The case of Daniel Petric, the "Halo Killer' again brings up the question: are your kids at risk for video game-induced rage? Photo Credit: AP
Daniel Petric, the now 17-year-old in question, recently got 23 years to life for killing his mother (his father survived his wounds) and claimed insanity at his trial. An obsession with the sci-fi shooter game Halo 3 supposedly kept Daniel in his room playing the game for up to 18 hours a day -- and he began to confuse the land of Halo with that of reality.
Originally, Daniel said his father, Mark Petric, shot his mother and then turned the gun on himself. But his father survived and told police the truth. A local pastor in Wellington, Ohio, Mark has since forgiven his son and even testified on his behalf at his trial.
Another instance of a teenager flying into a rage after being deprived of a video game took place in 2006, in Arkansas. After grounding her grandson, Allen Gann, from playing games the night before for not doing his chores, he sat down and played a full day's worth, including Resident Evil, Smackdown vs. Raw and Midnight Club 2.
When she reminded him of the punishment, the 17-year-old flew into a rage, choking her and later, throwing a hammer at a state trooper. The teenager was then shot by the trooper in the leg and charged as an adult with aggravated assault. Not a pretty picture.
Add to this that the Washington DC sniper, Lee Boyd Malvo, played Halo regularly and the Columbine shooters were huge Doom fans, and you're left with an idea that violent games may lead to violent behavior in certain children.
Video Game Rage in the News
In this infamous case, 18-year-old Devin Moore says he went on a killing spree inspired by Grand Theft Auto.
Source: CBS News/60 Minutes
A thirteen-year-old boy stabs his 16-year-old brother in the chest after an alleged argument over who would play next.
Source: Kotaku
A Navy man kills a fellow sailor while playing a video game.
Source: Fox News
An in-game rivalry continues in a real-life brawl. One of the players was so badly beaten that he died from his injuries. The story also says that another Moscow man was beaten to death in a similar situation and a 20-year-old gamer killed his grandmother when she said it was time to eat dinner.
Source: GameSpot
A matter of weeks ago, a PC gamer in Shanghai was murdered after an argument about a virtual weapon in the game. The victim was sleeping when the murderer broke in and stabbed him to death.
Source: China Daily
So how do you make sure your kids keep their rage in check while playing their favorite video games? In a world obsessed with electronics—it may be tougher than you think. Cell phones, computers and video games occupy a huge place in our children's worlds and though we all had experience with some sort of technology growing up, none of us are equipped to understand exactly how it is affecting the next generation. In other words, it's lost in translation.
So, in addition to trying to understand how your child is living through this new, connected world, you may want to try to take things in moderation. If you want to cut down on game time, limit time gradually and check out a few handy tools, taken from Microsoft's GetGameSmart.org site, such a polls like Do You Know Your Gamers, the ability to download a pact that spells out the rules for all digital entertainment, and print out checklists that let parents track their kid's digital footprints.
Web site mothernature.com says addiction to video games is more common than we'd like to think, and could be a sign that something else might be wrong with your child. It could very well be an escape from problems at home or at school. A family counselor or therapist may not be a bad idea if video game habits change suddenly.
If your child has a problem listening to you when you suggest cutting down on gaming time, Steven Silvern, Ph.D., suggests a few tips. These include developing an incentive system, scheduling "reality" break times to discuss what's going on in the house with a family member or friend, make gaming a social occasion rather than letting your child play for hours alone and even playing games with your kids so you can share their experiences.
As you can see in these viral videos, some children behave like toddlers when their gaming privileges are taken away or managed. Nobody wants to see this from someone they love, so be aware, be vigilant and be sure to impose rules that the whole family can abide by.
Reader Comments (519)
to me, it's the parents fault because these kids are in their late teens and they are playing video games non-stop, the parents shoulda taken care of it a LONG time ago.
most of the time the parent says "pick something out and lets get going."or it's is that what you want,fine.lets pay for it and get going." the ESRB is a great idea BUT the parents have to pay more attention to the games the kids are playing and they have to STOP buying the M rated games for the children.
well...the videogame industry is trying...there's a rating system...i've worked in retail for almost 10 years and i've never once had a parent check it....or know what it was when i mentioned it...what the hell do they want? a few have refused to buy the game when i point it out...leaving kids who i'm sure hate me...lol.
There has been no definative correlation that playing violent video games creates violent kids. - http://culturalpolicy.uchicago.edu/conf2001/papers/goldstein.html and more recently in the Christian Science Monitor - http://features.csmonitor.com/innovation/2008/06/02/violent-video-games-%E2%80%93-the-myths-and-the-facts/. Stating that because these unhinged children played violent video games made them kill is like saying because you own a car you've caused car crashes. Get your facts straight, otherwise you'll sound like that nutjob Jack Thompson who finally was disbarred for his lawsuit antics against the video game industry and RockStar/Take Two in particular.
