Russia - Gamer Kills Gamer over Gamer Killing Gamer... Er, In-Game!

Not even a month into 2008 and we're already writing about violence due to video games. Online video games this time (probably Lineage II as the reporting website reckons). The story is as simple as it is breathtakingly savage: A 33-year-old gamer residing in Ufa, Russia was murdered by a member of a rival online party "after virtual violence provoked a fatal real-life scrap," Russia Today reports (via theregister.co.uk).

The same source reports that "the victim, named only as Albert, was a member of the Platanium clan in the unreported game (possibly Lineage II)." His party counted experienced gamers, most of them being over the age 30. The Plataniums had had somewhat of an "online rumble" with another party called the Coo-clocks clan, and at the end of December, in which one of the latter's members was killed.

The Coo-clocks clan, according to Russia Today, is mostly made up of students in their twenties.

Of course, the virtual rumble led to a real world meet-and-rumble, during which "Albert was badly beaten and died from his injuries on the way to hospital," writes Russia Today. Apparently, the 22-year-old alleged murderer has shown no remorse, and even refused to justify his actions. Fellow Coo-clocks now "continue to harass the family of the murdered man, threatening to kill his sister, who hasn't turned on the computer for days." She said: "I think they have confused the game and reality. And after we buried him [Albert] on 31 December, they continued to threaten us."

It amazes me how cold hearted these people can be. OK, so you play a game, you're frustrated about losing your character's armor, weapons or whatever, so you go and have a fight with the guy, which ultimately renders him lifeless, even though that probably wasn't your initial intention - Do you have to inflict even more pain on the guy's family? Isn't it enough that a girl just lost her brother in a very unnecessary fight over a lousy game???