I am a mum from Liverpool England and i have been on the Computer looking for help where i live for my daughter who is fourteen, she has become someone i dont know any more i realy feel for this lady what is happening to kids these days it seems to be all over the world i am so concerned.

Gina Jamieson, Liverpool, England

i dont think religion should have any play in this. keep your fairy tells to your own self.

mike, smyrna, GA

Put prayer back into the schools and allow parents to descipline without the fear of being punished for doing what parents are charged before God [bend the tree while it's young].

marilyn, houston, tx

Wow he has problems

sfs, nyc,

Being from a family where this kind of thing actually happened, we as a society cannot afford to take these threats lightly. If only we were knowledgeable of our family member's thoughts and had taken action sooner, would we have been able to save them and our entire family from being distroyed.

It is our responsibility as citizens to ensure that this child realizes the seriousness of his thoughts and actions. My prayers go out to the Troiano family. Their courage and strength during these circumstances (especially Mrs. Troiano) are extremely admirable. I am hopeful that this situation will be resolved through the juvenile justice system mentoring, prayer and encouragement and when the time is right that Cory can return to his home and be a productive member of society.

Name withheld, USA, usa

My deepest sympathy go out to this mother. I have a 14 year old, high school boy and I have punished him the same way for making bad grades. I love him more than life but I know anything is possible. I stress the respect and understanding I show him. So when he comes at me in a disrepectful manner, either in the form of looking at me wrong or attempting to talk back, I let him know who is running things. My mom let me know to this day you are never to old, and that is the same way I teach and look at him. You are never to old.

Dee, Hub, MS

Like so many previously posted comments, you can't blame the parents. In fact, no singular entity can be held liable. This is the result of a high pressure society where individuals from learning age are under the constant pressure to succeed and be accepted by their peer groups and others.

Unfortunately, the social infrastructures (government departments, social services etc) are under staffed, under financed and under resourced. They now need help to help society to help us.

The child still needs to be held responsible for his actions and given life skills whilst he serves his time.

There is no simple answer - you could write an essay on this subject and still cause controversy!

Fernando Rose , Basingstoke, United Kingdom

Children these days have become more manipulative. The mere fact that these mis-behaving children's punishments are becoming more lax just shows them how much power they have over adults. I can remember back when I was a child.. when I misbehaved, my father would paddle my rear till it was nearly blue. But now-a-days, all these children have to do is plead "child abuse" for a simple disciplinary spanking, and they can have their parents locked up!

If a child at THAT AGE actually contacts someone to kill their parents, then they are damn well old enough to account for their actions. Juvenile probation is like a slap on the wrist for attempted murder! If the child sees that this is all he gets for plotting murder, what's to say he won't try it again, and actually succeed in doing so?

We need to STOP lessening punishment for the actions of children by blaming "Ignorance" and start to teach kids to take responsibility for their actions!

Jason, San Diego, CA

This story reminds me very much of my own. From the age of 6 to 17 I was abused sexually, mentally and physically. As an only child with a mother who never sought out treatment for me, then accused me of trying to seduce my father when he started touching me inappropriately from 13 onward. She never spoke of it and was made plain to me that I could be further harmed, or my pets would, as my cousin demonstrated my snapping the necks of kittens to my horror when he molested me at age 8. I damn well fantasized about offing my folks. Daydreaming about it was the only power I had left in the situation. I knew it was wrong, but I used it to survive, reminding myself I would have a diploma and be 18 soon and I could get out of that living hell.

I guess my point here is if I had the opportunity then, as this boy did, I might have done the same thing. Fortunately, I moved on with my life and am reasonably happy now. I refused to have children as there are still perps in the family. I am 43 now

Rhonda H, Carson City, NV USA

where would a 16 year old kid get money from to pay a hitman? and im proud of his mom for doing the rite things these kids need to realise that the world isnt about what u want all the time, the sooner the better.

shaun, brooklyn, new york

I feel that we are looking too closely at this. I do not feel that we, the general public of America, should be blaming anyone for this mistake. I do not feel that it is the parents fault for having a messed up life, or the video games for having violent messages and graphics, or the child's fault for dealing with it all. I feel that he made a mistake and should be punished and helped accordingly, and that is all. I do not feel that saying that the parents are at fault or simply stating that he is crazy without getting to know him is appropriate.

Nicole, Ithaca,

If you want to understand why Cory Ryder tried to have his mother killed, ask a teacher. "You can't tell me what to do", they say. When they can't they are angry, and so are their parents. Students are growing up with the idea that there is no limitation on their freedom and when they find out differently they are outraged. That's what happened with Cory. Parents shouldn't be surprised at this kind of reaction after letting their children do as they please for 17 years.

