Did Game Play Role in Suicide?

Wired News ^ | 4/3/02 | Andy Patrizio

[Jean S]

EverQuest players often joke about the addictive nature of the game -- often referring to it as "EverCrack" -- but for 21-year-old Shawn Woolley the game became deadly serious, and his mother is preparing to sue Sony Online Entertainment over his suicide.

[Tennessee_Bob]

Oh, for Pete's sake (whoever Pete is). This is ridiculous. If you're going to blame the game, then blame the parent as well for not teaching her child how to tell the difference between reality and fantasy. This is insane.

[Phantom Lord]

Let me guess, he also had Ozzy's Suicide Solution or some Judas Priest playing on his stereo.

[Texaggie79]

Parents, take responsibility? Are you MAD?

[tamu]

as frasier would say, "Oh, Dear God".

[zx2dragon]

He doesn't believe Shawn's seizures and epilepsy would have had anything to do with the suicide.

Funny that they discounted this already.

I knew of a guy who used to get really bad migraines all the time and the doctors couldn't find what was causing them.
One day he found his cure at the end of a barrel.

[Blood of Tyrants]

It is no more insane that blaming gun manufacturers for criminals commiting murder or blaming tobacco companies for people who get cancer from smoking. Soon they will be blaming McDonalds for obesity, Jack Daniels for drunken driving, and automobile manufacturers for speeding.

[AzSteven]

I used to play that game. Basically, you either get caught up in the 'power-mongering' aspect of the game, or you grow incredibly bored with its repetitious nature.

Maybe he killed himself due to boredom? This suit sounds like the same cr*p as blaming the game Doom for Columbine, or Dungeons and Dragons as a tool of Satanism. Sounds like he was ill-equipped to handle life, and I would suspect some of that might have been lax parenting rather than a stupid computer game.

[RogueIsland]

For Heaven's sake, if someone quits his job to play a game full time, there are issues in that person's psychology that go well beyond the game.

[AzSteven]

I can blame McDonald's for my belly? Hot Dawg! Here comes the judgment money now!

[Timesink]

No. The answer is No. This is a perfect example of the need for tort reform.

Next thread.

[kinghorse]

Do like I did after my kids got too crazy for counterstrike. Take the power cord for the PC's to work with you. Problem solved and the kids got a lot more polite real fast when they saw I meant business. Too many parents let the kids play all they like because it's a more addictive baby sitter than TV.

[stainlessbanner]

Jr should have gotten a job instead of rotting his brain with video games.

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

I don't know about that one. If I could afford it, I'd quit my job and surf FR all day long. :)

[Dominic Harr]

He was diagnosed with depression and a schizoid personality disorder and put on medication.

Um, I think I might see a 'cause' for the suicide . . .

[Physicist]

Funny that they discounted this already.

Not so funny; there's no money in epilepsy.

[Reeses]

He was diagnosed with depression and a schizoid personality disorder and put on medication. Residence in the group home was voluntary, however, and he left. He then rented his own apartment, over his mother's objections, where he resumed non-stop playing.

I bet illegal drugs are involved. Depression, emerging mental health problems, medications that don't work, all this points to pleasure seeking chemical substance abuse, not video game abuse. His mother is clueless. Now she wants to play the victim role. This is Clinton's America.

[Dinsdale]

Good job with your kids.

It will teach them to be sneaky and depend on themselves to get an extra power cord. When you find their 'spare' cord I suggest setting a CMOS password to lockdown the boot process.

[Tennessee_Bob]

Maybe she ought to check and see who made the mouse he used, the motherboard, the modem (or cable modem). Was it a Maxtor hard drive the data files were stored on? Sue them as well. Wonder if he played on a Dell??

Dude! You're gonna get a subpoena!

[Fred Mertz]

Woolley hasn't yet filed suit but has hired Jack Thompson, a colorful Miami attorney and frequent critic of the entertainment industry to represent her.

Jack Thompson alert! I can't remember his last FR screen name....