[aldo_14]

http://news.gaminghorizon.com/media2/1137635340.3198.html  / http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/01/20/webcam_suicide/

THis seems sort of relevant because I've been getting increasingly pissed off at how US TV shows are portraying games, gamers and developers; essentially as mindless sociopaths, vicious murder simulators, and arrogant feckless social rejects with no sense of responsibility or morality. (respectively)

[Shiku]

I'm getting really annoyed with the media these days as well. Its bad enough that this tradgedy even happened in the first place, but having the media pick through the evidence and spin it like this is just obscene.

[karajorma]

You really do have to wonder how they could have gotten it so wrong.

[Setekh]

You really do have to wonder how they could have gotten it so wrong.

I don't know, falsification in the media is something that isn't doesn't really surprise me. I don't wonder so much about how, but about why.

[aldo_14]

You really do have to wonder how they could have gotten it so wrong.

I don't know, falsification in the media is something that isn't doesn't really surprise me. I don't wonder so much about how, but about why.

Surely the 'why' is easy - in this case it's an easy target to sensationalise, and they can write off complainers with the same 'geeks and socially inept wierdos' stereotype they work hard to perpetuate.  Essentially the media has dropped any pretence of factual interest (the BBC, thank god, at least has some degree of a legal responsibility in that area, so it's not as bad as other outlets) in favour of more money, be it through sales of newspapers or advertising revenue.  As such they appeal to the lowest common denominator; picking issues of controversy and spinning them so as to offend that readership (and thus make it agree with the critical op-eds in that media 'producer')

It's like when a British tabloid, in the aftermath of a highly publicised child murder, started publishing the names & addresses of convicting paedophiles and effectively encouraging vigilante retribution; the main result was people sharing the same names or address (because these were often wrong or out of date) getting attacked and forced out of their homes, and even pediatrists finding their homes attacked because they said 'pediatrist' on a sign on the door. 

And, of course, we have the sort of manufacturing of controversy for the same purpose.  The Daily Express runs stories about asylum seekers or gypsies 'ruining' the country in some way, to appeal to the xenophobia of certain sections of middle England, and then we see them push and push that story till it becomes an 'agenda'.  So much of the commercial media seem to be a bunch of charlatans and liars, out to make money without regarding the consequences of what they print.

[Selectah]

Hmm, let's see if I understood the opening post right..

A kid commits suicide, ie someone loses their child, perhaps their brother. Someones dear friend is gone, a terrible loss and tragedy to all those who were close to the hopeless kid. Predictably, the reaction is that media is giving gamers a bad rep.

If this really is the way a community reacts to the death of a human being, you have my sympathies.

Brandon Veda, anyone?

 - Selectah

[aldo_14]

Hmm, let's see if I understood the opening post right..

A kid commits suicide, ie someone loses their child, perhaps their brother. Someones dear friend is gone, a terrible loss and tragedy to all those who were close to the hopeless kid. Predictably, the reaction is that media is giving gamers a bad rep.

If this really is the way a community reacts to the death of a human being, you have my sympathies.

Brandon Veda, anyone?

 - Selectah

You didn't actually read the link, did you?

[Janos]

I'm now propably making a mistake, but this here is what a guy who is an admin in MetalGearSolid.org says. He was also pretty pissed off about other things.

I'm currently an administrator for this funky website, MetalGearSolid.org, and a couple weeks ago on our site forums, one of the regulars started a thread announcing that as a result of overwhelming financial debt and family issues, he was going to commit suicide. While we treated this as him playing a joke at first, we quickly realised that he was serious and spent several hours on both the forums and over the phone trying to talk him out of it. After copying his farewell message onto a GameFAQs board that he freqented and after posting some garbled text on the forum,--

"I made madethe decesion I'm sorry. I lied to ylou, Dorry I had to doo it, Sklep to 10. Manged to clean up sum pukce. dorry. soor. hwlp is. a [knock. i dnt twat it. lov yuaall."


--he logged off and we didn't hear any word about it for the next couple weeks.