Jon Bertram, Crown Point, Indiana

You reap what you sow.

kambiz shahri, Pretoria, South Africa

I am a addicted pc gamer and tv-watcher, but if don´t have anyone of this, I don´t call a hitman. I take a book and read it... not killing anyone. This teenager has a mental disease.

Please exused my bad english... i´m a german pupil.

Simon, Hannover, Germany

I wonder who put the idea of hiring a hitman into his head? who pressured him to talk to the undercover cop? I'm not saying a normal kid wouldn't reject the suggestion out of hand; however, it seems he was led.

jem, london, uk

As an advent gamer and someone who suffered a parent seperation in his teenage years, I can honestly say the parental seperation has caused FAR more damage than any videogame. But that's just me, I've got the wits enough to know the reprecussions of actually killing someone and the morality to prevent me from doing so.

rory, newtown, ct,

First of all I am sure there is plenty of blame to go around so there all you self rightous parents can take heart in that. But seriously people, kids can turn bad and all the love, careing and nuturing in the world won't stop that from happening. Blame whoever but ultimately this kid turn bad somewhere and there is no excuse for his behavior what so ever. I cannot stress enough that so only have so much control who the choices your kids make and if you think different then you are just fooling yourselves.

sam, Madrid, Spain

James from London is completely wrong if he thinks America's crime rate is down to playing video games! Is it me or has the world lost all common sense? I think it is pathetic to blame video games for a problem that runs deeper and further back than even, the invention of the television. People are under employed in day to day life and over exposed to a world where they believe anything is possible. Governments have lost control as people have lost their fear, the same thing has happened to the church. It's in decline since people realised what they are told might not be true. I would find it hard to believe that children wanting to kill their parents is a modern phenomenum, even the story of King Arthur includes such a thing. There is a quiet majority out there who see this but will never be heard while the media continue to spin these ludicrus theories. Common sense people, remember.

Shane Perkins, edinburgh, scotland

Video games don't do this to people! Please for the love of god stop blaming video games for all those physco's out there just wanting to murder one another. To see what video games are all about visit www.XAVFS.co.uk

Anthony, Manchester, England

Ummmm ya, whatever. Maybe next time us fat American, overworked, overborrowed, gaming addicts will just let the next dictator strole on in to your little perfect countries so you can sit and have a nice talk with your new leaders....... get a life will ya, America is not the cause of your problems.....

bill, indiana,

@Nick, Liverpool, England

So why haven't the thousands of other children whose parents split up when they were young tried to have them shot by a hitman. The kid is clearly crazy and should not reflect badly on the parents. Some kids are just Bad and this one clearly worse than bad.

@James, London, The previous great empire

Same old boring excuse using Games as an excuse vehicle. Again why have the majority of other gamers not hired hitmen? If someone is naturally crazy then anything will send them over the edge, it has no bearing that he played a playstation. The kid is messed up period.

Tommy, Leeds, UK

Bad parenting is bad parenting. Don't blame anything else. I really don't believe Mrs Troiano woke up one morning to an evil child playing video games and interviewing hit men. Yet she is the one that neglects/abuses him, then she sets him up for a "sting" with jail time and then tells him she loves him as the jail door swings shut. Who thinks this kid is done with the legal system?

The US is rampent with denial. Children are left to the tv and movies at a very early age and then their parnets say, "My child was born bad... I didn't do anything!" Well maybe that's exactly what the problem is.

Brian, Los Angeles, USA / CA

you ignorant hicks did you ever stop and think that mabey he had scars from the sepparation of his parents when he was young No! you just assume tv and video games are to blame just to justify your selfish reasoning HEH tipical adults always looking for a scapegoat never takeing responsabilty for your actions.

keegan, saskatoon, canand

We have just the same discussion over here in germany where some old school politicians that obviously never used a mouse want to forbid so called "Killer"-games. They would love make a crime out of playing them. It is sad. For me it is once more a matter of history repeating itself over and over again:

There was a time when some people thought reading books would make people stupid. It continued with comics, there are alot of articles from the 1950ties and 60ties to be found in archives all over the net where worried parents write about those evil comics making their children agressive. Then it was TV and now its computergames.

Yes you can get ideas out of games. But that is something any media can do, so you need to ban games, TV, comics, books - and voila! We're back in the 17th century. And lets see: yes, the world was a meadow of flowers back then where no bad things were happening, wasn't it?

It's always the man doing the killing, never the sword!

Andreas, Stuttgart, Germany

It took them almost a year to decide not to try the Jena 6 as adults and they just do it that quick?

candice, Norfolk, Va

Kind of puts the Jenna 6 Mychal Bell story into a new perspective.
Similar backgrounds, run ins with law as juvenile however very dissimilar results.

