Major News site blames Brandon Crisp's death on video games...

Man, I thought this story would've disappeared by now. Kotaku report this news channel on how it makes story on pro gaming, and how it is tied with the death of Brandon Crisp, who ran away from home once his parents took away his 360. Apparently this just aired yesterday...I guess I'll watch it right now and see what these guys get wrong.

Always easier to look at the scape goat rather than the actual source.

And you're saying it ISN'T because of computer games? The 360 was taken for a reason, and the kid, who wasn't used to this, ran away. Of course, the parents may have coddled him too much in regards to computer games, maybe, but I have a shipload of games but can survive without them. The kid had become addicted to gaming. At least games areone of the culprits. However, only the games are to blame in the hands of the kid. Games in themselves are not to blame. In that regard, I agree that that is false. Finally, I offer my condolescences to the family, and sorry if any of this is mean. I really don't mean it to be mean.

Call of Duty? For a 15 year old? That's plain irresponsible.

Call of Duty? For a 15 year old? That's plain irresponsible.

allie2590

[QUOTE="allie2590"]

Call of Duty? For a 15 year old? That's plain irresponsible.

viewtiful26

His parents didn't stop him because they thought he was bluffing. They probably thought he would just come back after a couple minutes, or maybe an hour. When they realised he wasn't bluffing, it was too late.

I agree with the scape goat comment, and I believe some people should not have kids, plain and simple. When something tragic does happen, parents and the media lash out and start pointing the finger at everything that influenced the child (music, video games, TV, etc...) , when bad parenting is clearly to blame. Parents need to start educating their children, teaching them right from wrong, teaching them a sense of responsibility, and that every action has a reaction, they need to start interacting with them, and knowing what is going on in their lives, you know....BE their parents. It blows my mind when I hear about all these kids who are so out of touch with reality, like the Halo Killer (link below), come on people what is going on!!!! http://www.gamespot.com/news/blogs/sidebar/909182374/26745240/so-called-halo-3-killer-convicted-of-murdering-mom.html10thwonder

Why does someone ALWAYS have to be blamed?

Call of Duty? For a 15 year old? That's plain irresponsible.

allie2590

How? At 15 you're not a little kid, you can handle violence and the kind of talk that goes on in xbox live (hell, the 12-15 year old age group are the ones spouting the vast majority of all the crap that gets said on XBL). Sure, 15 is two years younger than the recommended age for an M rated title, but I personally don't think that a teen is so young that they'll have trouble grasping what they're experiencing as they play an FPS like COD4. If the game was bought for an 8 year old, then yeah, that's probably a bit irresponsible. But for a high schooler? Come on.

Anyway, I tried watching the clip but had to resist the urge to facepalm the second that woman started talking in that ultra-serious sympathetic/worried voice.

Video games didn't cause this to happen, the kid sounds like he was really immature and spoiled. The parents are partly to blame as well considering the fact that they let the kid run away.

[QUOTE="allie2590"]

Call of Duty? For a 15 year old? That's plain irresponsible.

gameguy6700

How? At 15 you're not a little kid, you can handle violence and the kind of talk that goes on in xbox live (hell, the 12-15 year old age group are the ones spouting the vast majority of all the crap that gets said on XBL). Sure, 15 is two years younger than the recommended age for an M rated title, but I personally don't think that a teen is so young that they'll have trouble grasping what they're experiencing as they play an FPS like COD4. If the game was bought for an 8 year old, then yeah, that's probably a bit irresponsible. But for a high schooler? Come on.

Anyway, I tried watching the clip but had to resist the urge to facepalm the second that woman started talking in that ultra-serious sympathetic/worried voice.

Video games didn't cause this to happen, the kid sounds like he was really immature and spoiled. The parents are partly to blame as well considering the fact that they let the kid run away.

Then why don't they sell M-rated games to just any teen who walks in the store?

allie2590 Because kids are impressionable. Granted there may be the case where mental illness is the main factor in some tragic event, in which case no one is to blame, but I was simply pointing out that parents nowadays may not be paying as close attention to what is going on in their kids' lives or may not know what things are important to their kids, it seems that line of communication between parents and their kids is not as present nowadays, for example, when I was younger I wanted to be like Mario, and my twin brother wanted to be Luigi, and we told our parents we wanted to go jump down into a storm drain to go to the second level, and my parents told us it was a bad idea, so we didn't do it....10thwonder

That has nothing to do with the video. The kid was addicted to the game and ran away when it was taken away from him. He didn't shoot anyone. The kid probably had an addictive personality, and that doesn't have to be anyone's fault.

