The South Korean parents of a three-month old allegedly fed their gaming habits obsessively while neglecting their daughter, who effectively starved to death.
The 41-yeard old husband and his 25-year old wife, identified only as “the Kims,” spent up to 12 hours every night at Internet cafés playing games, according to a story on ABC. The couple came home one morning last September, after spending the whole night out, and alerted authorities upon finding their daughter deceased.
An autopsy revealed that the baby’s death came about from malnourishment. The Kims subsequently confessed that they had been feeding their daughter “rotten, powdered milk and had often spanked their crying baby.”
In a sinister bit of irony, officials reported that instead of taking care of their real child, who was born prematurely, the couple was infatuated with raising a virtual daughter in the massively multiplayer online game PRIUS.
The article also features a quote from Dr. Kim Sang Eun, of Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, who believes game addiction is a brain disease. She stated, “there's no certain clinical indicator to define 'game addiction' but our study shows that brain PET [scan] images of suspected online game addicts are very similar to that of a cocaine addict.”
The parents were arrested on Wednesday.
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Re: Korean Parents Neglect Real Child for Virtual One
The article also features a quote from Dr. Kim Sang Eun, of Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, who believes game addiction is a brain disease. She stated, “there's no certain clinical indicator to define 'game addiction' but our study shows that brain PET [scan] images of suspected online game addicts are very similar to that of a cocaine addict.”
I would really like to see proof or statistics and prove me wrong. B/c I have never touched cocaine or any other addicting drug in my life. Except for alcoholic drinks. Which is not remotely related to game addiction. Not unless you are Dr. Kim who wants to throw it out there for the sake of an argument.
"It's better to be hated for who you are, then be loved for who you are not." - Montgomery Gentry
Re: Korean Parents Neglect Real Child for Virtual One
The issue is far more complex that what has been detailed in the various news articles.
Why was research not done on Korean traditional relationships? Why was there not an explaination as to whether these indivdiuals were raised based on traditional beliefs? Are they native to Korea? Looking at various sites on Korean traditional relationships, both of these individuals deviated from traditional cultural norms, or so it appears. Is this age difference normal? Has the advent of online interactivity changed the traditional norms to a significant degree? These individuals reportedly met online and are, at least based on some social norms outside of Korea, of greatly differing ages. Did this play a part, even a little? Both are unemployed. The agendists point the finger at "gaming addiction". But is that the REAL reason? Or even the ONLY reason?
A lot of reference to "gaming addiction". Even supposed research study references. But here's another one.
http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0020748904000823
It would be interesting to read the entire study. Their own child was premature. Did this, even in a small way, also affect their treatment of the child?
This is yet more evidence of poor journalism run amok. Little information just to generate more misinformation and sensationalism.
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Re: Korean Parents Neglect Real Child for Virtual One
“there's no certain clinical indicator to define 'game addiction' but our study shows that brain PET [scan] images of suspected online game addicts are very similar to that of a cocaine addict.”
"
You can't use brain scans to classify this kind of thing. I remember watching someone talk about using brain scans to find out the link between serial killers. They showed the brain scans of the serial killers and pointed out areas of activity that had similar patterns on most of them, then the guy put up a picture of another brain that had the same kind of activity and said 'This one is my own brain scan.' He stated that, while his findings were fascinating, it proves that brain scans can't really help in diagnosing behavioral differences and problems.
Re: Korean Parents Neglect Real Child for Virtual One
I've always felt the brain-scan studies are nothing more then psuedoscientific bullshit new age phrenology.
"No law means no law" - Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black on the First Amendment
Re: Korean Parents Neglect Real Child for Virtual One
Yeah. Somehow whenever I hear about brain scans being used in this way, it always reminds me of the 19th Century 'science' of phrenology. Supposedly lumps on the head could predict behaviour or indicate personality traits.
The fact is, the brain is not the kind of machine that has definite and set areas that control behaviour. The brain is a network that is capable of re-routing the locations of certain behaviours. Heck, if it was as easy as finding a particular spot in the brain that controlled these things, we could spot addicts and treat them very easily.
