A 15-year old Romanian male stabbed his adoptive mother seventeen times after she cut off the family's Internet service in an apparent bid to quell his online gaming addiction.
After the eruption of violence, the boy, Ionut Savin (pictured), took all the money he could find in the house and went off to the local Internet café, where he reportedly played Counter-Strike for four hours. The boy also apparently missed over 200 days of school as a result of his gaming dependency.
In a further twist, the victim was found by her husband on the couple’s 16th wedding anniversary. After police were called, the boy returned home and offered, “I think I’m the one you’re looking for.”
Savin was described as a “model student,” but “quiet” and “introverted.” He is currently hospitalized in a psychiatric clinic.
HotBloodedGaming found the story, which originally appeared on the Romanian website Adevarul.
|Via Kotaku|
Comments
Re: Disconnected Gamer Stabs Adoptive Mom
This guy sounds like he has his feelings always bottled up. He needs the help, not from the game.
"It's better to be hated for who you are, then be loved for who you are not." - Montgomery Gentry
Re: Disconnected Gamer Stabs Adoptive Mom
Jack Thompson response in 3.....2.....1
But seriously that is sad that he went to this length
Never underestimate the power of idiots in large amounts.
Re: Disconnected Gamer Stabs Adoptive Mom
Ugh, not again...
So, who should we expect to blame this on the games themselves this time?
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"A Chrono Trigger is anything that unleashes its will or desire to change history!" -Gaspar
"A Chrono Trigger is anything that unleashes its will or desire to change history!" -Gaspar
Re: Disconnected Gamer Stabs Adoptive Mom
Giving that it's in Europe, probably Vaz
Re: Disconnected Gamer Stabs Adoptive Mom
From the original (translated) article:
"The fact that struck 17 times with a knife in the woman who raised, without any mercy, clearly demonstrates the presence of mental disease."
Kudos to the news rags that I've so far seen report on this for not sensationalizing the video game angle.
Andrew Eisen
Re: Disconnected Gamer Stabs Adoptive Mom
I looked at the original article, a rather nasty translation, but what obviously will be missed by those with agendas will be the reference to the very strong possibility that he suffers from Schiozophrenia or some other similar mental disorder.
This, of course, is the strong possible foundation of his problem. Everything that was displayed after that would have come from that foundation. Isolating himself. What he used to isolate himself with. How he responded to having that safe haven removed. Etc.
Many have questioned about the 200 days of missed school. Some ask why the Parents, adoptive or otherwise, didn't do something earlier.
Crappy Parents or not, where in the bloody blue hell were the authorities? I don't know what the policies there are, but if you have a significant number of days missed, the school authorities would be investigating. Even if they were excused, a significant number of missed days would lead to the school working with the Guardians to have the missed time made up or alternative arrangements made.
Sounds like the government authorities dropped the ball again too.
People keep pointing the finger at games, and even Parents, but at the same time, there should be policies and procedures in place already to deal with these situations. The VTech case showed signs of government failure. The Cody Posey case showed signs of government failure. Even the NIU shooting showed signs of failure, though it would have been more difficult to put policies and procedures in place to avoid that one, to a degree anyway.
A lot of politicians are outspoken when it comes to pop culture, media products, and even Parenting. Maybe they should be looking at their own responsibilities as well.
Nightwng2000
NW2K Software
http://www.facebook.com/nightwing2000
Nightwng2000 is now admin to the group "Parents For Education, Not Legislation" on MySpace as http://groups.myspace.com/pfenl
Re: Disconnected Gamer Stabs Adoptive Mom
I know of several Domestic Violence cases where one partner has attacked the other for things like taking the car keys to stop their partner going out, or drink-driving, some of those sadly ended in fatalities as well.
Re: Disconnected Gamer Stabs Adoptive Mom
It's a very typical thing. While we all know (and are bracing for) the anti-game crowd to start acusing Counter-Strike of being responsible, it's become incredibly clear over similar cases like this that this was the unfortunate result of a linchpin being disturbed on a volitile kid. The likelihood is that his gaming 'addition' was a symptom of some other problem, rather than a cause.
Re: Disconnected Gamer Stabs Adoptive Mom
Anyone else wondering how someone who missed 200 days of school was a "model student"?
Re: Disconnected Gamer Stabs Adoptive Mom
My guess is that when he was in class he was a delight to have. Perhaps his instructors thought he was ill or something and hadn't held his absences against their image of his otherwise upstanding record.
Re: Disconnected Gamer Stabs Adoptive Mom
maybe...but 200 days seems to really push that theory.
Of course i've encounter more absurd truths before.
Re: Disconnected Gamer Stabs Adoptive Mom
I'm having trouble with that one as well...i smell a set up.
"oh he was a model student UNTILL those vile destroyers of society (games) got their hands on him"
Re: Disconnected Gamer Stabs Adoptive Mom
I saw that too and I was thinking "how can he be a model student if he's not there?"
http://www.magicinkgaming.com/
Re: Disconnected Gamer Stabs Adoptive Mom
Well, they did not say a 'working' model.
Re: Disconnected Gamer Stabs Adoptive Mom
Perhaps he's a model student by Romanian standards, who knows. If he's not there, at least he's not breaking anything.
Re: Disconnected Gamer Stabs Adoptive Mom
Of course other anti-game activists will try to say that everyone who is addicted will kill their loved ones when their gaming is taken away.
- W
Re: Disconnected Gamer Stabs Adoptive Mom
Personal experience. I have had my DS and PSP taken away at one point, and my Wii Remotes at a later point. Never had all three taken away at the same time. Closest I ever got to what Ionut did was I got real pissed about it, but I didn't harm my folks. Resulted in some serious boredom though.
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"A Chrono Trigger is anything that unleashes its will or desire to change history!" -Gaspar
"A Chrono Trigger is anything that unleashes its will or desire to change history!" -Gaspar
Re: Disconnected Gamer Stabs Adoptive Mom
I think this is more of an social issue than a gaming issue so do not blame the computer
Re: Disconnected Gamer Stabs Adoptive Mom
Least he'll get the help he needs, unless soem idiot tries to get him pardoned and get the blame shifted.
Re: Disconnected Gamer Stabs Adoptive Mom
Oh yeah. Help him. Send him to a shrink, because he's not all there. Gotta love that "insanity plea." That way, after stabbing the woman that gave him life (that's gratitude for ya), he won't be tried as an adult, or sent to prison, molested for dropping the soap, and face the fate his victim did.
No, he'll sit in "hospital" for ten years, claim to be all better, get released, survive on unemployment or welfare on the taxpayers dollar, and go right back to the life he left behind.
Justice will be served!