I believe Mr Ryder much like the young man in the Joneboro, Arkansas school shootings (Mitchell Johnson)

(http://www.cnn.com/US/9803/24/school.shooting.folo/)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8894307/

will be back in the news after he is released.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitchell_Johnson_(murderer))

Mike, Petit Roche, Arkansas

Unfortunately I have been witness to a lot a really nice families having to deal with really rotten kids. There just seems to be this rising tide of thinking among younger people that they are entitled to dowhat ever they want, and don't have to face consequences. I have seen the ability to lie and manipulate the emotions and morals of others in younger and younger children. Thes children aren't sorry they did wrong, they are just sorry they got caught. Then, instead of modifying their behavior to a better standard, they just set about finding better ways not to get cuagh the next time. It's frightening to me and should be to our entire society, as well. I can empathize with this family. How can anyone live with some one they are afraid of?

Ann, St. Louis,

Well, the child needs help, not people taking his entertainment away. People need entertainment to keep them going. Limiting it is ok but banning it for weeks at a time? That's just going overboard. I'm 13 and my view may be biased, but seeing it from different point of views is good. You need to know the effects of your doings to do the right things. Sometimes adults get rash and just judge without thinking about the feelings of the kids. If he's not doing well in school then he should get help from someone. It doesn't have to be a parent, it can be a friend. Why, right as of now I have a friend I'm helping in school. I'm sure my friend won't do something like this guy because he's still doing well in school and his parents won't ban him from his entertainment, but if they did and he wasn't doing well in school and I didn't help him, I'm sure he'd be very confused and angry. What adults need to do is know where to draw the line and not go overboard or sometimes not enough punishments

James, Orange City, Iowa

Hi,

In my opinion, the mother did the right thing. I have a daughter who is 16 yrs old and she has a lot of mouth. I get on her for a lot of things and worry what she might do, because it does cross my mind. You never know what a person or child is thinking. My daughter got in some trouble at the age of 14yrs old and we had to go to court, but we had a hearing first and I was asked if I wanted to take her home or leave her until the court date, I said I'll leave her until the court date. She was upset. It just don't make sense and us parent have to do what we have to do. No I don't blame anyone but when things happen like what the mother has went though, I say do what you have to do. It called tough LOVE!

Rhonda Queen, Hyattsville, MD

Unfortunately these days there is a lot of mental disability in the world and more and more we see the kind of actions we used to only see in adults, being manifested in chidren. Because of the times, children are being made to grow up too soon and most of the time they are ill equiped to deal with the types of issues they have to go through. We as parents, teachers, clergy, etc. don't know where to place the line; should we tell them too much and risk them losing their innocence or not enough and risk their lives? It's a shame we have to have the courts intervene but perhaps now he can get the help he needs and I don't mean sitting in a cell some where thinking over his problems. He is in need of counseling and so are a lot of others out here.

Veronica E., Washington , DC

Honestly, I think his mother probably ignored signs a long time ago with him, where's his dad? Sometimes problems start small and grow into big situations over time. This kid needed his father, he probably didn't like his new family situation, as parents were quick to start new lrelationships to help us go through life so, if it's tough for a adult to deal with the change image a child's young mind. I think the parent is as much to blame as the child.

Tavaris , Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Video games don't create killers. Parents do.

Brian, Toms River, NJ

What can one say to this? This child was punished as he should have been in my opinon. So his retaliation is to "Kill"?! Are you serious?! How is this o.k. with anyone. The world is going to a bad place and if we can't discipline our children without being worried that they will take our lives if we do so. How do we expect them to learn right from wrong? Someone let me know.

Lorenzo, Albuquerque , NM

Honestly, I have had enough of this - Computer Games, Music etc. to blame for wanting yo kill your parents? This is uncontrolled anger. Deal with issues appropriately and not have readymade answers like games etc to blame. Killing did not start with games and music.

Rhonda, Rhenen, The netherlands

I think people are focusing on the video game aspect of this story a bit too much. It's only mentioned at the start of the article and doesn't link the gaming to the idea of the crime. Could be just as easy to blame TV. The boy obviously has some troubles and you would have to know the full story from all points of view to come to a reasonable conclusion.
Obviously what he has done has to have consequences and I think he should be tried in an adult court where the full power of the law will apply. I only hope there will be counselling available for him in prison.

Paul, Perth, Australia

HEY HEY HEY come on now Video games are not the blame for kids these days and ENOUGH blame on games People. I am a hardcore gamer and I know the difference between reality and fanasty.

Playing games does not make me go out and break the law and kill public citizens and stuff like that. The real issus lies with parents not teaching their kids the difference between reality and fanasty.

