Even Russia gets real life PKing
(Visited 14682 times) Game talk
Jan 302007
The Moscow Times reports that a Virtual Conflict Ends in Real Death, as a leading Lineage II player allegedly stomps another to death. Ironically, the person who died was trying to break up the fight, which started because the two player clans were rivals or something.
This isn’t the first time this has happened, of course, though it’s the first time I’ve seen it reported in Russia. There have been Korean and Chinese cases previously. I guess it’s spreading.
It’s going to be interesting over the next few years to watch good and bad press about virtual worlds try to outrace each other in different territories.
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LINEAGE II L33TS ARE HARDCORE [IMG Lineage II] A Russian newspaper is reporting that a Ukrainian gamer is facing up to 15 years in prison for the death of another online gamer. Alexander Ponamorenko (known as DVP online to his RedSquad clan) is supposedly one of the best Lineage II players in Europe, and had been quarreling with
As one of my friend’s pointed out when I told him about this sad story: If it wasn’t a game gathering it would have been a soccer match or just everyday barroom brawl. Brian Crecente Virtual Conflict Ends in Real Death [Moscow Times, via Koster] [IMG]
For the amount of time these games have been out there, and for how financially integrated and advanced they have become in countries that also have high rates of game-linked addiction, having one or two of these events a year is VERY telling. We’re a long way from a clear and present danger.
Tragic though they are, their sheer rarity belies the fundamental link to factors that have nothing to do with the game worlds themselves. This doesn’t prevent the games from becoming scapegoats of course, but if at least the U.S. legislator learned anything in 2006, it was not try to govern too much by emotion when the facts are not supportive.
Darfur. Lineage II. Darfur. Lineage II. Hrm…
Darfur. Lineage II. Darfur. Lineage II. Hrm…
You know. It’s really, really sad that I thought about a response for a little bit, and eventually came up with:
“Not here.”
Maybe I should just stop watching this stuff altogether, since I don’t expect to try for the game industry again for years. (And to forestall the obvious response: I definitely don’t want it very much.)
[…] [Via Raph Koster’s Website] […]
There have alos been offline PK’s in Los Angeles, at least a year or two ago — among Korean immigrants at the time.
[…] has been formally charged with the beating death of Blyoskin and faces 15 years in prison.[Via Raph Koster’s Website]ReadPermalinkEmail thisLinking BlogsComments […]
[…] Virtual Conflict Ends in Real Death [Moscow Times, via Koster] […]
[…] Russian newspaper is reporting that a Ukrainian gamer is facing up to 15 years in prison for the death of another online gamer. […]
[…] Filed under: Culture, PC, RPGs, MMO The Moscow Times reports that according to Moscow police, a man attempting to break up a fight between two Lineage II players in the real world was killed when one of the men stomped him to death. Alexander Blyoskin, 22, died trying to stop members of two rival Lineage II clans from hurting each other during a meet up in a Moscow caf Jan 12. The two men were allegedly posting negative statements about each other on Lineage forums and when meeting each other in person decided to take their differences outside. Statements differ about what happened outside. Some witnesses say Blyoskin hit his head on the ground after being punched and others say Alexander Ponamorenko stomped on his head after he fell on the ground. Ponamorenko has been formally charged with the beating death of Blyoskin and faces 15 years in prison. [Via Raph Koster’s Website]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Website | Download […]