Newspaper Report Links Call of Duty With Teen Suicides

Sean Halliday of Pixel Gate writes:

''As printed news media becomes less and less relevant, the quality of stories seems to degrade. If there is one outlet known for poor quality, shoddy journalism, and straight up selling lies, then it’s The Sun. A news paper that some how manages to set the bar lower and lower on a consist basis. It’s a outlet that has such a dirty history it would make most politicians blush. What relevance does all this have in relation to video games? Well The Sun has a odd attitude towards them, even more so considering it’s latest piece.''

[Snookies12]

Yes, of course teen suicides never happened before this series came out!

[GamerEuphoria]

It's a pretty bold claim for having no evidence to back it up with. Then again,it's a great example of the printed media showing how out of touch it is. The only reason there's no link to the source is the online version behind their subscription online service.

[mikeslemonade]

I've been reading Elliot Rodgers 140 page essay. I'm on page 50 and the guy plays a lot of games. He played the popular games and got addicted to them.

[liquidhalos]

Yeah it's the sun (tabloid) newspaper. It's mainly printed for scummy council trash. They print any old rubbish that gets the dole scroungers up in arms. Usually it's xenophobic/ homophobic vomit that they spew on their pages. Anyone with half a brain cell in the UK knows better than to read this crap

[Zodiac]

I'm not saying i agree with the claim, but people committed suicide before a lot of stuff came out.
People died from drug overdoses before certain drugs were created.

Everything was a catalyst at one point or another.

@mikeslemonade: Just mentioning his name pisses me off. His videos are soo...just..creepy.

[TheSaint]

It's The Sun, tabloid piece of crap newspaper. It's only done for sensationalism.

They have breasts on page 3. That should tell you everything you need to know about it's journalistic integrity.

[aLucidMind]

I used to work in a news stand and, I swear, every four months we would get a The Sun paper saying the world was going to end in three months >_<

[3-4-5]

ONCE AGAIN:

* If this series caused him to commit suicide, then why hasn't everybody else who plays the game done the same ?

Why weren't there 15 Million + Suicides then ?

EXACTLY! Because they are NOT connected.

This Trash Human Being is a Terrible Journalist.

[pwnsause_returns]

Maybe the kid had a bad k/d ratio -_-

[GreenRanger]

Some dumbasses would probably actually kill themselves over that. The human race is getting dumber by the generation.

[Th4Freak]

You know, leaving jokes aside, I find very interesting that even though we live in an age where information is free and it has never been so accessible, people isn't any smarter than 50 years ago.

[Heisenburger]

Would that not keep it even?

*scratches head*

Hmmm....

[GreenRanger]

Newspapers are likely the cause of a lot of suicides. All they do is report negativity.

[GamerEuphoria]

Well the press certainly enjoys a good celebrity break down, and follows them around each and every second of the day...

[ifistbrowni]

quoted for the truth.

[Kevlar009]

Or drive you crazy and question where society has gone to.

In all honesty we shouldn't be making light of suicide, as it is very real and anyone who has considered it must know there is hope. But articles like this do not help the situation at all, there are people who will believe it without knowing all the facts.

Falsely blaming games for the reason of suicide clouds the real efforts to pinpoint issues and the way to increase the survival of people who contemplate suicide. I doubt The Sun even has a sliver of true evidence and is digging for hits at the cost of honest discussion.

Only true scum would abuse the popularity of video games and the tragedy of suicide to get attention. Instead of pointing out the wide range of facets that contribute to suicide, this article focuses on one which is harmless to almost everyone who plays it. Shameful

[jmac53]

Well this is the Sun we are talking about here, the Fox News of newspapers.

[sAVAge_bEaST]

That's what happens when you camp. /jk,

Beast Blood All Day, in Life. -bro's before ho's.

Bitch blood, Ho's before bro's.

/rant over, and the Media sucks.

[imXify]

Woohoo !
Free advertising for Activision haha.. xD

[fanboyseverywhere]

"Mistakes were made" comes to mind when you link suicide and cod together.

[GuruMeditation]

It's the same old story... and the link is an incidental one that speaks more of mental health than anything. Call of Duty, like many games of its ilk, has that whole reward-loop going, which instils a sense of achievement. Video games have always been a release for people with severe mental health conditions, because for that moment in time, you can be somebody, you're a badass who cannot be bullied. So if anything, this release of agression, rewarding feedback-loop and sense of accomplishment probably kept these teens alive for longer, by giving them a age-old coping strategy. That's your link, but I'm sure 'Video Game postpones teen suicide' isn't a headline The Scum would be interested in printing. Jeebus wept.

[vork77]

14 year olds should not play this game

[knifefight]

I myself have considered suicide after playing Call of Duty, so yeah.

[jeeves86]

It's the Sun. It has all of the journalistic integrity of a potato.

The article attracted attention - probably sold some papers. Mission accomplished.

[Phoenix76]

It's the Sun. It has all of the journalistic integrity of a potato.

Your right......... The weekly sport is much better :-D lol

[Mr Marvel]

NEWSFLASH!

A 93 year old man was found dead in his home yesterday.

Rumour has it that he saw his great grandson playing Call of Duty less than 3 months prior to his death.

Coincidence?... I THINK NOT!!!

[zugdar]

What? A game with millions of players has a link to something? Make a big enough target and you'll be sure to hit something.

[CerealKiller]

Wow he must have really hated Ghosts and had no hope for Advanced Warfare!