Finally, out of sheer desperation (and after some internet stalking ), we contacted his home to inquire about his condition. They confirmed our worst fears that, after drinking a hefty amount of antifreeze, he died in the hospital on January 4th. Later, this was again confirmed as we had located a local news page that mentioned his passing.

http://www.thehawkeye.com/daily/stories/ob10_0106.html

Shortly afterwords, we put up a tribute on the front page of our site, where we talked about what he had contributed and how he was a close friend to many of the forum regulars. Nothing specific regarding the nature of his death was mentioned, however, out of respect for both he and his family.

A few days after posting this, however, our site was shut down by the host, with only the following email as for an explanation why:

"Your account(#124525) has been terminated until further notice. Your hosting details have been requested by a government agency, so we are putting your account on lockdown until we get further details.

Thanks."

No other information was supplied and we were left in the dark as to why we had been shut down. Then, earlier today, a fellow site regular linked me to the following news sites. Lo and behold, we found our answer!

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/st.../1045000004.htm

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=sto...et_060118154300

http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=57934

Apparantly, our friend had broadcast his suicide to all of us via webcam as other would-be vouyerists laughed on at his endeavor. Surprise! We then proceeded to find his family and show up at their doorstep. Egads! Also, the "Boyan Georgiev" in question is not our site administrator. What he is, however, is the current head of "Max Effect", a web design company that our site designer works at. Why they're asking him about this, I have no idea.

Investigative journalism at its best.

Soon after catching up on all that had happened, I contacted the AFP, an international newsline that the story originated from, and sent them the correct version of the story, though I doubt I'll get a response or see any change. We're already getting messages about how morally inferior we are to the rest of the world for laughing at this poor boy's suicide, however, a few sites are already picking up on what has happened as a result of poor reporting.

http://news.gaminghorizon.com/media...35340.3198.html

http://digg.com/gaming/Gamer_Commit...edia_Misreports

We're hoping more sites pick this up, but in the meantime, I and a few other staff members have a lot of emails to write and a lot of netnews sites to try and correct.

[an0n]

It's ironic that he's gotten more attention for actually killing himself than anyone ever got from an attention-suicide.

[WMCoolmon]

Well that's disgusting. I guess the newspaper wanted to talk to someone 'credible'. 

[Selectah]

You didn't actually read the link, did you?

Oh yes, I did. I also read the OP. Several times, in fact. As it was written by yourself, I guess you know what you've written. Still, here goes (paraphrased):

I've been getting increasingly pissed off at how US TV shows are portraying games, gamers and developers; essentially as mindless sociopaths, vicious murder simulators, and arrogant feckless social rejects

This is the reaction to a human being dying. Verbatim, no less.

Compassionately,
 - Selectah

[an0n]

Yeah, it does have a hint of irony about it.

[aldo_14]

You didn't actually read the link, did you?

Oh yes, I did. I also read the OP. Several times, in fact. As it was written by yourself, I guess you know what you've written. Still, here goes (paraphrased):

I've been getting increasingly pissed off at how US TV shows are portraying games, gamers and developers; essentially as mindless sociopaths, vicious murder simulators, and arrogant feckless social rejects

This is the reaction to a human being dying. Verbatim, no less.

Compassionately,
 - Selectah

Actually, it's a reaction to the medias reaction to a subsection of people.  If you note the big line at the top - known as a 'title', fact fans - you'll notice part of it reads 'media misreports'.  You'll also note that was the headline of the first article linked and referenced in the second article.

On further cursory analysis, you will link that misreportage to my general annoyance of the portrayal of such events.  If you wish to get psychoanalytical, you may also note the potential implication that such stereotyping may in fact be a factor in worsening of depression in certain individuals which restricts them from feeling 'worthwhile' in society; not this bloke (due to the cited reasons), but others.

You also selectively ignored my statement started with 'This seems sort of relevant because', clearly linking the issue of media portrayal as the focal point of my post topic; if you're going to quote something, try taking it all and in context rather than paraphrasing it to selectively fit your needs, because that initial was never presented as a reaction to an individual event but as an example of a media trend.

Now, I want you to consider what possible other reason there would be for linking this story.  Would it be to express condolences, to a family I never have know or met, for a person I've never heard of before, and which would be in any case be only visible (to the cynical) as anonymous lip service?  Or would I perhaps want to make a point about media portrayal, stereotyping and skew?  Are we to be forbidden to comment on any event involving or instigated by a death?

