Hi, Wow...that's sad. There is a point where people can go too far, and I believe that is pastthat point. Best Regards, Hayden
-----Original Message----- From: gamers-boun...@audyssey.org [mailto:gamers-boun...@audyssey.org] On Behalf Of Charles Rivard Sent: Monday, March 15, 2010 5:49 PM To: audyssey gamers list Subject: [Audyssey] gaming out of control nNote that the subject line is mine, not the author of this (article's.) From Andrew Salmon for CNN STORY HIGHLIGHTS * Couple spent hours in online game where they raised a virtual child, police say * Meanwhile, they fed their real baby once a day, say police in South Korea * The 3-month-old girl died of starvation, police say; couple arrested last week * Father says he's sorry: "I wish ... she will live well in heaven forever" RELATED TOPICS * South Korea * Child Safety * Online Gaming Seoul, South Korea (CNN) -- Police have arrested a South Korean couple whose baby starved to death while they were raising a virtual child online, authorities said. The couple fed their 3-month-old daughter once a day between marathon stretches in a local Internet cafe, where they were raising a virtual child in the fantasy role-playing game Prius Online, police told local reporters Friday. Prius Online is a 3-D game in which players nurture an online companion, Anima, a young girl with mysterious powers who grows and increases her skills as the game progresses. Police have not identified the 41-year-old father and 25-year-old mother, who lived in Suwon, a suburb south of Seoul. But the father apologized, speaking to reporters. "I wish that she hadn't got sick and that she will live well in heaven forever. And as the father, I am sorry," he said. The baby reportedly died five months ago. South Korea has one of the world's fastest broadband networks. Seoul has won international awards for e-governance. Online gaming teams are sponsored by major conglomerates and 24-hour, high-speed Internet cafes, known as PC Bangs, dot every urban neighborhood. Police said the couple had lost their jobs and used the game as an escape from reality, especially after the birth of their premature baby. "They instead played an online game in which they raised a virtual character so as to escape from reality, which led to the death of their real baby," Chung Jin-won, a police officer in Suwon, told Yonhap News Agency. "South Korea remains a very conservative society so people who fall outside the norm can come under severe stress and pressure," said Michael Breen, the Seoul-based author of "The Koreans." "The Internet has provided such people with a paradise to escape to and simply get lost in." ------------------------------------ --- In God we trust. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gam...@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gam...@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