It is the kids that have these kinds of issues and needs to be addressed. Classic case in point I like to make is that I am 38 yrs old and love games since 1978 and responsible tax payer. And if I had kids I would not let them play bad games until they are older like 17 + and of course I can't control that if they play it at freinds house.

The real issue I see today parents are control freaks and not letting kids breathe and grow up to be who they are. Having said that it is ok to be protective but not control freaks. Here is the key is COMMUNICATION with kids and trusting goes along ways.

Tony Seattle, Edmonds, wa

I fail to see what ‘The American flag hangs everywhere’ has to do with this boy’s terrible relationship with his parents?

Hundreds of millions of people play computer games across the world and live life in a totally normal way.

Do you not think that the gun problems in the US are more likely to be down to the fact that guns are available pretty much everywhere over there? Do you not think that if guns were freely available in this country, our gun problems would be ten times what they are now?

I think it is incredibly lazy to blame society’s problems on computer games, absolutely ridiculous! What’s your next comment going to be, that pop music is the devils handiwork?

The boy could have any number of emotional/mental issues, suffered abuse as a child, bullying at school etc. There are hundreds of different reasons why this boy could have done this, but to make sweeping assumption that it is all down to computer games is ridiculous!

Richard C, Solihull, UK

No one ever considers the possibilty that video games do not cause these issues, but rather that people who are anti-social are likely to be attracted by games in which they can practice their anti-social behavior while not needing to interact with live humans. Obviously, this does not imply that all those who enjoy video games are anti-social. I saw no indication that this child was mistreated. He is just a bad kid. Sociopaths exist in all societies, not just in the U.S. While it is true that we have horrendous leadership, that wealth is disproportionately held by the top eschelon, and that most of us are overworked and underpaid worker bees, none of this accounts for his crimes, anymore than I suspect we could blame the horrors committed by the dictators of the past on their parents or their economic status.

Joe, Carlstadt, New Jersey

LOL I can't believe there are still people who can somehow read this story and put the blame on video games. That takes some amazing reading and comprehensive skills.

Seriously people, please stop picking any news story and molding it into something that fits your own agenda. It shows your stupidity.

RC, San Francisco, CA

This article doesn't say whether this boy has had a psychiatric assessment. If he hasn't then his defence lawyers have failed in their duty. This is not to suggest that if he does have a psychiatric condition he should "get away with it" but that he may need treatment to reduce the risk of future such offences.

Julia , Romford, UK

ah yes video games ofcourse i guess it has nothing to do with the kid being a total psycho... im 17 and i have a palystation i play grand theft auto and all the otehr games on it i get into arguements with my parents but ima good student i get straight A's and i would never think of hurtin myparents . its not because of the playstation its because the kid is stupid

jarek, chicago, us

"Mational Service is the answer to most of youths problems but of course that would be a vote killer wouldn't it.

Weak, weak, weak are our politicians.

david, Madrid, "

Hmmm, just like that ex soldier a few weeks ago who covered a dying woman in shaving foam and urine AND recorded it on a phone. Yes, the army will make a man of these wayward individuals. Quite.

Neil , Madrid,

Perhaps instead of setting a trap for the troubled boy, the parents could have considered counselling , for themselves as well as the boy.

sally, cranbrook, bc

RIght to bear arms? You're kidding right? The kid is 16. In this country he has no right to bear any kind of arms. Guns, Knives, Shanks, knitting needles, sharpened toothbrushes, quill pens and imaginations are entirely off limits for children that age over here.

When a kid is plotting to kill his parents no punishment will suffice to reform him if coming from his parents. Putting the kid in a prison that will expose him to infinitely worse things than a playstation would might be counter productive. A reformatory for young men might be better. Preferrably one that doesn't involve guns.

Dan, Iowa, USA

The right to bear arms is looking less right?

Helen, Sapcote, Leicestershire

So Felix, what do you suggest instead of 'grounding' a child or taking away one of their toys as a punishment?

No punishment is nice, otherwise it wouldn't be punishment. Or are you suggesting that children should never be punished?

Are you really trying to justify the attempted murder of a parent because they took away a Playstation?

Dr D Dragon, Bath, UK

If anything Matt, the absence of violent video games and violence could be partly to blame for murderous behavior. If you look at it from another perspective, video games are a way to vent frustration instead of taking it out on others.

Dan, Blacksburg, VA

I only ever play Football manager (a soccer simulation for all you americans) and Pro Evolution Soccer (a different kind of soccer simulation). Is this gonna make me a top soccer player? I will bet you your television set it wont!

Sharpe, Wick, Caithness

Another victim of a broken family. Sad.

Time both new-borns parents were legally obliged to fully care for their children in their home until they are sixteen. Perhaps people would be more careful about choosing a partner and creating a new life.

Sue, Nantwich, UK

There's nothing in this story that justifies any conclusions about what caused this tragic series of events.

