PlayStation Murder

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February 16, 2011 at 5:43 pm

PlayStation Murder

By Rhonda Callow

A teenager murdered his mother after she took his PlayStation away. Is this the

effects of playing violent video games or a deeper mental illness?

The Philadelphia Inquirer has reported the case of a boy who killed his mother

after she imposed a digital grounding. It's claimed that 16-year-old Kendall

spent 3 hours deciding whether to kill his mother, Rashida, after she

confiscated his PlayStation as punishment. He then entered her bedroom and hit

his sleeping mother multiple times with a claw hammer. The Inquirer states:

When the hammer attack did not kill her, told police, he dragged her

downstairs and tried to " cremate her " in the kitchen oven. When that failed, he

continued, he beat her in the head with a chair leg before dragging her body

outside and hiding under debris in an alley behind the house.

" If I could, I would not do it again. I really miss my mom. She was the only

person who cared for me, " stated in his confession.

It's very likely that some people will attempt to link this murder to the

effects of violent video games and this is a subject I've written about before –

Can video games lead to violent behaviour? As I said in that post:

" I think that video games can and do cause problems for some people. They can be

addictive and can lead to kids – and adults – neglecting their family and

friends and work commitments. But can they turn kids into sadistic murderers? Or

blur the line between fantasy and reality? I don't think so. "

My opinion hasn't changed. It's obvious that was an extremely troubled

young man; if the confiscation of the PlayStation hadn't led to this incident,

something else would have.

What do you think?