Video Game Glitch Spurs Death Threats Against Creator
How passionate are you about the video games you play? Wait. Don't answer that.
We know some of our readers are serious gaming aficionados, but some gamers have taken their passion to an extreme. Case in point: When a glitch was found in a popular puzzle game made for the Sony PSP mobile platform, the game creator, Australian-based Infinite Interactive, actually received death threats.
The game, called 'Puzzle Quest: Challenge Of The Warlords,' has a fault during sequences with computer-controlled characters who battle each other. The company CEO says he has now received six death threats, plus one bomb threat. While he and his colleagues do take the threats seriously, they say they're not worried since all of the threats originated in the United States. The messages even carried the sender's e-mail addresses.
This isn't the first time we've heard of gamers taking their passion to a possibly violent extreme. There's the kid who hired a hitman to kill his parents after his PlayStation privileges were taken away. And then there's the man who killed his neighbor after he thought the guy had stolen his PlayStation 3.
Sometimes, gamers even do it to themselves, with one marathon gaming session possibly contributing to the player's death. People are getting a little wrapped up in their video games, we say. May we suggest spending a little more time outdoors? [Source: News.com.au.]
Filed under: Video Games
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jane @ Jun 11th 2008 9:15AM
"May we suggest spending a little more time outdoors?" Isn't that why they made the PlayStation Portable, PSP for short? Going outdoors isn't enough to get away from these things, DO something in the real world, and remember, IT"S ONLY A GAME!
ballah @ Jun 11th 2008 5:44PM
now i understand the idea that sumone killed a guy for his ps3..point 1 it costs too much which will push sumone to the extreme and point 2..its more an idea of respect..cuz i think its messe dup if sumone that close steals towels from ur bathroom even lmao...but im sure he aint mean to kill the guy
XLS1 @ Jun 11th 2008 6:42PM
Over a Puzzle game?And a PSP Puzzle game at that?And over the computer's fighting each other?Really?
hi @ Jun 11th 2008 8:45PM
killed his neighbor because he THOUGHT he took his playstation three, a child hiring somone to KILL his parents because they took away his playstation! OMG!!!! and i thought i was obssessed with my wii i play for about 2 hours everyday but this this is insane!!
somethingelse19 @ Jun 11th 2008 9:22PM
this is insane,hitman,killed neighbor,killed his parents!?!?THE CHILD IS A SPOILED BRAT! those are my six words of wisdom
Rob @ Jun 11th 2008 11:34PM
I play around four hours a day, eat until I'm full, am only two pounds overweight, have a good number of friends, and I'd like to say this really comes down to responsibility and time management. You can call anything an addiction, it's just an easy way to avoid responsibility for it. To avoid eating to continue to play a game (doesn't Cyber Cafe imply it might have at least pastries?[In the case of the Korean man]) is simply insane, and it shows a deep irresponsibility. On the other side, the people who call it "Just a game" don't seem to understand that about 6-8 hours of our life are spent on recreation (8-hours Rest, 8-hours Work, 8-hours Recreation), and calling it "Just a game" is implying that 1/3 of our life isn't real, that there's no substance or value to it, which is untrue. You can learn many lessons of determination, decision making, constructive though, puzzle solving, etc. Just remember that the other 2/3 of life are valuable.
Max @ Aug 4th 2008 3:35PM
Get back down in your mother's basement and STFU! She'll call you when your Chef-boy-r-dee ravioli is heated up!
steven a @ Jun 11th 2008 11:55PM
going outside meaning w/o your psp.
Devynn @ Jun 12th 2008 3:38AM
ppl like this have no life outside of their video games. it's the ONE thing they CAN and WILL control. you mess it up for them, and well, it sucks to be you. the problem starts when they are small children. their parents DO NOT do ANYTHING to help the kids on a social level. when they're acting like kids, ie. running around, being loud, asking questions, etc, their parents tell them to shut up and go watch tv or play a video game to keep them quiet. there goes any chances to help kids on social level which would help them out in the real world. like teaching them how to deal when things don't go their way. it doesn't help that these same parents are too afraid to send their kids out into the real world. thus, them never going outdoors. it's an evil vicious cycle and no one benefits.
michelle @ Jun 12th 2008 2:30PM
people are stupid. games are supposed to be fun. if you can't play just for fun, you shouldn't play. if you think it's worth throwing your life away, you should be locked up in a mental hospital. try doing something that doesn't involve electricity or batteries or violence.
steve @ Jun 12th 2008 2:50PM
I could understand if it was an X-box 360, but PSP? Please!
Jay @ Jun 12th 2008 3:44PM
i really can't stand these articles that are only half completed. i can imagine, like myself, the only reason someone would click the link to see this article is to find out WHAT THE CONTROVERSY WAS!! what glitch could possible cause this? oh, computer characters were fighting each other. that doesn't answer the question. what was the F-ing glitch? did the computer character have a swastika on his arm or something? was one of them spouting racial slurs? what?
Henry @ Jun 12th 2008 4:41PM
We all have a mentality that drives us towards success. The opposing side of that is anger and depression when we fail.
In video games, we know the more we play the better we will get. The challenge of winning or beating a high score of a video game is similar to the high you get from addictive drugs or cigarettes. Yes, I know nicotine is a drug too. Like any dependency, when you remove it, suddenly, you get withdrawal symptoms. Rage is the most common. In some cases the rage is extreme like road rage. The only way to avoid anger issues about video games is to confront the player, When they are not playing and tell them that they are out of control. Tell them how seriously dangerous there anger is getting. If this does not work, then stay out of the line of fire and tell others to do the same. Hell hath no fury like a MAD video game player!
Russ Horton @ Jun 12th 2008 8:03PM
we might have a surplus of dim witted people ...