And, look, I don't like Bush or boorish video games or teenage aggression any more than anyone else who doesn't like such things, but they don't warrant infantile anti-American slurs and gleeful calls for judicial overkill. Most of us are trying to do our best and those of us who screw up deserve help, not curses and locking-up-and-throwing-away-the-key.

And for goodness sake, do give over about discipline and national service. Surely enough ex-servicemen and children of authoritarian parents commit violent crimes (and always have) to show that these problems have complex xauses and no simple solutions!

Rudolph Spurling, London, England

Correlations.
Doubt Crime Statistics are increasing at an equivelent rate.
Crime Statistics sited as relating to Video Game Playing.
Put them on a graph next to each other and call them correlated. But I could do this with global temperature increases and the purchase of video games. Where is the "control" for such a conclusion. Using another country or time period doesn't count because different social preassures and mechanisms existed then do currently.

*sigh* It is sad, and appears as if the child may have more responsibility to handle than most of us. I say it so because if he does have a psychiatric "disorder" or is a physcopath think of how much more work his day to day life is going to be. If he isn't interested in living in jail. Try him as an adult to introduce the inability of him to influence the situation around him. Don't call him to defense, challenge him as a witness, and let a pyschiatric sentance for therapy be accepted.

David, Riverside, CA

Message to Jonathan, Hastings, e Sussex. I'm glad you found the U.S. undesireable. I hope this means that you won't be coming back! So quickly you forget that you would be speaking German if we didn't help. So sad....nice to hear you hate our flag.
Kids have too much leisure time on their hands these days. Gaming is fun, but it does not lend itself to real-life experiences, which define a person. It's entertaining, but in the end, what do you take away from it? Not a whole lot. Kids that are the most interesting and generally the most sucessful in the end are engaged in many activities besides vids. Sports, hobbies, jobs, academic endeavors to name a few. This kid sounds like a great example of a kid who was raised by television and video games and in the end, was bored.

kyle, Loveland, CO

That kid should be tried in an adult court. Obviously he knows what he was doing was wrong at the beginning. At 16, surely should take responsibility of his action, no one can blame games in what is happening in our societies. Even the fact that the kid had hired a person to kill his parents, surely identifies that the kid is an adult and should be punished for his action

Soneliso, Johannesburg, South Africa

Clearly this child is troubled. It's time people woke up to the fact that regardless of parenting, children have the final decision on what actions they choose to take. I was abused as a child, parents had a very bitter divorce, mom trying to commit suicide every weekend and yet I still didn't try to have them killed. It was my choice to pull myself out of that emotional jail and have my own life. I have kids that had the same parenting and yet each one is different....because of choices they have made. They realize that and accept responsibility for it, they don't blame us as parents. If he's tried as a child and commits murder once he's released, then the public will be hollering how wrong it was not to try him as an adult. Why would we take this risk? It is an indication as to what he's capable of as a child, imagine when he turns 18 and there is no barriers!

Very Concerned, USA,

Jonathan, you are not looking pretty wise there. We hang flags because the feeling of Sept. 11th caused us to band together with national pride. You probably would not understand that, and I think there are a lot of worse things you could point at. Alas, you were probably 5 years old in 2001. (And it's "ad hoc".)

James, studies have shown that video games do not cause crime. This happened because the kid was sensitive, and because his parents split, because his mom had him at 19. You never hear of a kid like this coming from a solid family.

Peter, Boston, USA

James, from London. Your comments are unfortunately cast adrift by your random, unsubstantiated and media inspired assertion that a nation of video gamers equates to a nation of murderers. People of all sorts play video games. People of all sorts watch the news. The news contains violence. Surely you should therefore be frightened about the news too? Please, get a grip.

Matt, Brighton, United Kingdom

I am sick and tired of everyone blaming videogames for all the violent things a couple of deranged people do. I am 15 years old and I do play violent videogames, THIS DOES NOT MEAN I AM GOING TO SHOOT UP A SCHOOL! I have been grounded from videogames for weeks at a time, so what, you get on with your life. The kid in this story obviously has problems. He was kicked out of his house and that is why he tried to get his parents killed.If he was kicked out how was he going to get grounded from anything? Just because at one point in time he was grounded doesn't mean that is immediately the cause.
Just because of what the a few people do please do not punish the majority, and stop blaming video games for everything.

Logan, Ottawawa,ONT,

Mational Service is the answer to most of youths problems but of course that would be a vote killer wouldn't it.

Weak, weak, weak are our politicians.

david, Madrid,

16 year olds do not normally try to hire hitmen to kill their parents, clearly this boy is exceptional, but in a bad way, a psychopath! Lock him up and throw away the key! Nothing more to be said!