Didn't his parents help him pack? This is just bad parenting, if it was due to video games we would see more cases like this.........

The way they issue framed the situation makes me sick. A kid ran away because of video games? I'm thinking there has to be something else other than video games. The fact that they took it away was probably just the catalyst or the just the event to push him to run away. The whole time I watched the video, all I could think of was Fox News with Mass Effect. Just makes me feel sick that people can really put their sights on videogames as if they're drugs.

If a billion people play video games, and one person runs away from home then it's not video games to blame. It's parenting.

I changed the channel when this came on last night. I've come to expect the media listening to crackpots and failing to understand anything about video games or video game violence.

Here's an article that Jensonb wrote about that Fifth Estate piece. It's a good read and I recommend you check it out.

I agree with allie and 10thwonder. Whenever something bad happens everyone scrambles around for something to blame. It wasn't just the kids fault, it wasn't just the parents, and it wasn't just video games. It's not important. What is important is that the poor kid died. He'll never be able to grow up, have kids, live the rest of his life. Brandon Crisp died cold and alone, and all anyone can think about is who's fault it is.

I changed the channel when this came on last night. I've come to expect the media listening to crackpots and failing to understand anything about video games or video game violence.

Here's an article that Jensonb wrote about that Fifth Estate piece. It's a good read and I recommend you check it out.

LordAndrew

[QUOTE="LordAndrew"]

I changed the channel when this came on last night. I've come to expect the media listening to crackpots and failing to understand anything about video games or video game violence.

Here's an article that Jensonb wrote about that Fifth Estate piece. It's a good read and I recommend you check it out.

Thordain0011

Call of Duty? For a 15 year old? That's plain irresponsible.

allie2590

How so? The gore is minimal and if you haven't heard the F-Bomb by the age of 15 (I was hearing the second I stepped into Middle School at the age of 11) you have a problem.

[QUOTE="gameguy6700"]

[QUOTE="allie2590"]

Call of Duty? For a 15 year old? That's plain irresponsible.

allie2590

How? At 15 you're not a little kid, you can handle violence and the kind of talk that goes on in xbox live (hell, the 12-15 year old age group are the ones spouting the vast majority of all the crap that gets said on XBL). Sure, 15 is two years younger than the recommended age for an M rated title, but I personally don't think that a teen is so young that they'll have trouble grasping what they're experiencing as they play an FPS like COD4. If the game was bought for an 8 year old, then yeah, that's probably a bit irresponsible. But for a high schooler? Come on.

Anyway, I tried watching the clip but had to resist the urge to facepalm the second that woman started talking in that ultra-serious sympathetic/worried voice.

Video games didn't cause this to happen, the kid sounds like he was really immature and spoiled. The parents are partly to blame as well considering the fact that they let the kid run away.

Then why don't they sell M-rated games to just any teen who walks in the store?

Because you need to be 17 to legally buy them, but you can play them if your parents give you permision. I've seen R rated movies and played M rated games at the age of 11 and 12 and I turned out perfectly fine.

I changed the channel when this came on last night. I've come to expect the media listening to crackpots and failing to understand anything about video games or video game violence.

Here's an article that Jensonb wrote about that Fifth Estate piece. It's a good read and I recommend you check it out.

LordAndrew

[QUOTE="allie2590"]

Call of Duty? For a 15 year old? That's plain irresponsible.

DarkGamer007

How so? The gore is minimal and if you haven't heard the F-Bomb by the age of 15 (I was hearing the second I stepped into Middle School at the age of 11) you have a problem.

All I got from that is Brandon has some nice sisters! Or whoever those girls are..

[QUOTE="allie2590"]

[QUOTE="gameguy6700"]

How? At 15 you're not a little kid, you can handle violence and the kind of talk that goes on in xbox live (hell, the 12-15 year old age group are the ones spouting the vast majority of all the crap that gets said on XBL). Sure, 15 is two years younger than the recommended age for an M rated title, but I personally don't think that a teen is so young that they'll have trouble grasping what they're experiencing as they play an FPS like COD4. If the game was bought for an 8 year old, then yeah, that's probably a bit irresponsible. But for a high schooler? Come on.

Anyway, I tried watching the clip but had to resist the urge to facepalm the second that woman started talking in that ultra-serious sympathetic/worried voice.

Video games didn't cause this to happen, the kid sounds like he was really immature and spoiled. The parents are partly to blame as well considering the fact that they let the kid run away.

DarkGamer007

Then why don't they sell M-rated games to just any teen who walks in the store?

Because you need to be 17 to legally buy them, but you can play them if your parents give you permision. I've seen R rated movies and played M rated games at the age of 11 and 12 and I turned out perfectly fine.

