When Video Games Merge in with Reality, it Can Be Deadly Game Over - for Real..

A few years ago a very controversial game hit the shelves at local game stores worldwide. Grand Theft Auto San Andreas. I wanted it, I needed it, and I had no problem shelling out $55.00 for the PS2 game.

I became addicted, playing the game day in and day out. Blasting my way through civilian's, and taking shots at virtual cops with my rifle, throwing bombs, knifing street walkers, and best of all though was having gang wars with rival gangs.

In the game my rivals wore all purple, so they were easy to pick out while cruising up and down the streets in my car.

I became obsessed with taking over their territory, which was marked on a map using the color purple.

 It showed me where to find them, and in order to take over their territory I had to knock em' dead. It was fun, funner than I had expected.

However one sweet day my boyfriend and I were cruising our town and I had spotted a purple wearing person, who in my mind resembled the rival gangs I had be killing in the GTA game. In my mind I was brought back to my game, and jokingly I said to my boyfriend... hey look! A rival gang! We should run him down!

Now of course this was all joking, but the reality was, the man wearing purple made me think of violence, harm, and destruction... and he was a REAL man doing nothing but minding his own business, not some virtual character carrying a gun waiting to shoot at me when I drive by.

Now thankfully I have a pretty good grasp on reality and virtual reality. For some though, when video games begin to take over and merge in with their reality, it can be/become a deadly game- but for real.
 
One story I remember hearing about was about an older man whom gave his account password to a friend to play an online game called Legend of Mir 3. the friend than decided to take his weapons (or what have you- I never played the game), and sell them for a real life profit. When he discovered that his friend sold his WOW weapons, he reported it to the police. Seeing how the weapon was not a real object, the man decided to instead stab the man to death.

Another incident involving WOW, which is short for World Of Warcraft involves a young girl who died after playing the game for several days straight. She became supposedly so enthralled with gaming that she did not eat or sleep, which in turn allegedly caused malnutrition, and death.

A similar story involves an older man from South Korea who actually quit his job to play his video game of choice. He played his game in an internet cafe for 3 days straight where he eventually died.

Another story involves a young 13 year old boy whom was stabbed to death over a video game controller.

One truly disgusting story which bothered me most was a story involving a father who's 17 month old daughter accidentally pulled the chords of his video game console out by accident. He became so enraged that he punched her in the face, causing her death.

One tragic story that I actually watched on a documentary involving video games and death involved a young man who became obsessed with another female character on WOW. The two got along fine (in the game), but when the man asked for her hand in marriage, she denied him, so he killed himself over it.

Another death associated with the popular WOW game was that of a young 13 year old Chinese boy who literately jumped out of a window from a tall building. His suicide note read that he wanted to join with the heroes from the video game he worshiped. The parents are actually trying to sue the game makers over his death.

The stories go on, and one does not have to look far to read up on more accounts of death that somehow were linked to video games. A quick google search and you will find some pretty disturbing things.

WOW forums that are basically support groups for people trying to give up the game. Some sad stories involving men and women loosing jobs, their family, and money over their gaming obsessions.

Some forums where people discuss things that will downright sicken you. From not caring for their children because they were in the middle of an important battle/party online. To loosing everything- all for a video game.

It is a shame that some people do not know when to cut virtual reality out their real lives. Some claim their sessions with gaming become some obsessive that it is like a drug, and you cannot give it up. Like a mind controlling substance, one can not turn away from. Some of these people seek help in finding a way out of these virtual games, and others they succumb to them.

For me though, as hardcore gamer myself... one has to enter with self control. If you are loosing things in REAL life, over a useless little virtual world... than apparently its time to say GAME OVER. A Virtual GAME OVER, not a real life one.