Rik Lambert, Letchworth, UK

This is why videogames are bad for our children, and bad for our society. A whole generation, rotten to the core from playing war simulations like 'Halo' and the 'Grand Theft Autos' series.


(/sarcasm)

Concerned, Ogdenville, AK

Another dumb American unable to cope in a society ruled by too many fake morals and too many real deaths.
Send him to a slum in Mexico and he might change his tune. Better still, get him to read instead of playing games.

Fly on the Wall, Manly, NSW

Actually Felix, that treatment your talking about is called DISCIPLINE and not enough parents do it. This is because we live in a nanny society, where parents are too scared to punish their children properly. Too many do gooders get involved with raising our children, our kids grow up thinking they can get away with blue murder if they act up enough. I agree with this boys mother, he should be tried in an adult court. She raised him, therefore she should know what he is capable of. I have 4 children (3 boys and a girl). They have been brought up with discipline and a firm hand. They are not angels and can be a handful but they do have a good grasp of right from wrong and they know that actions bring consequences. They are also happy & well rounded individuals that hold a basic respect for all around them. Parenting properly means making some hard decisions that your kids won't like you for. We are not here to be their best friends, we are here to guide them in the right direction.

Kelly, London, UK

This kid has had it hard from the start. his parents have had their own way and split effecting this child from a very early age, not seeing his mum and dad together anymore is hard and who knows how he has been treated by his step family.
There is a definite lack of love in this boy's life and his only comfort has been the games console. The parents really need to think how they have been treating him but, then again maybe this is the whole game plan. (to much work involved for them)

Nick, Liverpool, England

I have to say, I was in the States recently and I couldn't believe how awful the place was. I couldn't wait to leave. The American flag hangs everywhere ( kind of reminded me of some less popular arabic nations, where they hang the "leaders" picture on every building) while noone has any real identity.. No wonder kids want to kill their parents, after slaughtering people add hock overseas its all they have left to kill.. That usually don't fight back!!?

jonathan, hastings, e sussex

If you spend you entire life shooting ,killing and blowing people up,whether for real as in being a soldier,or fantasy, as in video games,it can but only enter deep into your subconscious.
If this was not the case why is it that the USA which has millions of gaming addicts has such staggering crime statistics?
The reality is the "American dream" is rapidly proving to be more of a nightmare.People are overweight,overborrowed,overworked and the rubbish that hollywood churns out doesn't fool anyone anymore.
The cultural vacuum that is the USA,is becoming a black hole.
The rise and fall of the American empire is unfolding before all our eyes.The country is bankrupt and China and India are in ascendence.

James, London, The previous great empire

the issue of being told you can,t use your playstation or video games by your mamma when frankly you are nearly old enough to be in control of your own life and working to pay for it as well is probably only the tip of this very deep ice berg. For young males the often stifling atmosphere of home leads them to fantasise about more exciting and dangerous worlds elsewhere,( how else did medeival Crusaders march their way into the Holy Land other than recruiting from the ranks of the testosterone driven bored stiff and stuck at home with mother and a man calling himself father) We should suprised that it doesn,t happen more often. Sounds like he needs a spell at Brat Camp.Much of our lives can be summed up as how we deal with our own particular problems when they occur

C Hamer, birmingham, uk

First a Step Father, Then a Mom who acts like a Child too, No Love Just Restrictions, Never Talk to Your Childern when they are in mess and always impose Restrictions will REsult in this.
I think the person who showed the path to the Hitman should be behind bars for Guiding him their.

Now if he goes to Adult Jail he will become Criminal. Great Going MOM you finnaly got rid of the child from your first Husband..

Arbab, Quetta, Pakistan

Just another dumb American kid who cant handle a bit of discipline. Still at least he never got a gun and went back to school which seems to be a popular pass time for other stupid American kids!

Pete, St Albans, England

Turns out that if you exercise the power to take away a person's possessions, arbitrarily imprison them in your house, and prevent them from doing things they enjoy, after a few years of this treatment they will want to kill you. This shouldn't be astonishing, except that we expect children to lap up that kind of treatment and still say they love their parents, and they mostly do, because they're powerless and dependent and rarely have access to hitmen.

_Felix, Nottingham,

I'm an avid gamer myself, and I've never even so much as punched anyone. Video games do not cause violence. If someone is inspired by playing games to commit violence, he probably had serious problems to begin with.

I don't think this is the parents' fault. Short of psychiatric problems, the teen is the only one to blame. Sixteen is plenty old enough to know the difference between right and wrong. Even a much younger kid could tell you that killing your parents over a Playstation is unacceptable.

He should be tried in adult court. He's old enough to answer for his actions.

