July 17, 2007
It doesn't get much sadder than this.Philadelphia's 6-ABC has a video report on a 13-year-old boy who stabbed his older brother to death in a dispute over an unspecified video game on Sunday. From the report:
The 13-year-old allegedly stabbed his older brother twice with a steak knife. The blade pierced 16-year-old Anwan Ricks in the heart and lung... Police believe the stabbing occurred during a dispute over a video game that became physical.
Although we don't even know the game being played, there are surely some who will rush to turn this into a video game violence issue. However, Lansdowne Police Chief Daniel Kortan seemed to rule out any game inspiration in the grisly, tragic events:
I don't believe the actual game itself was the cause of it. I don't believe they were acting out in any way or mimicking anything in a video game. I believe it was actual use of the game and whose turn it was.
The Delaware County Daily Times has more, including word that the dispute was over a house rule:
It was a house rule whenever the kids were playing a video game: Lose the match, lose the joystick, according to authorities.
Comments
You perceive a threat. You immediately have two options. Attempt to fight the treat off. Or attempt to run away. Its pretty simple. Its the basis for 90% of the actions that people and animals make. Don't blame the media. Blame God, science, or whoever it was that made us vile, violent creatures that have no other option but to fight for survival.
Okay, I'm being just a little sarcastic. Just a little. Still I can't wait till they tell us that its some E rated game. In all honesty, its probably not, but it would be perfect if it were.
@ Brokenscope
I don't think the actual definition of premeditated murder is quite how you see it. From what I understand, premeditation doesn't take long at all. Just 1 second. Let me put it this way. The two brothers fought. Younger brother saw the knife, and decided to use it. Boom! Premeditation. That's first degree murder! Then again we don't know all the details, but I figure this is the reasoning.
@ Those decrying charging a 13 year old as an adult
That's the justice system for you. Anyone who commits one of the "Seven(?) Deadly Sins" of law is charged as an adult. I know rape and murder are among them. I'm pretty sure armed robbery is, too. I don't feel bad for the kid. He did the crime, now its time to do the time.
I feel terribly sorry for the parents, though. This one act has destroyed their family. I hope they find a way to move on.
@ Father Time
Lmao. Wheel of Scapegoats? That made my day! Is that by chance related to the wheel of morality? I'm not sure where I'm getting that from, but one day the phrase "Wheel of morality. Turn. Turn. Turn. Show us the lesson we should learn." popped into my head. Great, I know I'm remembering that from something... its gonna bug me...
@ Jack Thompson
That is the main concern regarding Video games, not that Games 'make' people do it, but that regular access to violent images makes a child choose to use a violent act first, since they are so often exposed to it. I'll agree to a concern on my own part, certainly dialogue from movies is emulated a lot, often without knowledge of it's context, but then, it can also be argued that many a parent has been caught out because their child also emulates them.
The problem is, there's no real way to answer the question, that is what the whole debate thrives on, in a way. Had the argument taken place over a bike, the story would have raised nothing more than sympathy. After all, one of the most famous Brother kills Brother stories is in the Bible itself, if mindsets bought in by a single outside influence, rather than a conglomeration of them, then it could just as easily be said that the Cain and Abel story subconciously inspired him to do it.
I don't think that violent games and films will 'force' someone to commit a violent act, that's why I'm so strongly against these stupid lawsuits, and I do think that wrapping children up in cotton wool is a dangerous way to raise them. However, I also think that parenting should be playing a more active role, I don't blame parents, I blame the demands they are under. Have you noticed, for example, how people are far keener to suggest the government regulate the distribution of media than suggest any way in which a parent could spend more time with their child, the one way in which we could return to the 'old days' and actually do some good, in my opinon. A lot of children feel like they are a 'distraction' to their own parents, who seem to rarely have the time for them. This is because it is the truth. Divorce rates are soaring, Domestic Violence is still common, and a lot of it can be traced back to the fact that couples simply don't have the time to spend on each other or their child, there is constant stress and precious little quality time.
Personally, I think it's that which needs to change, I'll admit to being an Englishman looking in, but to me it doesn't seem that society needs to ask the Government to regulate it, I live in a society in which that happens, it doesn't help, we have a real problem with stabbings in London at the moment, in my area alone 4 teenagers have died in the last 2 months. It's not the Media, it's the attitude in general that needs to change.
The only blood on anyone's hands is on the person who committed the crime, but I guess you failed that part of the Bar exam regarding personal responsibility.
Then again, the minute you started promoting this in the attempt to make blood money off of it(like you have tried with Paducah, Columbine, Red Lake, Virginia Tech, etc.) is the moment the blood also got on your hands.
Oh, and the good guys are winning and that would be us by a lopsided margin, but I guess you're too blinded by your greed and avarice to see that.
Practice what you preach, Jack: Grow up and get a life.
Yeah! That's right! We need to protect kids from this stuff! I mean, they get so hooked and end up not caring about Human life! Sticking there noses into this stuff for thousands and thousands and thousands of hours! This stuff desensitizes and mentally molests both children and adults alike!
