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Teen Gets 23 Years In Jail For Killing His Mom; Judge, AP Blame Video Games

from the should-have-sentenced-the-video-game-then dept

Wed, Jun 17th 2009 8:48am — Mike Masnick

Back in January, we wrote about the murder trial of teenager Daniel Petric, who had killed his mother and shot and wounded his father. Daniel had attempted to use the ever popular "blame the video game" approach, claiming that he was addicted to the game Halo 3, and when his parents took away the game, he was so addicted that he went and shot them both not believing that death was permanent. Luckily, the judge rejected that ridiculous argument, though still did seem to question video games. Of course, there was significant additional evidence, including details that Daniel had planned for weeks beforehand to kill his parents, suggesting this had a lot more to do with a mentally disturbed teen than with an "addiction to violent video games."

But why let that get in the way of a good story. Mark alerts us to the Associated Press's coverage of Petric's sentencing to 23-years in jail, pointing out how ridiculous the AP's opening sentence is:

A Ohio teen who shot and killed his mother and wounded his minister father was sentenced Tuesday to 23 years in prison for crimes rooted in his obsession with video games with violent themes.

Beyond the grammatical mistake (should be "An" not "A"), it's simply not correct that the crimes were "rooted in his obsession with video games with violent themes." The rest of the article again focuses on Daniel's supposed "addiction," as if that's the cause of his actions. Part of it is that the judge seemed to buy into this story as well, claiming:

It's my firm belief that after a while the same physiological responses occur that occur in the ingestion of some drugs. And I believe that an addiction to these games can do the same thing...

The other dangerous thing about these games, in my opinion, is that when these changes occur, they occur in an environment that is delusional. Because you can shoot these aliens, and they're there again the next day. You have to shoot them again. And I firmly believe that Daniel Petric had no idea, at the time he hatched this plot, that if he killed his parents, they would be dead forever.

Now, it may be that Petric had no idea they'd be dead forever, but that wouldn't be because of video games. It would be because of some sort of severe mental problem on his part. Study after study after study has shown that teens can tell reality from fiction. On top of that, as violent video games have become more popular, incidents of youth violence have continued to drop. If video games were really having such an impact, it would be the reverse. Petric was obviously a very disturbed teen, and yes, he played violent video games (just like nearly every other kid his age, I'd imagine), but it's ridiculous to blame his decision to murder his parents on those games. He'll now be locked up for decades, not because of any video game, but because of his own disturbed decision to shoot his parents.

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Filed Under: murder, video games, violence

67 Comments

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zellamayzao, 17 Jun 2009 @ 8:59am

Just goes to show you....
How ridiculous the media is and how they will take any little detail they can (whether true or not) to spin the story in the direction they want people to read it.

Trying to get people to feel sorry for a teen who killed a parent and wounded the other because he was disciplined and had the game taken away but he was so addicted he felt he could kill them and they would "re-spawn"? I dont think so folks.

Ive played violent video games all my life and my father was a police officer with a gun in the house always and if you read my hometown paper there arent any stories in there of me thinking I can just go around and shot people and have them come back because thats how it works in GTA Vice City.

Get over it....he was a disturbed little kid who unfortunately took the life of someone else instead of his own.
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:Lobo Santo (profile), 17 Jun 2009 @ 9:09am

Sensationalism!
It sells newspapers. The truth, on the other hand, may not sell as nearly newspapers.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jun 2009 @ 9:14am

Ummm, they did send the kid to prison.

Kind of snarky pointing out grammer in the original article. Do we really want to go there?
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Valkor, 17 Jun 2009 @ 9:19am

Understanding Death
Parents, buy your kids pets. Any normal kid over the age of five or so who has had to flush a goldfish down the toilet has a rudimentary understanding of death.

Furthermore, this judge seems to have "firm belief[s]" in things not rooted in reality.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jun 2009 @ 9:24am

but if violent video games did not exist then there would have been no crime, therefore violent video games must be to blame.
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Rebel Freek (profile), 17 Jun 2009 @ 9:26am

Re:
"Ummm, they did send the kid to prison."