Mike, burbank, CA

Well, what can you say... Another mother caught up in emotional vexation over her own life, viciously transfers every bit of what she knows to her baby... what do you have? Another teenager accused of wanting to kill mommy when mommy wanted to kill him first... when he was a baby - but would she admit it? No parents don't do that - they scream and cry when baby grows big and pukes their deepest thoughts and dreams back on them...thanks mommy, you are another raising a prospective murder, and the justice system supports you. Try spending your time promoting contraception rather than the 18 years later nightmare. Phew! At least he didn't think of killing anyone else...what would mommy say then? He was a lovely, exciteable boy...

trueforeigner, London,

It is easy enough to blame games, childhood and other influencing factors for the mistakes humans make. Admit it, humans are all crazy and only thing "What can I get out of it"
I am tired of people blaming others, when they should be looking at themselves. "I just kill somebody because he looked like the man that wouldn't sell me an icecream when I was 2" what crap. Take responsibility for your own actions.

raphael, Johannesburg, South Africa

Tasshu, you're argument that video games had an effect on this kid is ridiculous. What evidence do you have that he played 24 hours a day? Or that people who play all the time have "side effects"?

"Halo and now this" - Now what... what on earth are you talking about? The point isn't getting across because your paragraph makes no sense.

I'm with Sean, what ever happened to someone just being crazy? Why does everyone have to seek a reason and subsequently use video games as the scapegoat. IMHO, you blame it on something you know nothing about.

Gamers are tired of hearing excuses from lame people that know nothing about them making unjustified claims that video games are "brainwashing" their kids into performing violent acts. Why not blame movies? Or the programs on TV

Mike P, Manchester England but from NJ, USA

He just needs to smoke a joint and chill out, that's all.

Kyle Doyle, Collingwood, Ontario

The opinion of a 17- year old gamer:

The article does not mention videogames as a cause for this, neither does it imply he owned any videogames he was not legally allowed to play.
Please, stop blaming this hobby as the cause of all violent attitudes in teens. It may be *A* cause, and I'm not disputing that, but it's not the ONLY cause. Stop using it as a scapegoat.
Thinking "The article mentions that he owns a Playstation! That means videogames made him do it!" is not only irrational but childish.
You believe the cause to be videogames because you WANT them to be the cause.
You want the cause to be videogames because that absolves you of any blame or responsibility as a parent.
You simply do not wish to believe that you are to blame for your kids' actions.
A good parent would take a logical approach to the situation and think about if their own actions (or lack thereof) could have caused certain problems in their kids.
Too many parents simply aren't ready to be parents these days.

Seabutcher, Hertfordshire,

Hmmph..... What is there to say?

I was also considered partially insane. But you can't go on saying that it is the kid, instead of blaming the parents for something. Think about it, kids do not learn this stuff on their own, but instead, learn it from around. And in this instance, the mother failed to teach her son between right and wrong, and he grew up terrible.

You cannot create a monster, and blame it after it creates destruction.

Mike, calgary, Calgary

I don't blame anyone. 16 is about the age when many psychiatric problems begin to appear, such as schizophrenia. I pity the boy and the family, and I think the boy needs treatment not prison.

Rufus, sarasota, Florida

You guys are so funny, always blaming the parents. Obviously you don't have kids of your own. You do your best for them. Sometimes it works well, sometimes it doesn't.

George, Toronto,

It could be that the child has some sort of psychopathy. This type of disorder is marked by a lack of conscience, manipulative behavior, and poor impulse control. From the information given by this article, he seems to match up with those symptoms fairly well.

Whether its some psychopathic disorder, or something else entirely, the kid needs serious help. Perhaps he can get it within the juvenile penal system, perhaps not.

Violent behavior has existed for as long as mankind has--much longer than any form of electronic media, for those who haven't been paying attention. There have always been scapegoats for this type of behavior, and those scapegoats keep changing as time progresses. 20+ years ago, it was music. Now, it's TV and games. Who knows what it will be in another 20 years?

To find the source of violent behavior, you have to look at the person's mind, and their environment. Violent media may be a contributor, but it's not a deciding factor.

Steve, Dystopia,

some kids are just born bad.... with mental problems... it's not always the parents fault.. and with society not even establishing neighborhoods or caring about other peoples kids... no wonder this kind of thing happens. of course in the US the republicans want to continue to cut taxes... therefore not paying for schools or after school programs.. and we wonder..

jeff smith, san diego, USA

Obviously the kid is messed up, it has nothing to do with video games. Who's fault is it that the kid is messed up? The parents. I'm sure there were problems in his upbringing that caused him to be such an angry child, so I hate to see the blame being pinned on silly things like games. Normal children who have been taught right from wrong can tell the difference between things. It's a wonder this family didn't get councelling TOGETHER earlier. Way earlier

Arek Hautaluoma, Sidney,

It's sad, that kids can get charged with attempted murder, and tried as adults, for a schoolyard fight in one part of the country. Then someone can plot to have his own parents murdered, and be charged as a juvenille, even though said parents wish to have their child tried as an adult. We truly live in two sepperate Americas

Al, Hampton, VA

If the kid was playing Halo, Gears of War, or any other M rated game, ITS THE PARENTS FAULT!

