Death(suicide) of Game Addict

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Shawn Woolley loved an online computer game so much that he played it just minutes before his suicide.

The 21-year-old Hudson man was addicted to EverQuest, says his mother, Elizabeth Woolley of Osceola. He sacrificed everything so he could play for hours, ignoring his family, quitting his job and losing himself in a 3-D virtual world where more than 400,000 people worldwide adventure in a never-ending fantasy.

On Thanksgiving morning last year, Shawn Woolley shot himself to death at his apartment in Hudson. His mother blames the game for her son's suicide. She is angry that Sony Online Entertainment, which owns EverQuest, won't give her the answers she desires. She has hired an attorney who plans to sue the company in an effort to get warning labels put on the games.

"It's like any other addiction," Elizabeth Woolley said last week. "Either you die, go insane or you quit. My son died."

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I just read this :shocked: article (not that new) .

Check out http://www.jsonline.com/news/State/mar02/31536.asp


Watch out guys......Are you game addict??

Well Darwins Rule always prevails. The idiots will kill themselfs.

That makes me mad.All the company did was make the game not trying to get people to kill themselves over it and now someone dies and the mother is going to sue.I know people that once they get home from work they get right on the game and stay on it until the next day.I really dont want to get into it because of how addicting it is.The boy obviously had problems any way and I think if he played 12 hours a day when he killed himself it would be when he was playing the game or around then.

Damn, sounds like the darwinawards.com winner ...
(for those who have never checked that site out, take it lightly ....)

It's not right to talk ill of the dead!

Suicide is when someone does not want to live anymore- it was his choice. That man's poor mother is just looking for answers in the wrong place...

My father committed suicide and I know how painful it is to lose somebody you love. With that said, I have to say this...

It is not Sony's fault this guy killed himself. I can almost gurantee he used the game as an outlet and a way to "cope" with his real problems. It's like an alcoholic. People drink alcohol, enjoy it and do not become alcoholics. However, alcoholics use alcohol as a way to cope and "drink the problems away." The same goes with a computer game or anything else.

The question I have is, why didn't the mother get him real professional help? Suicides do not come out of the blue; they are usually accompanied with threats of suicide, depression, and other tell tale signs. The mere fact he was spending 12+ hours a day on the game should have been a red flag something was horribly wrong.

albn

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He sacrificed everything so he could play for hours, ignoring his family, quitting his job and losing himself in a 3-D virtual world where more than 400,000 people worldwide adventure in a never-ending fantasy.

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I'm very much NOT making light of the suicide, but don't you suppose the previous quote indicates a much more serious issue? Albn is very right...this kind of behavior denotes classic escapism. You don't spend that much time doing any one thing unless you are trying to escape your life. If it had been alcohol, or drugs, or even a woman that caused this behavior, someone would have taken action to stop it before the suicide occured. But because it was a video game, no one looked at it from that perspective.

Oh god I don't want to see another good thing to be takin down because of the angry mother of another stupid kid. Like Ozzy Osbourne and Marylin Manson, that whole secret messages in the song ordeal. Another good thing being attacked because of someone stupid. Maybe there should be a warning on things such as music and games, it should read "You must be in good mental health to use this".

I think it's natural to blame anything and everything else when someone dies, whether by suicide, or some other cause. I don't believe games are the cause any more than I believe games are the reason for violence in our society. The focus is on violence in computer games, tv, movies, and magazines because a certain small segment of the population will grab at anything they don't approve of and beat the rest of us over the head with it.

It never fails that people look to to the simplest route for blame. albn is on the right track, someone should have stepped in to intervene, even if it had to be by force, to prevent the suicide from happening. I am kind of curious as to why sony isint releasing the account info, I would think they would have no problems turning it over to the next of kin. I don't see how the info is going to make much of a differene, and suing sony wont make anything any better. I would think that the woman would be more concerned about coming to terms with what happend, but I guess going after a entity though to be at fault for her sons's suicide is a part of the process of dealing with his death.

