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MMO-Obsessed Parents Charged in Death of Infant

by Warren Riddle on March 6, 2010 at 02:30 PM

Fans of massively multi-player online games (MMOs) frequently receive ridicule for their fervent devotion to online avatars. Rarely do those devoted gamers become so engrossed in their multiple virtual personalities that they face criminal charges, though, let alone negligent death accusations.

In a horrific case of Net obsession, a South Korean couple has been charged in relation to the death of their three-month-old baby, the BBC reports. The two, who had both been laid-off, apparently became so consumed with the development of their Prius Online MMO offspring that they neglected their actual child, allowing it to die from malnutrition. The unnamed couple reportedly fed the infant only once per day -- and only between marathon sessions at an Internet cafe. We're definitely not unilaterally advocating the use of barbaric and torturous Web rehab techniques, but this is one case where such a facility might prove appropriate. [From: The BBC]

Tags: crime, gaming, internetaddiction, mmo, mmorpg, parents, top, videogames, violenceinvideogames

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