7 Times The Gaming Industry Gave In To Anger
2. Real Life Stabbing Thanks To Counter Strike
It's never nice to detail a moment of real-life violence that comes courtesy of video games, especially seeing as this undermines any progress we try to make convincing others that they deserve to be treated as an art form. Sadly, this story really does warrant exploring for how horrible it is.
Think of it as a smelling salt which shows us the importance of internet security and of a wider argument of mental health support which seems to be lacking here.
In 2010, Julien Barreaux approached the front door of another Counter Strike player (known only as Mikhael) who he had tracked down over months of stalking, only to stab him repeatedly as he answered the door. The reason? Mikhael had killed him on Counter Strike after a knife duel on the game.
Yes really.
Barreaux was sentenced to two years imprisonment for the crime, which is pretty lenient all things considering. There's a common tendency to get angry at losses but this was something different - this was a blurring of reality and fantasy which was disturbing at every level.