A 12-year-old Bangkok boy leapt to his death from a sixth floor veranda after his parents decided to ban him from videogames. The boy was an avid gamer, and it was deemed that his addiction was too much to handle. Apparently, he didn't take too kindly to going cold turkey and chose death over a life without games. Kids, eh?
Police found that the boy had used his mobile phone to send several complaints to friends via mail. He even foretold of the suicide by stating, "Tomorrow is my last day." The suicide took place at the boy's school, where he is reported to have arrived normally without any sign of trouble. That is, until he placed his bag on his desk, headed to the veranda with a grim expression on his face, and then jumped.
Amazingly, Thailand's Ministry of Health has shown no sympathy to the parents, instead choosing to criticize the way they disciplined their child. "For children addicted to gaming, the most effective approach is not to ban games but to regulate the time spent gaming," explained the government entity. I'm sure that the grieving family really appreciates the advice.
It's not known what games the boy had been playing. It probably wasn't Velvet Assassin.
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
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Contest:
9:40 AM on 05.22.2009
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I'm going cold Turkey from a couple of my addictions, (Tobacco and Cannabis) well not quite cold turkey, but drastic cut downage. If I had to go through this, without my daily relapses, in my teenage years, when i was quite an unstable person, i wouldn't be surprised had i done something similar.
Sure games aren't chemically addictive but it's the same principle.
The poor kid, sure it's not his parents "fault" persay, but they really FAILED at understanding and supporting their son.
I do feel bad for the parents/family though... for a parent, losing a child has to be one of the hardest things ever. My brother attempted suicide last year and seeing my parent go through that hell was insanely heartwrenching.
Aaaaaand Most Indecent Example of a Human Being goes to...
I can understand cold turkey could be bad if your kid is addicted to heroin and has a chemical dependency, but video games?
I don't blame the parents in this at all, but there were definitely other issues going on with this kid.
But I do kinda wonder what games that kid was into...
Maybe he was in to the 'Beijing Olympics 2008' on PC and liked the high diving event? (maybe he had an irrational fear of water too in real life).
9.0
Does stupidity count?
Jim, you need to get out of the blogging business and go do some right proper journalism where it's needed most.
Games can be a chemical dependancy in a roundabout fashion I think. When you play games generally you are having fun which releases endorphins in your brain. You can become overly reliant on endorphins which would transform games into a chemical depdancy.
What I mean is I think the Thailand government isn't wrong. Gaming is not a physical addiction, as many claim it to be, but a mental addiction. What is more depressing, that some kid killed himself after having his video games taken away or that video games became so important to the kid in the first place?
My personal belief is that the latter is what is sad. Video game addiction is continually pawned off and the industry is blamed, when any other addiction is typically handled differently.
Why play video games so hardcore? Well, why do people feel the need to take substances to get high? The drugs themselves are not evil, but there is an inherent desire for people to change their state of mind, so they use them. I don't believe it is much different from video games. I know plenty of people who were loved and raised in the stereotypical family sitcom environment and they don't play games. I know plenty of people who grew up in a broken home and their only escape from that reality was to immerse themselves in video games.
Now I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this kid's life could have been less than ideal, and perhaps video games were all that he knew with how to cope with his life. Forcibly taking that element away and forcing him to be the real world, one that he didn't want to be in or couldn't deal with, could invoke that extreme reaction. Of course, this is merely speculation on his environment, but if everything was peachy, I don't believe this would have happened.
I think it is about time the world started logically approaching video games and their impact on our lives. Both the positive and negative effects, and causes behind some people's extreme desire to always play them.
What can be done to keep this from happening again? Regulating the games in the household is one way, and is probably the most effective. Make it so that the kid doesn't dump so many hours into it at once and not get addicted. Find something else the kid can do so as to not get addicted.
What do we know of the involvement the parents had in their child's life? =\
I know this is teh internetz and everyone is making fun of everyone, but this little 12 (!) year old boy is dead now, this is the reality, he killed himself.
I don't wanna sound like a little pussy but reading this article and the comments just didn't feel right.
And even I don't feel sad for this boy that died somewhere at the other end of the world, at least I can show some respect.
The blame?
The stupidity of the kid/Bad parenting
The game?
I would guess Mirror's Edge
One thing I agree with is the way the Thai government handled it. Harsh? Yes. Fair? I think so.