I'd suggest you consider that before trying to read in some sort of nasty insinuation about me.

[Selectah]

Got ya.

Another prime example of how word stress and sarcasm are among the things that are rarely conveyed in a text.

 - Selectah

[aldo_14]

Aye, right.

[Fragrag]

Jack Thompson writes to metalgearsolid.com

"Your "gamer friend" will find peace through the Lord, Jesus Christ, but sadly it's too late for that.

There is a void in every heart. You can fill it up with the things of God, or the things not of God. This unfortunate soul chose to fill it up with combat games. The playing of these video games is masturbatory activity, meaning senseless self-stimulation. If you gamers could use a dictionary you would know that that term is not necessarily a sexual one.

The real tragedy here extends beyond the life and death of this one fellow. There are literally millions of young people and young adults whose despair is deepend by turning to the things of this world and then finding them meaningless.

All of you gamers need to put down the controllers and get a life. The utter inanity of the vast majority of postings here shows how vapid "gaming" really is.

You are one of the cheerleaders for this wasting of time and the wasting of lives. Do you feel any remorse for having contributed to this "culture of death?" Of course not. Hey, let's all play MORE games, and ignore all the really productive things to do with our lives.

Let's pretend to be shocked that a gamer might descend into deeper depression, as his gamer "buds," knowing he was killing himself, couldn't figure out how to call 911 themselves for him. That would have involved leaving their computers I guess.

Sad. Sad for all of you."

(PS: Haven't seen the true email yet, took it from Ctrl+Alt+Del)

[WMCoolmon]

Yeah, and my opinion of JT drops even further.

Either he's got no empathy at all for his fellow man, or he's brainwashed himself to believe that gamers are no longer people. "Your friend killed himself because you didn't like him/weren't good enough to save him" has got to be one of the cruelest things you can say to a person.

I sure as hell don't want to live in JT's world, if that's the alternative he proposes to a world with games.

[aldo_14]

Jack Thompson writes to metalgearsolid.com

"Your "gamer friend" will find peace through the Lord, Jesus Christ, but sadly it's too late for that.

There is a void in every heart. You can fill it up with the things of God, or the things not of God. This unfortunate soul chose to fill it up with combat games. The playing of these video games is masturbatory activity, meaning senseless self-stimulation. If you gamers could use a dictionary you would know that that term is not necessarily a sexual one.

The real tragedy here extends beyond the life and death of this one fellow. There are literally millions of young people and young adults whose despair is deepend by turning to the things of this world and then finding them meaningless.

All of you gamers need to put down the controllers and get a life. The utter inanity of the vast majority of postings here shows how vapid "gaming" really is.

You are one of the cheerleaders for this wasting of time and the wasting of lives. Do you feel any remorse for having contributed to this "culture of death?" Of course not. Hey, let's all play MORE games, and ignore all the really productive things to do with our lives.

Let's pretend to be shocked that a gamer might descend into deeper depression, as his gamer "buds," knowing he was killing himself, couldn't figure out how to call 911 themselves for him. That would have involved leaving their computers I guess.

Sad. Sad for all of you."

(PS: Haven't seen the true email yet, took it from Ctrl+Alt+Del)

You're kidding.  That's just.... reprehensible.  I knew he was an ambulance chaser, but to take a suicide victim and use him as a weapon for flashing his own agenda?  It's disgusting.  And based on http://www.metalgearsolid.org/, that is what he wrote.

According to http://gamepolitics.com/, one of the members on that site did actually talk to him and convince him to call a doctor

Incidentally, and this is beside the point, if you do actually look up 'masturbation' in the dictionary you find it only has sexual meaning (it comes from a latin and greek word meaning 'penis' and 'to disturb' respectively).  I hope it's possible to use that to sue him for libel or something - unfortunately, I'm not aware of any legal or civil penalties applicable for being a heartless, self-serving bastard.

[Mefustae]

Is it just me, or does that communique have an aura of 'fake' around it? I mean, either Jack's just repeating what he's said before word for word, or someone's cobbled together this letter out of sentences from his other letters... 

[Zuljin]

It could be fake, but it's jack Thompson we are talking about.
It wouldn't surprsie me one bit if he actually said this.
His ability to sink to new lows is quite disturbing however.