We need to create legislation to protect kids from this stuff! Keep kids away from these obscene materials!
First, we'll ban kids from attending organized religious services! Then we'll demand the building be moved away from places like schools! Then we'll require religious materials to be viewable only by adults! Then...
What?
Oh, my bad! I thought you meant protect kids from religious bigotries and violent materials. The kind of stuff that created Osama Bin Lauden, Fred Phelps, Eric Rudolph, your own church (as noted by your own comments in favor of bigotry and hate, and this guy:
http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/2007/07/god_told_me_to_kill_gays.php
I mean, clearly, religious beliefs of bigotry and hate lead to violence and murder. So we need to protect kids from this filth, right? I mean, you DO want to protect kids, don't ya?
(This has been an angry bugger production. See previous post in this article and prior posts on such issues for actual personal stance on the issue.)
Nightwng2000
NW2K Software
So the point is that this happens all the time, and it doesn't just happen with video games. It's more of an issue of how long this has happened (Brother doesn't let the younger one have his turn) and anything of the sort. Maybe it was media violence that supported the kid to do the action. Maybe it was the lack of parenting that caused the kid to think he was able to do it. We don't know for sure...
Those who are anti-gaming will be arguing that years of playing video games was the thing that messed this kid up in the first place. They will argue that years of playing video games have screwed with his moral compass and de-sensitised him to violence so much so that he was capable of doing this thing.
It's not enough to simply say that he was messed up and that games aren't to blame. What if a small percentage of individuals are prone to being adversely affected by games and that it is their gaming that has pushed them over the edge. How do we as a gaming community respond to this?
I'm not even sure if I should be shocked over this killing. I mean, how many times have we heard of road rage incidents, where some motorist ends up attacking and (sometimes) killing his fellow man over some minor traffic mishap?
And don't get me started on soccer-related riots...
Tragic indeed, but on a wider scope, not that out of the ordinary.
Calm down, I was being partially facetious with the second controller thing, as I would bet the others were, as well. Saying Jack has blood on his hands is ridiculous, probably them just venting at the inevitable news reporting we're bound to hear in the near future. Take a deep breath and count to ten.
Speaking of which now that they haven't released the name of the game which game will they blame for the salughter well to find out we'll have to play a game of
WHEEL
OF
SCAPEGOATS!
That's right it's the wheel of scapegoats, where we take a humongus wheel full of the most violent games to figure out which one is to blame. Our contestant today is, why look it's our returning champion jack thompson who previously hit counter strike after the virginia tech massacre, how'd that work out for you jack?"
"Not so good his roommate told everyone that he didn't play videogames and no one bought the story."
"Ouch, do you think you will do better this time."
"Of course I will, he's a 12 year old boy and if they weren't playing the game nobody would have been killed."
"What if it turns out to be an E game?"
"I'll just wave my hand in front of the cops and say 'these are not the games you're looking for.'"
"Will that work?"
"Yeah I saw it in a movie."
" Well ok Jack you know what to do."
"Come on grand theft auto, grand theft auto"
"It landed on the mystery game Jack, you know what that means."
"Actually I don't you never explained it to me."
"Every game we put a random violent game under the mystery spot, let's see what it is this time."
"And the mystery game is . . . CLUE! based off the board game."
"My god you're right it all makes perfect, in every game of clue they always simulate a murder, making it a MURDER SIMULATOR, because he couldn't get a turn he acted out what he saw in the game and stabbed his brother with a knife. Then he ran outside and yelled I stabbed my brother with a steak knife in the living room, why because in clue you win the game if you find out who killed him even if it turns out to be you. He thought that since he won the game nothing would happen to him. That's how the clue game CORRUPTED HIS MIND. I even saw the game being marketed to children. Who knows how many people have been stabbed shot strangled and bludgeoned with a lead pipe because of it. I'm going to make sure that Parker brothers goes done in flames like the godless freaks they are."
"Well there you have it they were playing Clue anyone saying anything to the contrary has been bribed, thank you for joining us."
Agreed, accusations that Jack Thomspon in reality has blood in his hands are just as baseless as his accusations that we have it on ours because we dare to disagree with him about the cause.
Jack Thompson could not have prevented it, but, he also could choose not to try to financially profit from it, and that, at the end of the day, is what it has always been about with Thompson. People question whether he is really a 'fired up individual', I don't accept that for a moment, you only have to watch his opinion on Video Games in general from 'We want to stop marketting ALL violent games to braindead kids' to 'I only want to stop Rock Star', and just about every position in between to realise that his opinion is only 'fervent' for as long as the wind blows in that direction.
So no, I don't believe it is a conviction, I believe it is an income and a source of advertising for him.
I can only hope the game they were fighting over turns out to be something like tennis on the Wii, or maybe the recent XBLA release of Pac-Man. Maybe then the older folks will say "hey, I've played tennis and I'm not a killer", or "hey, I used to play Pac-Man and I never hurt anyone because of it".
