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)
Why do people always want to blame video games when an unstable person goes and commits a violent act? It shouldn't be the video games people are looking at, it's the reasons behind such a person getting addicted to the game and playing so long, it could be because of something mental. Video games can be a great release for frustration, but most gamers can distinguish the fact that it's just a game. It's the ones that don't that obviously need some help.
just like in the 80's. except the so called experts blamed violent acts on kids playing dungen&dragons. i've played d&d many years and never killed anybody except inthe game.99.9% of people do not confuse role playing games or video games for real life.
First of all, anyone who would kill or hurt another because o*****ame already has issues in the first place. That may be what draws them to these violent games. Not the other way around. If parents are weak enough to allow their kids to become so involved in the games in the first place, then they shouldn't have kids. There is also a rating system in place on games, if you don't want your kids to play the more violent ones then read the warnings and just don't buy it for them. This all comes down to parents not taking a more active role in the lives of their children. Society needs to stop pointing fingers at easy targets and look at the root of the problem.
parents dont jump to a dumb conclusion of this story until you read the opimions of the gaming community because we fell that everyone uses games as a way to disregard the underlying causes of someones actions so here is the link http://www.mlgpro.com/forum/showthread.php?t=256680 copy and paste it on your search bar so you can realize that this story just doesnt want to call this kid a spycho retard
Ok, I think it's the person themselves, not the video game, they are not being influenced by it it in any way. The majority of gamers do not have outbreaks like this. Even pro gamers do not act so violently when they lose, or their gametime is affected. Being a competitive gamer myself, a find it almost offensive when people say stuff like this. I say the game has no influence simply because if it did, wouldn't there be more than just 3 or 4 of these outbreaks? Sure, it is the game that they want, and through an odd and indirect way, the game leads to the addiction, which RARELY leads to violence. The gamer could have anger management issues, maybe its a 'wrong place , wrong time' for them. (Like maybe a good friend died, so it causes mental stress, then their parents take away their favorite game, so they get angry). Next time you write an article, don't make the game sound like some terrible, God-awful, brainwashing device. By the way, i totally agree pitbull7177 and riceburnert3
The very simple solution is to not let your children play these games. I have a son who is now 19 and the only video games he was allowed to play were sports games. Not to say he didn't play the occasional game at a friends house, but we never allowed them in our house. What possible good could come out of hours and hours of playing violent games? It's the parents responsibility to get control of their kids, and tell them "NO"!!!
Its not the video games. My son plays America's Army and some other shooter games. He is 14 and just got his black belt in martial arts. He is actually afraid to fight with anyone in real life for fear he may seriously hurt or even kill someone by using his techniques to strongly by mistake. But if he ever had to defend his life, I'm sure he could. I think the video games may be a way for him to take out his angst without hurting anyone. I still limit his time. He is active physically and socially and quits playing the games on his own most of the time. When he sees the real life videos of how they torture animals in slaughter houses, he truly is upset by that. He has a kind heart. So parents, keep an eye on what games your kids are playing. Limit their time; even if they don't like it. And keep them rooted in reality. It's your job! Take your job seriously!
Parents need to step up and get with it.
Some people have obsessive personalities, and... sometimes it's so severe that they just snap when the object of their obsession is denied them.
It's not the Videos games fault! It's the damn parents! You can get addicted to about anything, people KILL for drugs, so why would it be any different if people KILLED for video games. Also, what decent parents would let their kid spend a hole day on Xbox? People need to stop making excuses from poor parenting and addiction.