Not big, not clever but that kid might think twice about trash-talking online again...
Unemployed Brit gamer Mark Bradford needs to explore anger management.
Joystiq today reports that Bradford, 46, became so enraged by a 13-year-old boy killing him in games of “Call of Duty: Black Ops” and his constant online taunts that he tracked the child down to his home address and assaulted him.
Putting aside the fine example offered by a parent who lets their child play “Call of Duty” online, this is a fairly disturbing story and one which perhaps reinforces the idea that you might want to be a bit more careful when you call out people on PSN, Xbox Live or PC gaming sessions for being cheap, camping douches who noob tube and don’t play the game properly. It also confirms the worst prejudices of many people in society who see gamers as maladjusted, rage-aholic nut-jobs who are a harsh word away from gunning down the people in their office because they screwed up a ‘capture the flag’ match.
Not many people emerge from this story with much in the way of honour, but the key thing to remember is that this guy’s an ass first and a gamer second. Everybody gets yelled at on Live by 13-year-old boys but not everybody has the absurd desire to track down the little buggers in real life. ‘Real life’ being the key phrase here.
Fluffrick 