Yes, but they sent him there because he planned and killed one of his parents, and tried to kill the other. Video games more then likely had nothing to do with any of this(the only thing I could even suggest might have come from games is if he found out where to shoot due to playing the games, like a headshot....).
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jun 2009 @ 9:29am

When I was a kid (before there were video games, mind you), the kid killing his parents had to rely on the old Four Square defense - spending all that time and effort to get to the server's box and then losing it to someone doing tapsies was enough to make you kill your parents...let me tell you!!!
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jun 2009 @ 9:34am

Re: Sensationalism!
It sells newspapers. The truth, on the other hand, may not sell as nearly newspapers.

A better take on this would have been how the parents didn't have control over their child. A minister father?

Seems more of a manipulation by the news organization to suit their particular purposes which are to report on the failure of the family unit, a need for increased government role in people's lives via regulation, and ultimately sell newspapers and (if on television) advertising.

Yay advertising and it's ugly sensationalistic siblings.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jun 2009 @ 9:39am

I am addicted to blogs about murders. Techdirt is directly responsible for my addiction so therefore will be responsible for any murder I commit.

Give me a break.
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Rob, 17 Jun 2009 @ 9:40am

"It's my firm belief that after a while the same physiological responses occur that occur in the ingestion of some drugs. And I believe that an addiction to these games can do the same thing..."

Is anybody else bothered by the fact that this judge is talking about his firm belief in a very specific medical condition? He is entering into the world of science here, which is not a discipline that has any room for belief. Something is either supported by the evidence, or it is not. If it is questionable, you keep testing until you get to the bottom of it.

Study after study has shown that there is no link between video game violence and real world violence. This is what the EVIDENCE says. If you are going to be trampling into the world of science the only thing you need to know is the evidence, belief should not play any part whatsoever. This judge very clearly has no idea how science works, and as such, ought to be keeping his mouth shut on matters such as this. Talk about law all you want, but leave the science to the scientists.
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Dark Helmet (profile), 17 Jun 2009 @ 9:41am

Another sad example
When I was a child, after swallowing several oddly colored mushrooms and flowers in order to grow larger and throw fireballs, I walked into a pet shop and was shocked when they were housing evil turtles there. I pulled said turtles out of their aquarium bases and proceeded to jump on their heads, shouting victoriously as they squished beneath my feet.

As the cops took me away and threw me into the back of their squad car, I shouted "Where's my Goddam Princess, you sons of bitches? I was promised a damn princess!"
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jun 2009 @ 9:49am

Re:
Good point.

So it seems the ruling was based on belief and not scientific method. I wonder if this Judge meddles in other belief systems, like the earth being flat.

He seems to believe that delusional environments exist. Perhaps rulings that come from his courtroom can be seen as delusional to outsiders.
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Robert Fluke (profile), 17 Jun 2009 @ 9:52am

Once again video games blamed, it is sad to see the blame game always being put elsewhere. I am sure the parents had nothing to do it with, environment, etc. Science says 1/2 part of who you are is your heredity and the other 1/2 is your environment. Why listen to scientist, it is just all guess work after all.
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me, 17 Jun 2009 @ 10:04am

Re: Re:
i bet the kid screamed HEAD SHOT!!! when he killed his mom lol
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jun 2009 @ 10:07am

This kid is being blamed for not being able to distinguish fantasy from reality. I think this Judge needs a reality check. It's obvious he is not able to tell the difference either. Take a look in the mirror BITCH!
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jun 2009 @ 10:14am

I would be interested to know if this person was on psychiatric drugs when he did it. Some people suspect that psychiatric drugs increase the chances of violence but the pharmaceutical corporations might hide this. I don't know, just a suggestion.
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Nice try, kid, 17 Jun 2009 @ 10:18am

Fail.
At 23 you know wtf death is. Hell, at 4 yrs old you know that "grandpa's not coming back" when you're at his funeral.

The claim that video games caused this is total bull.

