Missing boy could have been ‘lured by gamers,’ claims report

Yesterday we talked about a missing Ontario boy who ran away from home after being banned from Call of Duty 4 by his parents. Today, a report is claiming that the parents fear he was “lured by gamers,” which has to be one of the most ridiculous headline claims I’ve seen yet.

“I’m worried he has met someone online through this game. It could be organized crime or someone involved in Internet gambling. Pedophiles can stalk kids through these games,” the tormented father said in an interview last night.

Brandon ran away from home in north Barrie nine days ago and has not been seen or heard from since. He left home following a dispute with his parents over the Xbox online war game, Call of Duty 4, which he spent countless hours and days playing over the last 18 months.

“I told him he wouldn’t be getting his Xbox back. He said, ‘Then I’m going to leave home.'”

Steve called his son’s bluff and even helped him pack his knapsack.

I’d just like to make it clear that if Brandon was lured away, then he was not lured away by “gamers.” What an awful thing to say. He was lured away by scumbags using games to pick up children. Not gamers.  

I really hope this latest incident is not going to be used by the media to portray gamers as kid-hungry pervoids who stalk Xbox Live for children. Judging by the focus on Brandon’s “obsession” with CoD (and really, he’s a friggin’ kid; all kids are obsessed with stuff), I think this is going to be yet another sh*tstorm attack on gaming.