Here's a thought-- people who are violent play violent video games. I'm not saying this is true for everyone, but maybe the kids who go out and shoot their parents over video games would have done the same thing regardless of what they were playing. And ultimately, everyone has a choice of what they do. These kids had the choice not to be violent but they chose to be anyway.
Okay, this is just an excuse to blame a nutjob's behavior on SOMETHING. Someone will always find something to blame it on other than the fact that the person is just unstable to begin with, and ANYTHING could have set them off. I am a 48-yr old woman who happens to be a gamer. My husband (who I met while playing Halo 2) is a gamer. I have 4 adult children who are all gamers. We all are decent, productive people with full-time jobs. 2 of my sons are in the military...one in the Marines, one in the Army. My point is, ANYTHING can set off a mentally or emotionally unstable person, and I don't appreciate video games being blamed for psychotic behavior. It has to do with 2 factors...1, the biological make-up of the person, coupled with 2, the way they are dealt with, raised, and or the things that the person has do put up with on a daily basis.
Girlyface132 Did you know that history shows when society as a whole believes in God, follows the bible and keeps itself in check admonishing one another, there is no need for the state to surveil the people. No, what happens is the people keep the state in check! Did you know that what marxists figured out was if they could make it appear wrong for society to admonish one another and keep themselves in check then they could come in and cry that the state needs to do it for us? The reason the family is so alienated is government, corporations and media have so steathly and purposely worked to put themselves between the parent and the child that the family does not know what hit them. I think some of this is apparent to you, I encourage you to read about transformational marxism.
Once again, this article only has some of the facts right. Yes, SOME kids do have these issues, and every parent should watch their children for the warning signs. However, not all children are prone to these issues. And generally, these kids who do have the problems, have an underlying problem, like ADHD. My 9 year old son has ADHD, and he has been prone to tantrums when asked to stop playing. We have found several ways to avoid this, and they all seem to work. Talking to him extensivly before he plays about his time limits, and how he needs to react when asked to stop helps. Also, limiting his time from the start, giving him a specific ending time makes a big difference as well. The bottom line is that it is not the video game. My son can get just as upset when playing MarioKart as he can with anything else. As far as violent games go, I am a staunch supporter of the rating system, and think retailers and parents need to enforce the ratings more strictly. As video games have evolved, they have become something for all ages. Many games, such as Halo, are mature rated, and meant for adult gamers, not children. The main thing here is that parents need to be active parents and really monitor what their children are doing and playing. I was an avid Doom player in High school....for me it was more about getting my real life frustrations out through the video game, rather than causing me to take out my video game frustrations in real life. I still play things like Halo, Splinter Cell, and Rainbow Six....and my son knows he is not to play those games, and I only play them when he is in bed or not at home.
When government advisors are telling police that "the community of interest generated by crime, disorder and fear of crime becomes the goal to allow community policing officer an entre into the geographic community," it appears that government wants more crime.
I am a 19 year old girl, I've played many video games, and I am a perfectly good and sane person. I'm not even violent. For those people who say that anyone who plays video games will be violent is stupid. I've seen comments posted here that say it causes the deterioration of family connections, morals, ethics and the like. I can say that video games are not the cause. I play only as a stress reliever and when I begin to get "snappy and impatient" I am mature enough to put the game down and do something else such as knitting or something constructive. When it comes to family connections deteriorating, yes, video games do take away from "family time". Although, has anyone ever asked or tried to figure out why the child doesn't want to engage in spending time with their parents? My brother and I personally don't enjoy spending time with our mother because all she ever does is yell about inane things (2-3 dishes in the sink, making too much noise when we're tiptoing through the house, etc.) So, parents, why don't your children want to spend time with you? Do you ever try to spend time with them? When it comes to morals and ethics, that is a parents' job. Parents need to teach their children right and wrong and ethical behavior. Leaving it to electronics will not get a child anywhere. It seems more and more people these days are leaving a television set as a babysitter instead of taking responsibility for their children. Apparently the parents that brag about how great they are as parents are simply empty vessels... They aren't really great at all. About the 6 year old I heard about: That child shouldn't have been playing the game in the first place. It's rated "M" for a reason. "M" means it's for mature people only. At that age, a child doesn't immediately know what's alright to do in real life and what's not ok to do. People seriously need to pay attention to that little rating system if they're so worried about what their children play. If the child wants a game like that and they cry you might ask? So what, let them cry. People can't have everything they want. A lot of violence is probably caused by an overactive amygdala (the part of the brain that controls fear and aggression). If video games were the sole cause, wouldn't we hear about more instances instead of just a handful?