At that age, you grow up with NES and Atari. I highly doubt you have issues separating reality from fiction when you're playing on an 8 bit graphics system in 2d.

It's not like he was born yesterday. If you know death is permanent as a kid, you don't suddenly change your mind when you grow up after playing Halo 3. What a load of garbage.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jun 2009 @ 10:19am

Re:
"This kid is being blamed for not being able to distinguish fantasy from reality."

and I remember reading (I think it was from someone on a message boards who was on them at one time) that psychiatric drugs put people in a "dreamlike" state. Also, naturalnews.com has anecdotal stories where people on psychiatric drugs, who didn't seem violent before being on them, killed someone while taking them. It would be interesting to know if this person was on them.
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Eponymous Coward, AKA Doug (profile), 17 Jun 2009 @ 10:19am

Re: Understanding Death
Better to have it be a dog or cat, truth be told. I grew up in rural America, and lived on a State highway. There is nothig like the sight of a cat or dog lying crushed on the side of the road to hammer home two important lessons:

1)When things die, it isn't pretty, and it is permanent, and
2)Stay the hell off the road, I don't care if your baseball rolled to the other side. Having to help bury the pet helps in both cases.

Seriously, though, who is this Mensan judge that is willing to say crap like this as part of the legal record?
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Dark Helmet (profile), 17 Jun 2009 @ 10:20am

Re: Fail.
....er, the kid isn't AGE 23, he got 23 years in the pen.
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Eponymous Coward, AKA Doug (profile), 17 Jun 2009 @ 10:21am

Re: Re: Re:
Me, if that's not sarcastic, it's probably the most F'ed up thing I've read this week.
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Ummm, 17 Jun 2009 @ 10:23am

Here's the part that kills me (no pun intended):
The kid's not 23, that's how many years he had in jail.

Still I agree with the gist of what you're saying. Violent video games don't cause violent people.
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Cortana, 17 Jun 2009 @ 10:31am

Doesn't it make more sense to blame the minister father and his "born again" beliefs and "eternal life in the kingdom" 'stuff' instead of the shooting aliens defense.
Why didn't the lawyers use this defense? It seems more plausible....except you don't swear to tell the truth on a video game ...
I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, so help me Master Chief.
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Bobby Bobersteeno, 17 Jun 2009 @ 10:32am

real reason
They sentanced him at 23, so that means if it took two years to bring him to court he was in his twenties when he killed his Mother.

The real reason is the kid is a looser. What twenty year old is getting grounded. The father probably got tired of some deadbeat sitting in his chair doing nothign but playing Halo. I mean the MAN could have flipped off his Dad, get a job, get his own place and play Halo to hsi hearts content. The Man/Son probably had some odd idea that they have Halo is Jail(gitmo) or that he would get all his parents had, so he could then play the game and not need to get a job. He knew what he was dfoing. The parents were probably enablers. Look at the Dad now, saying his son regrets it. Yeah he will tell you that, so you will send him stuff and visit him since you survived.

I mean look at it this way, the kid probably would never have succeded, since all he was doign was gaming. He was tired of hearing his dad complain. He tries to kill them, succeeds with one. He will be out is 12 years, 35 years old. Still young, can come back to Dad's, only now Dad will no better that to dog his game.
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Designerfx (profile), 17 Jun 2009 @ 10:32am

we need german law on this one
there's german law that says basically "you can't make fake claims" and holds people liable for them.

Consequently, what do you know? AP would probably be liable for crap like this.
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The Cenobyte, 17 Jun 2009 @ 10:40am

Why is he going to jail then?
If the judge truly believed that this child was unable to distinguish between reality and fantasy and thought his parents would not be harmed by his actions, why is he going to jail?

I thought that we put people that didn't have the mental abilities to distinguish right from wrong into mental facilities? If this kid is this messed up sending him to jail is about as fair as sending someone in a wheelchair to jail for refusing to stand.

