Petric's lawyers argued he was not guilty of murder on insanity grounds
A US teenager killed his mother and wounded his father in revenge after they took away his violent computer game, a judge has ruled.
The defence team for Daniel Petric, 17, had argued his addiction to the Halo 3 game, in which players shoot invading aliens, had made him insane.
But the judge rejected this, saying he had planned revenge for weeks.
Petric, of Ohio, was tried as an adult and faces a maximum possible penalty of life in prison without parole.
On the night of the shooting in October 2007, Petric used his father's key to open a lockbox and remove a 9mm handgun and the game, the court heard.
His father Mark, who was shot in the head and survived, testified that his son came into the room and asked: "Would you guys close your eyes? I have a surprise for you."
He said he expected a pleasant surprise. Then his head went numb from the gunshot.
The Associated Press news agency reports that Microsoft, which owns the intellectual property for the game, declined to comment beyond a statement saying: "We are aware of the situation and it is a tragic case."
Petric's lawyers argued he was not guilty of murder on insanity grounds
A US teenager killed his mother and wounded his father in revenge after they took away his violent computer game, a judge has ruled.
The defence team for Daniel Petric, 17, had argued his addiction to the Halo 3 game, in which players shoot invading aliens, had made him insane.
But the judge rejected this, saying he had planned revenge for weeks.
Petric, of Ohio, was tried as an adult and faces a maximum possible penalty of life in prison without parole.
On the night of the shooting in October 2007, Petric used his father's key to open a lockbox and remove a 9mm handgun and the game, the court heard.
His father Mark, who was shot in the head and survived, testified that his son came into the room and asked: "Would you guys close your eyes? I have a surprise for you."
He said he expected a pleasant surprise. Then his head went numb from the gunshot.
The Associated Press news agency reports that Microsoft, which owns the intellectual property for the game, declined to comment beyond a statement saying: "We are aware of the situation and it is a tragic case."
That's what everybody was saying on CFC forums. At least this time its not going to turn into one of those violent video game debates, since the kid killed his mum because he wasn't allowed to play it because of the game's violence.
Better not say that infront of Abu Sayyad. Anyway, it's sad what violent games do to your brain. A few policemen came into our school to talk about video games. There they used an example. That for need for speed game tester, played that game 7 hours. And at one night he was driving at a speed of 260 km/h . That's what happens.
I still can't get over the weird culture we live in where violence is celebrated but sex is taboo.
You aren't the only one. But then again, I'd much rather have grown up watching He-man beat up skeletor than..er..you know.
As for the topic; I myself play a lot of street fighter (and various other ''violent'' video games) but not once have I ever attempted to dragon punch my mum or dad for not letting me play it (mainly because I'd get slapped for my troubles). The kid was a right sad, prat for shooting his parents (and killing one of them!) - seriously stupid thing to do over halo 3. Good thing is he is now in jail but the act was disgusting - especially over something so trivial.
Unfortunately, video games still have a large amount of stigma attached to them - even though studies have shown that there really is very little to worry about and if anything, its better for some kids to play games (it acts as catharsis or a means of venting out your frustration [like punching bags] - very true for games like halo 3 and street fighter...)
Someone said to the Prophet, "Pray to God against the idolaters and curse them." The Prophet replied, "I have been sent to show mercy and have not been sent to curse." (Muslim)
I still can't get over the weird culture we live in where violence is celebrated but sex is taboo.
I agree totally. Sex is, by its nature, creative whereas violence is destructive. We should celebrate the creative instincts of people above all others. Of course, with sex comes great responsibility.
But we should also not lose sight of the root cause of this tragedy. It was not a murder caused by video games per se, but a murder cause by the acceptance of violence as a means of conflict resolution. I would love to see a world where we totally renounce violence but I am not a fluffy headed utopian idealist. If you accept violence in certain circumstances, it will eventually spill over into other areas.
I think video games like Halo are a bit of a problem because they don't portray war realistically. In Halo, everything is clean and shiny, there are heroes and villains and the heroes never do anything wrong.
Compare this to Call of Duty and other similar games, where you have to pass through the charred ruins of children's bedrooms or people's market stalls, and you can't help but think 'oh my God. We did this to them.' Strange as it may seem, more realistic games actually discourage violence better than ones where killing and war are all funny cartoons.
I think video games like Halo are a bit of a problem because they don't portray war realistically.
So, when Cain killed Abel it was because Abel had tried to take away Cain's HALO 3 game set?!?!?! The Sultan of Oman deposed his own father in a coupe in 1970 long before even Space Invaders was released!
So, when Cain killed Abel it was because Abel had tried to take away Cain's HALO 3 game set?!?!?! The Sultan of Oman deposed his own father in a coupe in 1970 long before even Space Invaders was released!
I never said all violence is caused by video games. I never even said most is. What I am saying is that sometimes video games glorify violence by portraying it as a clean, bloodless, heroic affair. Which is the opposite to what right-wing anti-gaming activists think.
This is sad really sad, even though I game it's never worth this much, and furthermore I dont get all that Halo phenomenon,I used to be an pro FPS gamer here in dhaka(not anymore) and many of my friends/team mates didnt like Halo 1,2 and 3
I never said all violence is caused by video games. I never even said most is. What I am saying is that sometimes video games glorify violence by portraying it as a clean, bloodless, heroic affair. Which is the opposite to what right-wing anti-gaming activists think.
In the days before even television, writers glorified war. In the days before printing, poets glorified war. Greek and Roman historians both spent large amounts of time praising generals and soldiers. A child being told the glories of Julius Caesar and a child playing Medal of Honour (which I play) will take home the same lesson. As long as we live in patriarchal societies, men will glorify war. Matriarchal societies generally have little time or interest in warfare.
In the days before even television, writers glorified war. In the days before printing, poets glorified war. Greek and Roman historians both spent large amounts of time praising generals and soldiers. A child being told the glories of Julius Caesar and a child playing Medal of Honour (which I play) will take home the same lesson. As long as we live in patriarchal societies, men will glorify war.
Just because it was done before doesn't mean it is necessarily a good idea.
Matriarchal societies generally have little time or interest in warfare.
Have there been any matriarchal societies other than small tribes?
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