I'm not saying it's going to have a bad effect on everyone, it's just a precaution they take.

[QUOTE="DarkGamer007"]

[QUOTE="allie2590"]

Call of Duty? For a 15 year old? That's plain irresponsible.

viewtiful26

How so? The gore is minimal and if you haven't heard the F-Bomb by the age of 15 (I was hearing the second I stepped into Middle School at the age of 11) you have a problem.

Same here. :lol:

[QUOTE="gameguy6700"]

[QUOTE="allie2590"]

Call of Duty? For a 15 year old? That's plain irresponsible.

allie2590

How? At 15 you're not a little kid, you can handle violence and the kind of talk that goes on in xbox live (hell, the 12-15 year old age group are the ones spouting the vast majority of all the crap that gets said on XBL). Sure, 15 is two years younger than the recommended age for an M rated title, but I personally don't think that a teen is so young that they'll have trouble grasping what they're experiencing as they play an FPS like COD4. If the game was bought for an 8 year old, then yeah, that's probably a bit irresponsible. But for a high schooler? Come on.

Anyway, I tried watching the clip but had to resist the urge to facepalm the second that woman started talking in that ultra-serious sympathetic/worried voice.

Video games didn't cause this to happen, the kid sounds like he was really immature and spoiled. The parents are partly to blame as well considering the fact that they let the kid run away.

Then why don't they sell M-rated games to just any teen who walks in the store?

COD4 is a pretty tame M rated game too. Very little gore or blood, no sex, and while there is cursing but anyone who thinks that's a problem is far too easily offended to be capable of rational thought. The worst thing about the game is the fact that it's an FPS, but just about every kid will be familiar with war, violence, and aggression by the time they're in the teens (hell, probably by the time they're in kindergarten).

What!? The media is blaming video games for the kid's death!? Wow, this is something I'm completely not used to hearing! :shock:

/sarcasm

[QUOTE="allie2590"]

Call of Duty? For a 15 year old? That's plain irresponsible.

gameguy6700

How? At 15 you're not a little kid, you can handle violence and the kind of talk that goes on in xbox live (hell, the 12-15 year old age group are the ones spouting the vast majority of all the crap that gets said on XBL). Sure, 15 is two years younger than the recommended age for an M rated title, but I personally don't think that a teen is so young that they'll have trouble grasping what they're experiencing as they play an FPS like COD4. If the game was bought for an 8 year old, then yeah, that's probably a bit irresponsible. But for a high schooler? Come on.

Some 15-year-olds are not mature enough to handle some games. Personally,I agree with many of the ratings to act as a general rule. My parents allowed me to play such games because they knew that I was mature enough to handle them. We had several conversations, and my parents were always involved in my life. Too many parents don't take the time (or don't care enough) to really get to know their children and whether they can handle the material. If the kid ran away because of having some of his luxury items taken away, it sounds as though he wasn't mature enough.

if only his xbox had rrod'd

Call of Duty? For a 15 year old? That's plain irresponsible.

allie2590

Why? I played Doom when I was 11, and I'm fine.

You know...I still think Brandon's death was an accident. He didn't die because he ran away, he didn't die because he was addicted to video games, and I doubt he committed suicide. He fell from a tree.

viewtiful26

My thoughts exactly. Videogames didn't kill him. He died because he fell from a tree. Did videogames make him climb trees? Is climbing trees in the normal experience of running away from home? He could have climbed a tree and fell out of it in his back yard.

Well they are a contributing factor into his death but not the main reason.

actually i don't think its the problem of the Game or the console or the parents. Its cuz the Kid is tooo obsessed with games. i admit i'm also obsessed wid games by i'll live without them too this kid just had to get himself killed to spoil gaming name......... man my mom's goona kill me if she finds this out lolzzz

THERE IS NO LAW REGARDING THE SALES OF VIDEO GAMES TO MINORS IN THE US

Sorry, but this comes up in every thread like this and it is irritating. Every law that is passed to stop sales of M-rated games to kids is struck down by the courts as unconstitutional. When a store asks you for an ID it is because they half believe the sorta stuff this thread is about. There really is no point to that policy either as all consoles have built in parental controls anyway.

THERE IS NO LAW REGARDING THE SALES OF VIDEO GAMES TO MINORS IN THE US

Sorry, but this comes up in every thread like this and it is irritating. Every law that is passed to stop sales of M-rated games to kids is struck down by the courts as unconstitutional. When a store asks you for an ID it is because they half believe the sorta stuff this thread is about. There really is no point to that policy either as all consoles have built in parental controls anyway.