P.S. I don't think video games are the cause of any such problem, but it's disturbing to me that a judge would send a kid to jail while saying that he thinks his mental issues caused him to commit a crime.
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Dark Helmet (profile), 17 Jun 2009 @ 10:41am

Re:
"Doesn't it make more sense to blame the minister father and his "born again" beliefs and "eternal life in the kingdom" 'stuff' instead of the shooting aliens defense."

I LOVE that angle.

What do mean my parents are dead? They accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior and the Bible says if they do they would have everlasting life! What the hell?

Belief in Jesus = IDDQD?

If we blame video games we should also, to be fair, be blaming the Bible. Have you seen how VIOLENT that book is?
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stat_insig (profile), 17 Jun 2009 @ 10:49am

Don't be so defensive!
First of all, the video game did play a role in the murder. The kid was obsessed with the video game, parents took it way, he killed them.

Nobody is blaming that the video game is the sole reason for the murder and is calling for a ban.

Let me put it this way. We all know the McD burgers are bad for health. As a free market society we cannot ban the sale of McD burgers, but we can still talk about.

Video games, like many other things, are bad when used excessively. AP is right in suggesting that parents/users should use caution.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jun 2009 @ 10:50am

"Belief in Jesus = IDDQD?" -- Dark Helmet FTW
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Rebel Freek (profile), 17 Jun 2009 @ 10:53am

Re: Another sad example
A few years ago, I would hide in a box waiting for someone to walk by, then I would pop out, strangle them, take their clothes and walk around town acting like one of the normal townsfolk. Then When the police started finding naked bodies they came looking for me. Its amazing how well my box protected me from them finding me till it started raining and my box fell apart...
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jun 2009 @ 10:55am

People these days recognize when the newspapers sensationalize their stories. We ain't buying it anymore. That's obvious as we watch newspaper after newspaper fold. Wake up, get a clue AP, or be prepared tho listen to your funeral dirge.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jun 2009 @ 10:58am

Not just video games
"It's my firm belief that after a while the same physiological responses occur that occur in the ingestion of some drugs."

Sounds like religion to me (and provably has the same effects!)
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Rob, 17 Jun 2009 @ 10:58am

Re: Don't be so defensive!
@stat_insig: You are wrong one two fundamental levels:

#1 --
First of all, the video game did play a role in the murder. The kid was obsessed with the video game, parents took it way, he killed them.

If you actually read the article you would have seen this:

Of course, there was significant additional evidence, including details that Daniel had planned for weeks beforehand to kill his parents, suggesting this had a lot more to do with a mentally disturbed teen than with an "addiction to violent video games."

I don't think anything more needs to be said about that so moving on to:

#2:
Video games, like many other things, are bad when used excessively.

You are stating something which you believe to be true. The studies, however, do not show this whatsoever. Excessive video game usage will obviously harm your physical health (i.e. playing Halo all day instead of going out and getting exercise), but there is NO evidence whatsoever that links violent video games in any amount to real world violent behavior. Before a newspaper (or an idiot commenting on a blog) states something like this as if it were fact, they ought to make sure that it actually is a fact. In this case, it is demonstrably false as study after study has come up negative in this regard.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jun 2009 @ 11:00am

Re: Another sad example
If you had used an overly-exaggerated Italian accent, they probably would have let you off.
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Tom Landry (profile), 17 Jun 2009 @ 11:02am

any Judge who starts out a sentencing hearing with "It's my firm belief" when that "belief" is totally contrary to well known scientific facts should be thrown off the bench.
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anonymous idiot, 17 Jun 2009 @ 11:12am

Re: Understanding Death
I like it when the gold fish bounce off the toilet seat before you flush them.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jun 2009 @ 11:34am

if you quote an article with a mistake in it, usually [sic] is used
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EEJ (profile), 17 Jun 2009 @ 11:38am

Grammar
I believe you might need a refresher on your grammar and the use of "a" vs "an".

In this case, "A Ohio teen" is correct, as he is "a teen". The word Ohio is describing what kind of teen he is, and does not affect the use of "a" vs "an".

