Future Shop Stops Promotion Of Violent Video Game In Light Of Crisp Tragedy
Posted November 6, 2008 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The tragic turn of events surrounding the death of Brandon Crisp has shone a glaring spotlight on the issue of video games and their use and abuse by young people. Crisp’s tragic demise can be directly linked to his extensive playing of his Xbox, after the teen ran away from home when his parents took the system away from him following concerns that he was addicted to the technology.
On Friday one of the most anticipated games, Gears Of War 2, will go on sale, and on Thursday night, gaming fanatics were already camping out outside of local stores Thursday in Toronto, awaiting the release. While most expressed their sympathy for Crisp and his family, they maintain that video games weren’t to blame.
There’s no denying, however, that the release comes at a difficult time – a fact that wasn’t lost on Future Shop, who released the following statement earlier this week;
“Future Shop and our vendor partner have decided to cancel promotional activities prior to the midnight release of Gears of War 2 in Toronto and Vancouver out of respect for the family and friends of Brandon Crisp.”
Lee Perry, a senior game designer for Epic Games, believes parents should oversee their kids’ activities.
“It’s a mature-rated game and it’s up to their discretion. I just hope they’re involved in the decision and are really there for that decision-making process.”
“Even though it’s like a comic violence, because it’s not real life, it’s still too violent for kids and it’s up to the parents to decide what they play and what they don’t,” adds Les Pinter, Xboxaddict.com.