I agree with some that it's not very smart letting a 15-year old play Call of Duty. Even though it doesn't affect everyone, it does effect SOME people. Gaming was definitely a factor here, it's impossible to deny. You can compare this to saying a gun is responsible for a shooting. The gun itself is not exactly to blame, though it played an important part in it. Really, it's the kid. A kid shouldn't just run away if he's pissed off. It would be the parent's fault if he were a few years younger, but he was 15-years old! Running away is a obviously stupid choice at that point.

When a store asks you for an ID it is because they half believe the sorta stuff this thread is about.

AtomicTangerine

[QUOTE="AtomicTangerine"]

When a store asks you for an ID it is because they half believe the sorta stuff this thread is about.

Skylock00

Yeah, that's actually a better way of saying what I meant. I still don't think stores should card you when you buy video games, but we do live in America and it is way too easy to get 6 out of 12 of us to believe anything.

Yeah, that's actually a better way of saying what I meant. I still don't think stores should card you when you buy video games, but we do live in America and it is way too easy to get 6 out of 12 of us to believe anything.

AtomicTangerine

What does our nationality have to do with anything? It's the same as carding for movies, basically.

Just Media propaganda has to blame gaming again. and it really makes me mad to see them try to make the people who make games the bad guy. Sad to hear about a kid dying but the blood is not on the developers hands. Why not make an antie running away news cast instead of this wast of time?

[QUOTE="gameguy6700"]

[QUOTE="allie2590"]

Call of Duty? For a 15 year old? That's plain irresponsible.

muthsera666

How? At 15 you're not a little kid, you can handle violence and the kind of talk that goes on in xbox live (hell, the 12-15 year old age group are the ones spouting the vast majority of all the crap that gets said on XBL). Sure, 15 is two years younger than the recommended age for an M rated title, but I personally don't think that a teen is so young that they'll have trouble grasping what they're experiencing as they play an FPS like COD4. If the game was bought for an 8 year old, then yeah, that's probably a bit irresponsible. But for a high schooler? Come on.

Some 15-year-olds are not mature enough to handle some games. Personally,I agree with many of the ratings to act as a general rule. My parents allowed me to play such games because they knew that I was mature enough to handle them. We had several conversations, and my parents were always involved in my life. Too many parents don't take the time (or don't care enough) to really get to know their children and whether they can handle the material. If the kid ran away because of having some of his luxury items taken away, it sounds as though he wasn't mature enough.

You read my mind.

[QUOTE="AtomicTangerine"]

Yeah, that's actually a better way of saying what I meant. I still don't think stores should card you when you buy video games, but we do live in America and it is way too easy to get 6 out of 12 of us to believe anything.

muthsera666

What does our nationality have to do with anything? It's the same as carding for movies, basically.

I should have been more clear. I am talking about civil suits and such. You only have to get a simple majority to win (actually 7, not 6 like I said), and since they often include punitive damages, the sums can get astronomical. Basically, if a store sold a kid a game and then that kid said a game made him commit a crime, you would only have to convince 7 out of 12 on the jury that the game made him do something. If you pay attention to the media at all, they already think video games are a terrible evil and such, so that probably wouldn't be much work.

[QUOTE="muthsera666"]

[QUOTE="AtomicTangerine"]

Yeah, that's actually a better way of saying what I meant. I still don't think stores should card you when you buy video games, but we do live in America and it is way too easy to get 6 out of 12 of us to believe anything.

What does our nationality have to do with anything? It's the same as carding for movies, basically.

I should have been more clear. I am talking about civil suits and such. You only have to get a simple majority to win (actually 7, not 6 like I said), and since they often include punitive damages, the sums can get astronomical. Basically, if a store sold a kid a game and then that kid said a game made him commit a crime, you would only have to convince 7 out of 12 on the jury that the game made him do something. If you pay attention to the media at all, they already think video games are a terrible evil and such, so that probably wouldn't be much work.

Not sure if this has been posted before, but this is old news (October '08, I think?)

Some 15-year-olds are not mature enough to handle some games. Personally,I agree with many of the ratings to act as a general rule. My parents allowed me to play such games because they knew that I was mature enough to handle them. We had several conversations, and my parents were always involved in my life. Too many parents don't take the time (or don't care enough) to really get to know their children and whether they can handle the material. If the kid ran away because of having some of his luxury items taken away, it sounds as though he wasn't mature enough.

muthsera666

You know, I think some kids do that as a means of emotional blackmail. If something is taken away from them, then they will resort to these kinds of measures so as to regain control, and ultimately reobtain what they have lost.