A teenage boy who ran away from home last month after his Xbox was confiscated has been found dead in Canada.

Brandon Crisp, 15, went missing on October 14 after his father forbade him from playing his video game console after becoming concerned about the teenager’s obsession with the online game Call of Duty 4.

Steve Crisp said he removed the Xbox 360 after his son’s behaviour began to change. He said Brandon’s grades were slipping, he had started skipping school and stealing money.

Brandon fled his home on his bicycle and was last seen in a popular hiking and cycling path near Barrie, Ontario, north of Toronto.

A local newspaper and Xbox creators Microsoft offered a $C50,000 reward (27,000pounds) and 1600 volunteers searched the local area, but all they found was his abandoned bicycle with a flat tyre.

Brandon’s body was found by hunters in a cornfield on Wednesday.

In an interview with Canada’s Globe and Mail, Mr Crisp said he had not known how important the gaming system was to his son or how he would react when it was taken away.

He warned other parents to be wary of how obsessive children can get with video games. Experts commented that gamers may form bonds with fellow online players, and Brandon’s parents said they were concerned he may have been lured away.

"This had become his identity, and I didn't realize how in-depth this was until I took his Xbox away," Mr Crisp told the Globe and Mail. "That's like cutting his legs off."

"This is such an issue that hits every parent out there, with video games that are starting to control our kids' lives," he said.

"I just took away his identity, so I can understand why he got so mad and took off. Before, I couldn't understand why he was taking off for taking his game away."

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