It doesn't always sound correct to the ear, because we are trained to use "an" before any words that begin with a vowel, but grammatically it is correct.

Similarly, it should be "an shiny apple", "a ugly dog", and "a old, used, unwashed, useless piece of apple".

Then again, I could be wrong, as it's happened before.
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DJ, 17 Jun 2009 @ 11:41am

Re:
"Kind of snarky pointing out grammer "

Me pointing out that you spelled grammar wrong is snarky.

Commenting on grammatical errors made by a news reporting agency, while beyond the point of Mike's post, isn't snarky. I do believe, however, that he was being a bit cynical on purpose.
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Sean T Henry (profile), 17 Jun 2009 @ 11:44am

Re: Re:
If the court actually believed that he thought killing his mom would not keep her dead then he would have been sentenced to a mental institution.
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DJ, 17 Jun 2009 @ 11:44am

Re: Re: Understanding Death
You CLEARLY didn't read the story about the british kid who flushed his puppy....
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DJ, 17 Jun 2009 @ 11:46am

Re: Here's the part that kills me (no pun intended):
They do if the person is already screwed up in the head; at which point it's STILL NOT the games' fault.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jun 2009 @ 11:47am

Call his bluff
They should have lied to the kid and told him he was going to get the death penalty. If he shrugged it off, then maybe he did believe that death wasn't permanent. I'd be willing to bet he would have the opposite reaction.
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DJ, 17 Jun 2009 @ 11:49am

Re: Re:
or is it IDBEHOLD?
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DJ, 17 Jun 2009 @ 11:51am

Re: Why is he going to jail then?
Hmmmm

Interesting point.
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DJ, 17 Jun 2009 @ 11:56am

Re: Don't be so defensive!
"The kid was obsessed with the video game, parents took it way, he killed them."

A friend of mine recently took a stick away from her 5yo son because he was so obsessed with the stick that he didn't even realize he had whacked his friend in the head with it. By your argument, it would have been perfecly understandable, if he had gotten another stick and whacked her in the head with it.

The old addage "Look before you leap" also applies to speaking: "Think before you speak".
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Rebel Freek (profile), 17 Jun 2009 @ 11:57am

Re: Re:
I can just see this argument being used in court now...

"Your honor, I needed to free my parents from their mortal coil so they could live on forever with god. God told me this himself. He also told me that I need to be good to Bubba and Bubba will be good to me, whatever that means..."
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DJ, 17 Jun 2009 @ 11:58am

Re:
k
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DJ, 17 Jun 2009 @ 12:04pm

Re: Grammar
Yeah, you're wrong.

But you'd be right if it had read "A teen in Ohio." Yes, the subject is the one to whom the article is referring, and not the adjective. It is grammatically incorrect, however, to not change the "a" to "an" when inserting an adjective beginning with a vowel; because, at that point, the adjective is ATTACHED to the subject, and, therefore, the article is referring to the adjective as well.
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DJ, 17 Jun 2009 @ 12:07pm

Re: Call his bluff
Unfortunately, due to the process of actually getting to the point of RECEIVING the death penalty, shrugging it off is actually a typical reaction; the reality doesn't usually set in until the day of their death actually arrives.
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richard o langley, 17 Jun 2009 @ 12:58pm

video games
You cannot blame a video game for someones death,no more than you can blame a gun for someones death.Guns don't kill people,people kill people.Parents should control how much video game time a kid gets and teach them that it's a game,not real life.PARENTING PARENTING PARENTING,People get a grip!!
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jun 2009 @ 2:19pm

just you wait press, you'll follow the video game band wagon and get it censored, then your next, id shut up now before your told what to say.
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aka dogfish, 17 Jun 2009 @ 2:23pm

teens, violence, fiction vs, reality
although i agree that video games aren't the source of the disturbance that causes precarious teens to fall over the edge - criminally neglectful parenting is the blame - and in that context, allowing your child to play these games is the same as supplying a known pyromaniac with a case of matches and putting him in a barn full of hay and telling him to have fun until i get home from work.
if you'd like to read a great piece of fiction that deals precisely with the problems of the teen temptation to violence and the discernment between video game fantasy and reality, check out a book called Let Slip the Dogs of Love by a guy named Eugene Kachmarsky. google the title or visit the website: www.eloquentbooks.com/LetSlipTheDogsOfLove/html. especially if you're a parent with a teen, or a teen.
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nzgeek (profile), 17 Jun 2009 @ 3:18pm

Causality
Even if there is a link between violent people and video games, why do people always assume that the game is at fault? Has nobody ever heard of causality?