If this had happened in the US or let's say, another 1st world country like Germany, Videogames would be the culprit. VG's and their satanic messages of evilness and violence. "First World" nations should learn a little bit from Thailand, which is still viewed as a 3rd or 2nd world country at best.
Just my thoughts.
We're talking about the death of a twelve year old boy and people are making jokes
I'm actually extremely disappointed with the Dtiod community right now, angry even
The community here (save for a few decent people) sucks
I mean, imagine if your younger sibling/friend passed away for whatever reason, and then random people who didnt even know them start hurling abuse and vulgar comments as if the death of 12 year old was a joke
Seriously, you people are worse than the racists on Xbox Live
I know that it was an extremely stupid thing to do, but he was 12 years old, not in the perfect mindset for what they do
Overreacted? Yes
Stupid? yes
Funny? Absoluty NOT
And dont you people even dare commenting back to me saying anything at all like the stupid garbage these other people have been spewing,
There way to little people here who see this for what it is, a dark outlook at what the world is like. Where children do die for no real reason. You people might just be able to save the community
Goodbye.
The community here (save for a few decent people) sucks
I mean, imagine if your younger sibling/friend passed away for whatever reason, and then random people who didnt even know them start hurling abuse and vulgar comments as if the death of 12 year old was a joke
Seriously, you people are worse than the racists on Xbox Live
I know that it was an extremely stupid thing to do, but he was 12 years old, not in the perfect mindset for what they do
Overreacted? Yes
Stupid? yes
Funny? Absoluty NOT
And dont you people even dare commenting back to me saying anything at all like the stupid garbage these other people have been spewing,
There way to little people here who see this for what it is, a dark outlook at what the world is like. Where children do die for no real reason. You people might just be able to save the community
Goodbye.
Your attitudes are precisely the reason nobody will ever respect gaming beyond the domain of the man-child.
Oh I geuss that because 'The world is dark place' we can have a laugh at the death of a child right?
Shut up.
It's a shame trgedies like this aren't exactly uncommon, especially in countries like China and Korea for some reason.
Haha, pretty much. You think every life is sacred? Do you mourn the death of a rose? Or perhaps a weed? Don't be so anthropocentric. The death of a human being is no more significant than the death of a knat, in reality.
I know what it's like to have people close to me die and you know what, I can still take a joke about it because shit happens. Eventually life ends and, by the sounds of it, you're just in denial.
Suffering in life is far worse than the peace that death brings.
How illogical. "Suffering in life is far worse than the peace that death brings." Let's say that this statement is true. Then is it possible that the parents of this kid maybe torn up over his death. This is their suffering in life.
Death does not bring peace at all. What a stupid thing to say.
"Suffering in life is far worse than the peace that death brings". Unless the kid was a terminal cancer patient or suffering from an incurable, painful disease, that phrase is garbage. Life is full of joy and meaning, FOR THOSE WHO LOOK FOR IT. I'm not talking about God or Religion or any of that bollocks - I'm talking about genuinely loving someone, taking pride in one's work, understand how the world works, and deciding to make something of one's life.
Suicide is a terrible thing, especially over something as stupid as video games. The Kid was 12, so he should have been smart enough to realize that video-games are not everything. Unfortunately, he did not. His parents are probably to blame for that, but the Kid also deserves to bear responsibility for his own death - at the age of 12, he should have known better.
Nihlism is the saddest thing in the world. It's the cowards way out. Yes the universe might not have meaning, yes I don't think there is a god, yes humanity is capable of evil. But to those who say that humanity is only evil - look into your own heart. Can you only see evil there? Only evil people can think all of humanity is worthless, because they only see worthlessness in themselves. If a human is good, if a human has the ability to be KIND and DECENT, even if only for a moment, they would recognize that humanity is capable of wonderful things. To those who say that humanity is only bad - I have the best counter-argument. Myself. I know myself to be capable of being kind. I know myself to be capable of being good, and other good people know that about themselves as WELL.
The Nihlist is a truly sad, truly wretched creature. Unable to find good in himself or herself, they must then pass judgement down on every other human being alive, every other life. They are unable to find meaning and joy in life, so they feel that no one else can. And that's pathetic.
Are you sieriously comparing stepping on a flower to the suicide of a twelve year old boy?
You've got no right to mock what has happened to him, and if you like to make jokes about people close to you dying. Its fine if its light hearted banter about a friend, but this kind of garbage being spewed about some child you dont know
I'm not in denial, I just have more respect than you seem to have.