divorce rate in America for second marriage is 60%, the divorce rate in America for third marriage is 73%.”

                All in all, I can see where there are a multitude of gamers that are responsible and do have jobs, relationships and are positive members of their society. I feel the breakdown is in some gamers inability to manage to have an equal balance in their lives and they would benefit greatly from becoming unplugged for a while.

5. 13-Year-Old Murders Woman for Subscription Money

In 2007, A 13-year-old boy named Dinh The Dan killed an 81-year-old woman and stole her money in order to fund an online gaming addiction. Vietnamese police report that Dan strangled the woman with a piece of rope, then buried her in a pile of sand in front of his house. Owing to his age, he was not sent to prison, but to a reeducation camp from which he will be released after good behavior.

4. Man Kills Toddler Over Broken Xbox

Tyrone Spellman, 27, played long hours on his Xbox. So, when his 17-month-old daughter pulled on some cords and tipped the Xbox to the ground, breaking it, he become completely enraged. He struck her with such force that it “cracked her skull several times.” The autopsy, too, revealed a broken arm that was at least two weeks old which social workers had failed to identify previously.

3. Daniel Petric Kills Mother Over Halo 3

After his mother and father took Halo 3 away from him, Daniel Petric, 17, unlocked the safe in which they’d hidden it. Also in the safe was a 9mm pistol. He then took the game and the pistol to his parent’s room, asked them to close their eyes because he had a surprise for them, and shot them both in the head. The father survived with critical injuries, but his mother died instantly.

2. Toddler Beaten to Death with Game Controller

Darisabel Baez, the 2-year-old daughter to 19-year-old Neida E. Baez, was beaten to death with a video game controller by Neida’s then boyfriend, Harve L. Johnson, in April of last year. Bizarrely, the girl was brought to her mother unconscious and soaking wet because Howard had tried to revive her in the bathtub. He refused to tell police his reason for beating the girl.

1. GTA-Inspired Cop Killing

There is little doubt that Devin Moore’s cop-killing spree and subsequent theft of a police cruiser were inspired by the ultraviolent video game series Grand Theft Auto. Moore took one gun from an officer, shot three others with it, and fled the station in a police cruiser. Moore was a obsessed with the GTA series of video games, and, once captured, he told police "Life's like a video game. You've got to die sometime."