Everquest = Digital Crack

My friend helps think of some of the adventures for new add ons to Everquest and that is what he says about it.

I do feel sorry for the family, but you do need to have a balance of real life and online life. Someone did need to step in, as was mentioned before..

I can commiserate with that woman and how she feels. I had a 24 year old son who committed suicide it makes you feel rejected, angry and sad all at the same time . The death of a child knocks you flat on your back you learn to adjust with time but it is the most anguishing thing that you will ever live through.. To make such remarks like she should have helped him more doesn't always hold true. We knew Chris was depressed , we sought help but it was as thought he was behind an transparent invisible wall through which no one could reach. That boy in this article was depressed which is a chemial imbalance and can be corrected many times with medication but at 21 or 24 you can no longer tell that person what to do. At the time you think, "what if I had done? what if we had said"? but still are confused This man already had this problem when he was playing this game that much is true.Some people cannot cope as well as others who is to say what will break or ensnare any of you? Just be grateful that those of you who are well balanced have been truly blessed.Right now she is going through hell and lashing out at life. Auntie

Everquest is without question a very addictive game. I myself was heavilly addicted to it for 18 months. Finally, I quit. Bottom line is, the reason Everquest is so addictive is because it is a great game. What this woman's lawsuit is essentially doing is suing sony for making a good game. Totally ridiculous.

I had lots of the same symptoms as this kid. I quit seeing alot of my friends, I would stay up till all hours of the morning, sometimes not go to bed before I had to go to work again. All I could think about was everquest. This having been said, my life was never in danger. If I got pissed off at the game, I would have quit(which I in fact did, after getting pissed off). This kids suicide is in no way related to Everquest. If anything, he wound up so deep into the game because he already had a major problem, and was using the game as an escape. People do this with books, TV, alcohol, all kinds of things. If someone dies because they were depressed and commited suicide while drunk, do you sue the alcohol distributer? Manufacturer, store? No, you don't. If, the guy had been drunk all ready, and then bought more alchohol, and drank it, and the killed someone in an accident, yeah, then sue the store potentially.

I feel for this kids mother, but this stupidity doesn't help matters. Her kid is still dead. SOny is not responsible, or at least they have a lot less potential responsibility than someone who may be suing them over this. I am not saying she is responsible, but, they arent either.

You said it all, IchNiSan. I agree totally. For the past decade or so, it's been a pattern to sue for any reason. Some years ago, a lady in a nearby city sued McDonald's because she bought a cup of coffee and, while driving away, spilled it on herself and was burned. She sued because it was too hot and there was no warning on the cup. I see little difference.

Maybe the game makers should warn people that the game could be addictive, or harmful to the player's health?? That's about as ridiculous as something I read where some people now want warnings on candy bars saying they could cause cavities or skin blemishes (acne?).

To be fair to the recently deceased's mother, she really isn't suing Sony for wrongful death. She's attempting to force them to include warning labels on their packaging. The article did say that the boy had a few more problems beyond EverQuest:

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Woolley knows her son had problems beyond EverQuest, and she tried to get him help by contacting a mental health program and trying to get him to live in a group home. A psychologist diagnosed him with depression and schizoid personality disorder, symptoms of which include a lack of desire for social relationships, little or no sex drive and a limited range of emotions in social settings.

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It is possible that some people with certain medical and psychological disorders can react in a way not intended by the manufacturers. I wish it wasn't necessary to force manufacturers to be responsible enough to warn people when they uncover possible side-effects of their products through litigation, but this article did say that Sony had not responded yet to this woman's inquiries. The idea that video games can have serious side-effects isn't new, either. Remember those stickers that popped up on Arcade games not too long ago?

