EDITORIAL
One of the most shocking and sensational crimes in the recent news was the brutal murder of a hard-working family man by a 19-year-old high school student.
Polwat Chinno killed taxi driver Kuan Pohkang with his bare fists and knives in a grisly 2am plan to steal the hard-earned money of his victim. The media descended on this story of bloody murder when the killer confessed, but pleaded that a video game made him do it. Authorities took him at his word, issued a hasty ban on exactly 10 games and vaguely promised new restrictions further down the line. Far from showing concern, this reaction emphasised the huge gap between the real technology revolution and what the country's leaders appear to know about it.
First of all, it is most troubling that authorities and the media latched on so quickly and conveniently to the alibi of a confessed, vicious killer.
They were far too quick to accept the word of Mr Polwat. He is an adult who told police he planned and carried out a reprehensible killing for a small amount of money. His claim that the video game Grand Theft Auto made him commit the crime sounds more like a novel legal defence than a credible motive. Tens of millions of people around the world play that game - tens of thousands in Bangkok.
Early evening on any given day, the top floors of the city's many shopping malls are filled with youths playing a myriad of computer games - many of them violent.
An earlier ban on this particular violent game would not have saved the murdered driver. More to the point, there is no evidence or reason to believe the ban will save any lives in the future.
The Public Health Ministry quickly assembled a list of Top 10 Violent Games - not by research or reason, but by a quick Googling in which bureaucrats accepted the first hit, an obscure list from a local US politician trying successfully to get his name in the newspapers and his face on the TV news in an election cycle.
Such a ban is also self-defeating, since new games come on the market regularly. In any case, a police ban is only another business hitch to the video pirates and shop owners involved in underground distribution.
There are two challenges that linger in the wake of the bloody crime that robbed the family of Kuan Pohkang of a husband, father and dedicated bread-winner.
The first is to discover whether computer games and similar technology really can drive a disturbed person to murder, and what to do about that.
Even more important is to better inform the "old" generation about the technology revolution, of which video games are such a tiny part.
In this newspaper's technology section, Post Database, Nectec director Pansak Siriruchatapong suggested the government establish and fund an independent think tank, able to provide the country with information and recommendations on future developments. Weaker people, he said, can become so immersed in games they lose track of reality. Like many, Dr Pansak opposes outright censorship. That does not rule out regulation, however. Many countries have a ratings system of games. For example, Grand Theft Auto boxes and wrappers all carry a large, black M-for-mature.
The problem is most parents and few politicians have a clue about such things. Many are technologically illiterate. Mr Polwat's mother gave him 100 baht a day to play video games, but had no idea what he was doing - or what was happening to his mind in the process.
Authorities must take a more serious approach to the changes technology is bringing to our society.
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