There are 2 possible ways to look at such a link:

(1) Playing violent video games made the guy think that it was ok to kill.
or
(2) The guy already had violent tendencies, and playing the violent games was simply a symptom of an underlying problem.

Even though option 2 is far more likely to be true, it doesn't make for good news. With the media always writing the "version of the truth" that sells best, it's no wonder that so many people think that violent games are the problem.
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Marcel de Jong (profile), 17 Jun 2009 @ 3:50pm

From the myths-R-us department
Ah yes of course, killing your own mother is an integral part in video games.
And listening to Rock and Roll will have you worship the devil.
And reading comic books will lead you to a life of sexual depravity and other perversity.
And video clips will make kids yearn for sex at a much younger age.
And Barney the Dino is a healthy way of raising kids.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jun 2009 @ 6:10pm

Re: Fail.
He's 17. Point still stands, though.
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nasch (profile), 18 Jun 2009 @ 9:09am

Re: Re: Understanding Death
So what you guys are really saying is buy your kid a pet, and then make sure it gets killed. ;-)
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Kathy, 18 Jun 2009 @ 9:29am

Very disturbing hearing these stories pop up around the media. More and more children choose to do devastatingly violent acts upon their own parents!? Media has a part in what are children learn that is for sure, it is not just the messages that our children are hearing from parents and family but it has also to do with what is sponsored by the media and promoted. violent games do make one insensitive to violence and acts of violence occur again and again amongst our youth to authority figures. It is time to take a closer look to what are kids are exposed to in the media! A fast paced world that we live in should slow down at home, take a break sit down with your kid and listen, watch, and get involved if your not already.
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Dark Helmet (profile), 18 Jun 2009 @ 2:46pm

Re:
Kathy, I'm guessing you're a parent, and I'm attributing this to a motherly knee-jerk reaction to the story, and here's why I think you're wrong (feel free to counter):

"Very disturbing hearing these stories pop up around the media."

I agree. Say, about as disturbing as playing a violent game? The things one sees on the news are every bit as violent as the games, and what the news lacks in full on graphics/images/interactivity is made up by the fact that it's REAL. Which is actually more disturbing?

"More and more children choose to do devastatingly violent acts upon their own parents!?"

What in the world is this based on? do you have numbers to back that up? Or is it just the sense you get from a sensationalistic media looking to invoke emotional responses to sell ads?

"violent games do make one insensitive to violence and acts of violence occur again and again amongst our youth to authority figures"

Two separate ideas. First: who says violent games MAKE one insensitive to violence? During my psych classes we looked at this issue BECAUSE there is so much debate on it. There is no definitive evidence either way, so why are you saying there is? Further, as to there is more violence by are youths against authority figures, to what time are you comparing? Because if you're comparing to 1975, no effing way. Just no way. 1950, yes. 1930, arguable. 1776, definitely not, since American colonists were largely young, particularly non-Torries. In other words, I think you're crazy-wrong.

"It is time to take a closer look to what are kids are exposed to in the media!"

No, it's time to take a closer at what parents are allowing the media to expose to their kids.

"A fast paced world that we live in should slow down at home, take a break sit down with your kid and listen, watch, and get involved if your not already."

