Don't we all just love sensationalism!
Quote: ""Apart from his obsession with computer games he was a healthy kid and there was no reason why he should not have had a long and healthy life," Sulimov said."
Playing computer games for 12 hours straight at that age is not healthy or normal. People who can't stop playing games like this kid and the couple mentioned earlier in the week who lost their toddler, well they have/had addiction issues that could easily have manifested in any other hobby - I think it's a little short sighted of that article to mention his epilepsy in passing as if it was a side effect of the damage the game did to him. It's easy to blame the parents, but that's usually because they're to blame.
I mean, what the hell happend to parents playing videogames WITH their kids? (or at least keeping tabs on them) - it's easy to spot when someone is getting too frustrated in a game, and that's when you walk over and switch the game off (and also give them that look like your not interested in discussing the matter). I admit that I'd usually let them put on a different (easy) game for a bit.
Years ago, anyone about 30 will remember this, but Dominik Diamond, made a documentary about the addictive nature of videogames, and every parent under the sun watched it and took action. Apparantly some kids got grouchy when they were'nt allowed to play Mario - so they report that computer games are addictive (like smoking, or crack, or midget hurling) and me and all my friends got banned from games for ages. Parent's can't be reading this stuff nowadays, what they need is another documentary, showing it right after Eastenders for the best effect.
That'd teach all those little monkeys that are better at Halo2 than me.
Van-B