Re: Korean Parents Neglect Real Child for Virtual One
maybe the machines in the I robot movie had it right ... ALL HAIL OUR ROBOT OVERLORDS may you come soon and save us from ourselves.
Re: Korean Parents Neglect Real Child for Virtual One
A sad story indeed but not uncommon. As for the vid gaming part of it, its well known that Asian governments are making efforts to curb the amount of time people spend on gaming with all kinds of warnings. Want to bet the admition was a plea bargin so they wouldnt have to face murder charges? I think the couple deliberately starved the child because they thought she was defective.
Re: Korean Parents Neglect Real Child for Virtual One
game addiction doesnt even exist the brain/body doesnt care what it gets addicted to it just cares about getting it wether it be games drugs sex adrenaline nicotine food or alcohol its the same neurochemical response.
its not "game addiction" its just "addiction" if thats even what this is you dont starve your baby to death over something trivial without there allready being something seriosly wrong with you.
Re: Korean Parents Neglect Real Child for Virtual One
Why are all of these type of stories coming out of South Korea?
Never underestimate the power of idiots in large amounts.
Re: Korean Parents Neglect Real Child for Virtual One
So we have crappy parents, great. They're gamers, great again, now we get the ambulence chaser. The ambulence chaser holds up an established fact like it's something shocking, sigh. Article starts out on a horrible note and just gets more and more depressing. I can see the outraged people arming themselves with books to throw already.
Re: Korean Parents Neglect Real Child for Virtual One
I hate stories like this (baby and child neglect leading to slow painful deaths). It sends a chill down my spine. Unfortunately, games are being targeted, compared to drugs, even though neglect like this has happened from parents too steeped in religion (this isn't a dig at religion, just pointing out that parents have used this as their reasoning for neglect, and religion is generally more acceptable than adults playing games). There's something wrong with the parents to begin with, and it's nothing else's fault. Poor baby.... :(
------- http://www.whatnottodo.tk
Re: Korean Parents Neglect Real Child for Virtual One
am I the only one who thought "The Sims" when I read "the Kims"? I smell a photoshop coming
岩「…Where do masochists go when they die?」
岩「…」
Re: Korean Parents Neglect Real Child for Virtual One
A truyl sad tale, and it give the anti-games crowd more ammo. These parents don't deserve that excuse.
Re: Korean Parents Neglect Real Child for Virtual One
That's the first time I heard of that out of Korea. What the hell's up with the parent.
Re: Korean Parents Neglect Real Child for Virtual One
This may be the worst and saddest story I've ever read on this site, right up there with the school shootings and supposedly video game-related murders. Not much stuns me these days, but I had to read the story twice to make sure I was really seeing what I thought I was seeing.
There'll be no excuses for this one.
That being said, only a blithering idiot would equate game addiction to drug addiction. I bet people addicted to TV and movies have similar brain waves, too.
"De minimus non curat lex"
Re: Korean Parents Neglect Real Child for Virtual One
I find it odd that a study I read about school shootings found that, on average, 3 out of 4 of the people that performed the school shootings were bullied while at school. But that kind of fact, you know one that makes sense to explain people's rage, is nowhere near as attention grabbing as linking the shootings to video games.
The Kims though, if they did indeed perform such actions (spanking a 3-month old to get them to stop crying and starving them death with rotten milk) deserve no mercy from any kind of person.
Re: Korean Parents Neglect Real Child for Virtual One
What. The. Fuck.
Seriously. That is fucked up beyond belief.
I hope they get the book thrown at them. That is horrible.
-Optimum est pati quod emendare non possis-It is best to endure what you cannot change-
Re: Korean Parents Neglect Real Child for Virtual One
I like how you said your first line. That was funny in a haha way not at the story.
"It's better to be hated for who you are, then be loved for who you are not." - Montgomery Gentry