Another Day; Another Game Related Killing
This past Saturday for reasons as yet unknown a young man named Erik Salvador Ayala killed two people and wounded seven others. As is the current trend it didn’t take long for this brutal and tragic act to be linked to video games.
In the original report from the perpetrator’s local newspaper The Oregonian, Erik’s neighbours and room-mate were asked about his background. Aside from describing him as a quiet and peaceful individual they also mentioned his enjoyment of FPS titles such as Resistance and Left 4 Dead. I must give credit to The Oregonian, the article never specifically connects his gaming with his crime and simply states:
One of the things that brought him joy was playing video games such as “Resistance: Fall of Man,” in which an Army Ranger fights an alien race that is trying to take over the world, or “Left 4 Dead,” where the object is to slay fighting zombies.
However I still find it worrying that his gaming habits were deemed worthy of mention. If he had owned DVDs of War Of The Worlds or Dawn Of The Dead I seriously doubt that would have been reported. Mr. Ayala attempted to kill himself after committing his crime by shooting himself in the head. He somehow survived but is currently in critical condition. We may never really know what motivated him to commit such a horrific act. We can only hope that speculation about his motives fails to draw any more anti-gaming press.
Via: Gamepolitics
News Tags: death, Left 4 Dead, media, Resistance: Fall of Man
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“…where the object is to slay fighting zombies.”
Slay fighting zombies…Too easy, I’m not saying a bloody word.
Good post though =)
He has decent tastes in games.
Also “If he had owned DVDs of War Of The Worlds or Dawn Of The Dead I seriously doubt that would have been reported”
Very well put.
Being an Oregonian (and Oregonian subscriber) myself, I can tell you that this particular newspaper has a reputation for having something of an ax to grind on many “controversial” subjects. It has not been known to me, however, that they are/were “anti-gaming” or anything along that line. If I were to guess, I would say gaming got its mention because an editor thought it might have been relevant or would draw readers, but the reporter saw no obvious connection, and mentioned it out of obligation.
@tomato, i don’t believe the oregonian article was particularly focused on gaming. I simply felt that any mention of someones games library is as irrelevant as discussing their taste in films or albums. When i talk about this drawing more anti-gaming press, perhaps i could have phrased it differently. The original report as a whole was not anti gaming. My worry was that by reporting on Erik’s gaming habits further speculation may arise, leading to yet more senseless and uninformed debate on video game violence. Thankyou for your response to the article and the background you provided on the oregonian newspaper, i hope the intent of my post has been made more apparent.
As an update to this story, Erik Ayala died from his injuries. He left most of his money and possessions to his roommate in a suicide note/will. It revealed nothing regarding his motives except references to ‘this shitty world’.