I agree, but we need to be smart about it and not attribute values to what the media tells us is correct, nor should we base parenting policy on knee-jerk reactions to sensationalistic stories. Let your kids play the videogames or watch the movie. THEN take them fishing and actually TALK to them about the game/movie. It'd work wonders.
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Anonymous Coward, 19 Jun 2009 @ 7:14am

For most people if you do anything obsessively, it sticks in your head and consumes you - hence religious groups and their mantras, etc - e.g. hara krishna, whatever!
Even watching a movie can make me feel wound up and in that world - jumping if there is an unexpected noise, etc, after watching a violent and scary film. We are all individuals, and personally I don't like the idea of teens who play violent games 18 hours a day. YOU might not be affected - buy you are not everybody. My son is unpleasant and irritated and if he is separated from his games, and I used to hear him muttering the most terrible things about me - he is older now and nicer now! But who knows what would happen if someone whose life revolved around that world had access to a gun. You all have your opinions - I feel that that boy could actually be a nice person underneath - many of us had angry fantasies as teens - just not the opportunity to act on them. If I was his mother, I would care deeply for him - even though he did what he did. I would know he was my little boy who would not hurt anyone if guns did not exist when he was young. For Christ sake - how many people do some children see killed with guns every day in videos and games - are they all lucky enough to be well adjusted and happy?
In this country - UK - we don't punish under 18s as adults - and I'm GLAD!
No way he would get a sentence like that - hell, even grown men who TORTURE children for months and cause their death often seem to spend less that half that time in jail - now them I would shoot! But that boy - God bless him, I am sure that is what his mother, who knew him best, would want.
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Anonymous Coward, 19 Jun 2009 @ 10:31pm

Re: Grammar
It doesn't always sound correct to the ear, because we are trained to use "an" before any words that begin with a vowel, but grammatically it is correct.

You are wrong. "An" should be used instead of "a" before any word that begins with a vowel sound. This applies even to words that don't actually begin with a vowel but only sound like it.
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Tiny22, 29 Jun 2009 @ 3:00pm

Don't blame the games!
I have been playing "violent" ( guns for killing people) for 11 out of the 16 years of my life( yes since I was 5) and I never had a thought killing my parents. This kid obliously had problems.
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Aaron, 30 Jun 2009 @ 6:03pm

There's no reason for them to blame it to video games, it's the teen who committed the act and has control to his actions. Let them read this article http://www.feelgr8.co.uk/articles/31339.html ,, maybe after reading it they'll have a new view wherein they'll realize that video game isn't the problem.
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Sorix (profile), 1 Jul 2009 @ 10:01pm

that sucks
why should people blame video games when it is them doing the wrong thing. a video game can not influence how ou behave. these people must be very stupid to think that a video game could control your life and the way you act and think. A video game is something that controls your bordem and gets rid of time for you. it is not something bad such as drugs and all you are doing in violent games is taking your anger out on characters, which i might say subsides your anger, and this results in the person being more cheerful after the game.

i may be a bit biased though since i am a game designer, but i think that my point should still be valid.
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steve, 5 Oct 2009 @ 7:29am

Re:
ur dumb video games are not to blame the kid shot his mom cause he was mad not cause of the video game
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Benjamin (profile), 23 Oct 2009 @ 2:05pm

Violent Teens
Violence in teens is increasing rapidly and we hear number of news about teens violent activities. A similar news like this one, Teen guilty in the murder of own father, I read on this blog http://parentingteens.com/blog/teen-guilty-in-the-murder-of-own-father/, quoted "Just recently, CNN reported a heart-breaking news about a Berkeley teen who was convicted in the murder of his father. The victim was raising three kids on his own when one of them, for reasons unknown, murdered him with a gunshot to the head. The judge handling the case found the 16-year-old teen guilty of first-degree murder with an enhancement for using a gun in the death of his 40-year-old father."
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Fred, 6 Dec 2009 @ 12:09pm

guiding a child
THE reason for this kill: parents who don't push their child get a goal in life. My parents never recommended me anything, never really said you're good or bad at this so you could work in this domain.. They never judged me, but never guided me, never insisted to force me to see my own talents. I was really good at school, but had zero self confidence and no goal. Only other adults, an uncle, some fiend's parents and a neighboor helped me to discover I could be paid to do some easy stuff I was doing!
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