NotStyro
Shared on Fri, 12/14/2007 - 07:04Better watch what you say in xbl in-game chat...
Charges filed against FSU gamer
...and...
Misdemeanor charges filed against FSU gamer
It should be note that the FSU mentioned is NOT Florida State University, but some university in Maryland.
To summarize the linked articles, guy playing COD4 says something about going on a shooting tour of his school. Another player, from Oregon, takes it seriously enough to figure out where the FSU player is at then calls local/FSU law enforcement. The police then do what they are trained to do - county-wide school lockdowns as soon as the schools open, then find the gamer, arrest and charge.
I don't know about the rest of the players here, but I have heard plenty of other gamers get so caught up in the maps and play to utter direct and indirect threats against other players and places. I can just imagine the FSU gamer getting so into the map & play to utter something vaguely, or outright, threatening. Sometimes I think it is almost as if making threats and whatnot are an integral part of a players psychological reaction to gaming. Spouting BS & making threats is part of the gaming experience (although I hope that 2o2p gamers do this a lot less than most gamers).
It would be interesting to try to follow this case, to discover if the FSU gamer was going to go on a rampage, or whether this was all just BS. You have to wonder why the gamer in Oregon, Kaipo, thought the threat was legitimate enough to call across country to make a report. And then there is the question of how the police can make a charge like this stick without any evidence, or did Kaipo (or MS) record the game and in-game chat? Which then raises ACLU type questions regarding first amendment rights, wiretaps, unauthorized recordings, protecting kids vs the Bill of Rights (can't we do both?), and other important questions.
All I can say is that based upon the news article, the local & FSU law enforcement probably did the correct move in ordering the schools into lockdown based on suspicious threats. Arresting the FSU gamer without any evidence and only based upon the word of another gamer doesn't play in my books, but that is something for the lawyers to work on.
I guess this should just reinforce the notion to keep your mics off unless you have everything under control, and have something worthwhile to say.
Charges filed against FSU gamer
...and...
Misdemeanor charges filed against FSU gamer
It should be note that the FSU mentioned is NOT Florida State University, but some university in Maryland.
To summarize the linked articles, guy playing COD4 says something about going on a shooting tour of his school. Another player, from Oregon, takes it seriously enough to figure out where the FSU player is at then calls local/FSU law enforcement. The police then do what they are trained to do - county-wide school lockdowns as soon as the schools open, then find the gamer, arrest and charge.
I don't know about the rest of the players here, but I have heard plenty of other gamers get so caught up in the maps and play to utter direct and indirect threats against other players and places. I can just imagine the FSU gamer getting so into the map & play to utter something vaguely, or outright, threatening. Sometimes I think it is almost as if making threats and whatnot are an integral part of a players psychological reaction to gaming. Spouting BS & making threats is part of the gaming experience (although I hope that 2o2p gamers do this a lot less than most gamers).
It would be interesting to try to follow this case, to discover if the FSU gamer was going to go on a rampage, or whether this was all just BS. You have to wonder why the gamer in Oregon, Kaipo, thought the threat was legitimate enough to call across country to make a report. And then there is the question of how the police can make a charge like this stick without any evidence, or did Kaipo (or MS) record the game and in-game chat? Which then raises ACLU type questions regarding first amendment rights, wiretaps, unauthorized recordings, protecting kids vs the Bill of Rights (can't we do both?), and other important questions.
All I can say is that based upon the news article, the local & FSU law enforcement probably did the correct move in ordering the schools into lockdown based on suspicious threats. Arresting the FSU gamer without any evidence and only based upon the word of another gamer doesn't play in my books, but that is something for the lawyers to work on.
I guess this should just reinforce the notion to keep your mics off unless you have everything under control, and have something worthwhile to say.
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Comments
Submitted by Devonsangel on Fri, 12/14/2007 - 07:44
Submitted by NotStyro on Fri, 12/14/2007 - 07:58