Their son has been missing for more than a week, and Brandon Crisp's parents put the blame on Call of Duty, a military-style video game. Before the Canadian teenager took off, dad Steve and mom Angelika said they finally pulled the plug on his addiction.
They took his Xbox.
The 15-year-old Catholic high schooler took off on Tuesday, Oct. 14, and the Crisps have heard nothing from him, nor has he appeared in the online world where Call of Duty players meet to talk strategy and fight a virtual war, battling enemies with sniper rifles and machine guns, heavily armed jets and choppers. It's a game touted for its realistic look at warfare, giving players a chance to experience "tomorrow's warfare." It's also rated "M" for mature.
I don't actually have a problem with kids playing these video games. Studies as recent as last month have shown the kids who play video games are no more likely to turn into bad seeds than they are to be bedwetters. Video game addiction is very real, and I could see how easy it is for kids to replace the reality they experience outside of their bedrooms with the "reality" of the life inside a game system. Brandon's parents say he was reclusive, and didn't like to do anything physical. He fit the "loner in the basement hunched over a computer" stereotype of a typical Call of Duty player to a T. Outside of the house, the Crisps say they're afraid he won't be able to handle himself. Online, he has "friends" to back him up as he goes into make-believe battles. He doesn't need money or food or shelter from the cold - really any of the basics of every day life.
I don't blame them for taking away the Xbox to try to snap their kid back into reality. But can you really blame the game? The game doesn't say "play me, play me, sit on your ass all day." It's not the reason a kid has no survival skills at 15 and no desire to do anything physical.
Regardless, I feel for the Crisps. Not knowing where your child is for 24 hours is bad enough. More than a week? It makes me shiver.
Image: Amazon
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