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A VERY SMALL PERCENTAGE OF INDIVIDUALS MAY EXPERIENCE EPILEPTIC SEIZURES
WHEN EXPOSED TO CERTAIN LIGHT PATTERNS OR FLASHING LIGHTS.EXPOSURE TO
CERTAIN LIGHT PATTERNS OF BACKGROUNDS ON A TELEVISION SCREEN OR WHILE
COMPUTER GAMES MAY INDUCE AN EPILEPTIC SEIZURE IN THESE INDIVIDUALS.CERTAIN
CONDITIONS MAY INDUCE UNDETECTED EPILEPTIC SYMPTOMS IN PERSONS WITH NO
HISTORY OF PRIOR SEIZURES OF EPILEPSY.IF YOU,OR ANYONE IN YOUR FAMILY,HAS
AN EPILEPTIC CONDITION,CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR PROIR TO PLAYING.IF YOU
EXPERIENCE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING SYMPTOMS WHILE PLAYING A COMPUTER GAME-:
DIZZINESS,ALTERED VISION,EYE OR MUSCLE TWITCHES,LOSS OF AWARENESS,
DISORIENTATION,CONVULSIONS,IMMEDIATELY DISCONTINUE USE AND CONSUL A DOCTOR BEFORE RESUMING PLAY.

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While I agree it sometimes seems silly to warn everyone of that condition when the percentage of people affected by it is so small, but for those people it does affect, this is a very serious warning.

Liability lawsuits have become the punchline of every lawyer joke this decade, but some of them do serve a legitimate purpose. I don't know what the outcome of this suit will be, but I don't think I'll be too bummed if EverQuest starts carrying a warning.

Just a few thoughts.

I totally agree with the fact that is it stupid to sue because her son commited suicide. First off its not the game that caused his suicide. Also suffering from depression, and being a former game addict, I can see how the video game did not help my situation, but it wasn't the reason for my attempted suicide back in June of 2001... His mother does have the right to grieve her son's death, but is going about it the wrong way. Instead of suing the company that makes the video game why doesnt she support (or start) a group for game addicts??? She shouldn't revenge her son's death by suing the company, she should try and help people so the same thing doesnt happen to other familys. Her son's death was a result of a mental illness, not from playing EverQuest. She is definatly going through hell, and is looking for something/someone to blame. She just needs time.

You know, they say they are suing to force them to put warning labels on, but when it comes to liability lawsuits, almost everytime, it's all about the benjamins.

Check this quote from the lawyer, I always take lawyers and politicians with a grain of salt when they hold a press conference, but this statement at least has some truth. "verdict significantly large" = ALL ABOUT THE BENJAMINS.

If they were truly concerned about warning labels, the remedy they would be asking for would be warning labels, but, it isn't. It is all about money.

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"We're trying to whack them with a verdict significantly large so that they, out of fiscal self-interest, will put warning labels on," he said. "We're trying to get them to act responsibly. They know this is an addictive game."

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Maybe there should be a warning put on all computers.

WARNING!!!!!! Proficiency with this device may lead to lack of friends, girlfriends, and generally, a life. You have been warned, use it at your own peril.

This story is from The Register, an online IT newspaper. www.theregister.co.uk
Man dies playing computer games
By Tim Richardson
Posted: 10/10/2002 at 12:05 GMT


A South Korean man died after a marathon session playing computer games.

The unemployed man was discovered in the toilets of an Internet café in Kwangju, 160 miles south-west of Seoul.

According to Ananova, he collapsed and died after playing computer games for 86 hours non-stop without food or sleep.

In February a mother from Louisiana sued Nintendo for "unspecified damages" after her son died during a marathon session playing games.

The game player hit his head on a table during a seizure while playing with the console. ®

I did just that we started a suicide training and awareness program in our town. so that other people might come forth and learn about depression its causes and what to do.We were told when we went to the emergency room he could not be held forcfully because of his age.. He had a very bad year ,lost a girlfriend , his truck (the engine blew up)( lost a job) broke his femur when dirt bike riding ,etc, it was one thing after the other. I think if he had been older he would have realized everyone has a bad spell.Bye the time someone was listening to us his depression was in full force. So sometimes help comes too late. Many people are too embarrased to go to someone and others think they can beat it on their own. If you or anyone you know is depressed try to get them to seek help. Auntie