M! not suitable for kids under 17 years old. This guy is 16. Everyone knows this. 90 percent of the adults who buy games now understand this, yet they still buy it for kids. Where ever he's getting the games he shouldn't be.

But I think it's unrelated to games, this kid is probably just a bad apple.

Kinglink, Elsewhere,

The public really needs to stop blaming things like this on video games. If your kid has issues don't shirk the blame just because other people do it, if its easier it doesn't always make it right. Take responsibility for your kids actions, get them the help they need and own up to the fact that some of it is because of horrible parenting.

Maxwell Martin, New York City, New York

Kids getting worse.

Halo and now this.. I love games dont get me wrong, But people who play them 24/7 have started to have side affects.

Tasshu

Tasshu, Colchester, England

Tasshu, who in heaven's name said video games have anything to do with this? That's an extremely narrow-minded comment and a cheap shot at everybody's scapegoat whenever a kid goes bad.

Ed, Hamden, CT

Games don't drive kids to do things like this. Typically bad parenting is to blame, especially when it comes to the parent-child communication. It's the parents fault for letting their child become so dependent on video games for entertainment if anything. You take away a child's main form of entertainment, especially during the adolescent years, and they are going to naturally rebel. When I was a child, my friends and I would go outside and play guns, whilst orchestrating grandiose ambushes on each other. By your logic, I should've become one of those kids who massacres people in schools, but I didn't. I knew the difference between play and real life. I had the mental stability that my parents cultured me on.

The fact remains is that everyone wants to blame their children's problems on everything else but themselves. It makes them feel better about being a failure as a parent. I feel for this mother, but she raised her monster. She must now live with the consequences.

Andrew, London, England

Kids and their disgusting actions towards video games. Games are meant to be fun, and yes, they are. However, when I read garbage like this, it makes me want to stop all together. Hurting your father or mother for grounding is no excuse, and that kid should never be let out.

Suleiman M., Toronto, Canada

Jesus - Let's focus on real problems - like troubled marriages. Video games are not a scapegoat; how about being accountable for your own marriage and your own child?

This kid has issues - and I have a hard time pointing the finger at anything other than parenting, psychological ailment, and the other friend's mother for putting him in contact with a "hitman" regardless of if she/he knew it or not.

John Parks, Marion,

To those of you saying this is just blaming video games again, have you even READ the article? There's no mention of video games being at fault or even having anything to do with this. It says the kid has been having serious problems for a long time before this and that he's at fault for his actions.

Jayde, Toronto, ON, Canada

I don't care what kind of excuses they can make the parents are both responsible for the son turning out like this.

a good parent, san diego, california USA

Nothing to do with games. Quit blaming movies and music and games for this. There are always bad kids and sociopaths. It goes way deeper than what fictional entertainment they have enjoyed in the past.

Jerry, Baltimore, USA

Do not blame this on video games. They were not even mentioned in the article. Video games influence people no more than any other form of media.

Tony Harrison, San Marcos, Texas

This article has one mention of any sort of gaming device, at the start, and suddenly it's video games fault that this kid wants to kill his parents? Ok Jack Thompson, have fun with that...

If you seriously read the articale, the kid is messed up and video games have nothing to do with it.

Alex, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Oh yes, blame video games, because the world was peace and love before they came along wasn't it?

James, Vancouver, Canada

Its not video games that do this. From what I can tell Video games have little to nothing to do with this case. The kid was having attitude problems from the beginning and planned the hit after getting kicked out of the house. that has nothing to do with video games at all. Lets not give the twisted people like Jack Thompson more ammunition than their twisted minds already make up. This is a tragedy for sure. but it has nothing to do with video games.

Drahkar, Portland, OR

And where the heck did this article say anything about this kid playing games/PS2 for anywhere near 24 hours a day?

I'm sorry, but you're just totally skewed and biased against games. Don't get me wrong, you clearly are against video gaming. It's obvious when you try to pull a Jack Thompson on us.

james, leichester,

Theres a lot of people out there thay play games 24/7, but they're not going around trying to kill their parents. You hear about the exception in the news, not about the thousands of others that do it out of enjoyment and have no intentions on killing someone.

Just because one kid is an idiot (maybe it was the divorce an outside factor) doesn't mean that anyone else that plays games as often as him (or more often) is crazy.

Sean, Fayetteville, Arkansas