Nice try, but no cigar. The only person in this debate with blood on their hands is you, and that's from trying to go through the victim's pockets.
There are many things that you can do without actually thinking it through. A quote taken from ABC: "He was standing out there, crying and screaming and yelling and police took him and put in car. The mother was in hysterics. I felt so bad for her," said Margaret Rebstock.
He did it, then thought of it, and realized he majorly screwed up. Same thing with crying. No one wants to cry, but you do it anyway.
As I have said, normal people do really stupid shit sometimes, you don't have to be crazy.
Yes, but what you and other seem to be missing here is that was he able to think his actions through and understand the actions consequences for him and the victim.
I'm sorry, but you can't know his state of mind. You can't know what he was thinking, I am try to err on the side of caution before I condemn him.
Imagine is right. Because only in your sick masturbation fantasies does this happen. Most studies on this point to the opposite. Unless you want to pull out the study again on aggression by the same guy who also stated that the Bible has the same effect as video games. But you conveniently ignored that didn't you you massacre chaser?
You have blood on your hands Jack, by taking advantage of tragedies for your financial and political gain you are as guilty as the people who commit the acts. Pray for the forgiveness of your sins.
On topic: Video games are now ubiquitous. Violence and strange cases are more sensationalized now then ever before. Video games are currently easily scapegoated targets. Did people blame unrequited love for the astronaut would-be-kidnapping? This stuff sucks, and I hope public perception changes, but I'm not holding my breath.
A second controller (as stated above) would have gone a long way, as well as better parenting.
2. @ Brokenscope: I know what you're getting at, but c'mon, how deranged do you have to be to stab your brother over this!? I don't care how pissed he is; but don't take this as I believe he shouldn't get help.
"Violent video games affecting the behavior of minors"
Who says the game they were playing was violent? Who says they weren't playing a sports game, or a driving game? Oh yeah, you say, because it sounds better for your agenda.
As I was reading this thread, I was getting annoyed at the continual mentioning of your name, since you (up until now) have nothing to do with this case AT ALL. But now you've stuck your nose in it anyway. Congratulations, you have a new tragedy that you can exploit for your own gain!
C'mon GP people, he's like Beetlejuice, say his name three times and it summons him to the forum. JT doesn't deserve the attention this site gives him.
On a note related to the story, is first-degree murder the most serious type of murder, or is third-degree?
3rd degree can almost be stated as accidental murder, however there is at times rather blurry line between between 3rd degree murder and manslaughter.
...
Did they even say what game it was? How can anyone say it was violent if they didn't say what game it was.
If you knew Jack shit on the other hand, you would realize that you practice Obscurantism. Note the uppercase, yes there is a difference, I suggest you look it up.
Blood is on the hands of many of you here, because you have done as much as you could to beat down this tragic fact and the results of such obscurantism.
The good guys are winning this culture war battle, and that ain't anybody here at this site, save yours truly.
Jack Thompson
besides I have heard of similar. Sports brawls anyone? people will fight over anything and everything. And we all dont know what happen besides what the news tells us. The action of stabbing the brother could have been from repeated bullying, harassment, and etc. We dont know the history we only know the outcome.
Firstly, turn off the caps lock, secondly,
English, can you read it!?!?
However, Lansdowne Police Chief Daniel Kortan seemed to rule out any game inspiration in the grisly, tragic events:
I don’t believe the actual game itself was the cause of it. I don’t believe they were acting out in any way or mimicking anything in a video game. I believe it was actual use of the game and whose turn it was.
Just in case your not being sarcastic.
Okay when you accidentally kill someone with your car one day, or if you ever do anything that might be construed as negligent I hope they lock you the fuck up. I mean you did that by accident, imagine what you might do if you do it on purpose.
But it is clear.
There has to be intent to kill.
There has to be the conscious understanding that the actions take could kill the person. There has to be time to connect the action with the result. If there had been more than a few moments between the initial scuffle and the actual stabbing there could be argument for 1st degree murder without any other evidence presented. If there had been a time of "calm" before he stabbed him.
Your assuming more towards guilt, I am assuming more towards innocence of the charge, not of the crime.
Please note the wiki article on murder provides a much better definition of 1st degree murder.
@ J-Guy
Your assuming he was thinking "I'm going to stab that fucker right in the heart!"
As I said earlier, he stabbed the largest target presented, the chest.
If you have ever had your blood up, you should know that thinking though an entire course of actions, your actions move towards the instinctual or things you have trained to the point they are almost reflexive presented a situation. When your adrenaline is pumping, your thinking the here and now. You react to stimuli based on previous experience. When your under any kind of extreme duress you not going to plan out something unless you are a very focused person with very tight control over your emotions, you also have to be one hell of a fast thinker to plan something.
Despite what movies tell you, time doesn't slow down it gets a hell of alot faster and you do things without thinking. Half the time you don't remember half the things you did. The memories you have can be amazingly fragmented and incoherent. This is true of a schoolyard fist fight, a fencing bout, a multi car pile up, or a firefight.