I have known several people who have commited suicide, and one who was a close personal friend. The feeling is terible and all you want to do is have some sort of solace in place for your grief. But I strongly disagree that anyone should sue for damages that the victum placed on him/herself in the first place. Not the gamming company, community, or the game itself is to blame. The person was obviously not right with him/herself and needed help, whether it come from a professional, family member, or close friend. Sometimes all it takes is a person asking "whats wrong" for the person to realize that some one cares. I used to be suicidal and the only reason I am here is that a close friend of mine was coherent enough to realize that something was wrong the came up to me to talk about it. The thought that someone out there actually cared about me and would be hurt from my death was enough to keep me alive. If the mother of the suiside victum wanted to do something about her sons death, she should try to help others, rather than placing blame.

I agree with this

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It's like an alcoholic. People drink alcohol, enjoy it and do not become alcoholics. However, alcoholics use alcohol as a way to cope and "drink the problems away." The same goes with a computer game or anything else.

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I don't believe games are the cause any more than I believe games are the reason for violence in our society. The focus is on violence in computer games, tv, movies, and magazines because a certain small segment of the population will grab at anything they don't approve of and beat the rest of us over the head with it.

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While I agree it sometimes seems silly to warn everyone of that condition when the percentage of people affected by it is so small, but for those people it does affect, this is a very serious warning.

Liability lawsuits have become the punchline of every lawyer joke this decade, but some of them do serve a legitimate purpose.

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So basicly it's not the games...but "How we can controll games,toys,etc...(could be anything), not games controll us!"
and at least from this article we can have lessons/learn how we care about our life

I think this one have good point for company/game makers...

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the game makers should warn people that the game could be addictive, or harmful to the player's health??

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There are "warning" labels on games. It's called the ESRB rating system and since EQ is a "family" oriented game with some "comic" violence, it's labeled T for Teen (as seen on www.everquest.com's website). It sucks that the kid had problems, it sucks that he was 21 with no chance for getting out of the ditch of Life he was in, it sucks that nobody REALLY tried to help him. It's called an intervention, I think, when an entire family comes to the forced aid of a family member or friend who's going down the path where death (or some other really bad ending) ultimately lies, and that's not what this kid got. Why didn't the mother/father just TAKE the computer away and throw it out? Why not get rid of the modem/cable/dsl access by canceling the account? Nothing of that's listed either because they DIDN'T.

It's not Sony's fault that the kid played their game. Just like mentioned before, it's easy to blame the last thing they were doing (drinking, drugs, gaming, etc) instead of looking at the real problem. I have no doubt this woman doesn't even know what ESRB is about even though it's all over the stores, there's brochueres on it and it's at www.esrb.org on the net. Ignorance is no excuse. Also, I don't doubt that if this woman tries to sue, and (God forbid) she wins, I bet money they get that vacation to the Bahamas and those new SUVs they've always wanted instead of campaigning to have better warnings on said games. Hypocrits who don't even know how to operate a computer efficiently or with any significant knowledge are the ones suing over their own ignorance and apathy.

5 minutes of education does wonders. This woman could learn a lot if she weren't so "set in her ways". As for game addiction, it's all about drawing the line of reality.

EDIT: another addition I just thought of after reading the line about "game makers should warn that their game is addictive". Sorry, but that made me laugh. Do you think ANYONE gives a damn about what cigarettes do to the human body? Do you think they care about the pollution of the air caused by second hand smoke? Do you think they care at all about the effects of smoking during pregnancy or that second-hand smoking causes lung cancer? Not in the slightest. Do you see anyone who likes to drink excessively take moderation in their actions and heed the warnings that state you shouldn't drink and drive, or that you shouldn't drink while pregnant, etc etc?

Moral of that story: everyone thinks they can define the line of moderation for themselves because of the often false sense of "control" that they think they have on whatever it is, whether it's gaming, drinking, smoking, whatever... Hell, about the only thing I haven't seen yet is a spouse suing his/her dead wife/husband's workplace because "they made him/her work too much and that's why she died".