Violent games + mental illness = murder? | Bangkok Post: learning

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Shocked by 14-year-old's murder of his mother, people are asking why? Violent computer games & autism seem to be the answer.

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CRIME

Link to autism found in video death case

2/11/2012
King-oua Laohong

A 14-year-old boy who allegedly stabbed his mother to death was autistic and had been playing an extremely violent game before the attack, a senior police officer said.

Police say their inquiries will now turn to consulting child experts on whether playing violent video games can influence the behaviour of autistic children.

The game that the boy played regularly is Point Blank, a violent online first-person shooter.

Deputy Metropolitan Police Bureau commissioner Pol Maj Gen Manit Wongsomgboon said the boy, whose name has been withheld, has a history of autism. Experts will be consulted about whether violent games pose a danger to autistic children, he said.

The bureau will randomly inspect game shops around Bangkok which offer gaming to children under 15 years of age outside of normal operating hours.

Police will also inspect the game shop frequented by the boy to see what types of games are available to youth there.

The boy showed no sign of abnormality after being sent to Ban Metta remand home for juvenile delinquents, Thanit Sriyapan, the director-general of the Juvenile Observation and Protection Department said.

He said the teen showed remorse and realised that he would no longer have his mother.

The boy was arrested at his house in Saphan Sung district of Bangkok on Wednesday after allegedly stabbing his mother to death and attacking his elder sister with a knife, injuring her.

Police said the boy committed the crimes after being scolded for playing video games excessively .

He was sent to Ban Metta remand home yesterday.

Monthon Panjapol, director of the remand home, said further psychological tests would bed conducted on the boy.

Adisak Palitpolkarnpim, head of the Child Safety Promotion and Injury Prevention Research Centre at Ramathibodi Hospital said video game addiction is a type of mental illness.

Children with "fragile" mental states are more likely to imitate what they see, Dr Adisak said.

(Source: Bangkok Post, CRIME, Link to autism found in video death case, 2/11/2012, King-oua Laohong, link) 


Crime by Children Vocabulary
 
online computer game - a computer game played my many people (multiplayer) over the internet (See Wikipedia)
online - connected to the internet

massively multiplayer online game (MMO, MMOG) - a multiplayer video game with hundreds or thousands of players in different places played over the internet played in a computer created virtual world (See Wikipedia)

first-person shooter - a kind of computer game using guns and other weapons with action seen through the eyes of the person shooting the gun (first-person perspective), often played as an online multiplayer game (See Wikipedia)

a violent online first-person shooter game

Point Blank - an online tactical first-person shooter developed by Zepetto, a South Korean company (See Wikipedia)

regularly - frequently, often, habitually; at regular intervals, after equal amounts of time have passed โดยปกติ, เป็นประจำ, เสมอ
the game that the boy played regularly is Point Blank

matricide - the act of killing one's mother (See Wikipedia)
murder - the act of killing another person (See Wikipedia)

autism - a serious mental condition that makes it difficult for people to communicate and interact with other people (See Wikipedia)
autistic (adjective)

autistic child
autistic children

link - เชื่อม,  เชื่อมต่อ, สิ่งที่เชื่อมต่อ
link to autism
link to autism found in video death case

has a history of - in the past has done this or had this
the boy has a history of autism

stab - to push or thrust a knife into a person or thing แทง

allegedly - claimed to be true, but not yet proven ที่ถูกกล่าวหา
allegedly stabbed his mother to death

violent - involving the use of physical force, with the intention of causing damage to property or injury or death to people รุนแรง
violent game
extremely violent game
playing an extremely violent game before the attack

consulting - getting advice from someone on a subject  หารือ
consulting child experts

inquiries - people asking about something
their inquiries will now turn to consulting child experts

influence - the power to have an effect on people or things อิทธิพล to affect or change how someone or something develops, behaves or thinks มีอิทธิพลต่อ, ชักจูง อำนาจบังคับ

behaviour - the things that a person does, the actions they take, the way they act  พฤติกรรม
influence behaviour

whether playing violent video games can influence the behaviour of autistic children

withhold - not give something to people
withheld - past of "withhold"

name withheld
the boy's name has been withheld

experts - ผู้เชี่ยวชาญ
consulted - asked for their opinion and feedback about an issue, or a decision to be made หารือ ปรึกษา
experts will be consulted

pose - cause something, especially a problem or difficulty เป็นเหตุให้
pose - to create a dangerous of difficult situation
pose a danger to
violent games pose a danger to autistic children

randomly - chosen without any particular pattern
inspect - to look at something carefully ตรวจสอบ
randomly inspect

bureau - a government organisation, in this case, within the police department สำนักงาน
the bureau will randomly inspect game shops around Bangkok

normal operating hours - the times of the day that a store, shop or other business are opened
outside of normal operating hours - the times of the day that a shop is not open

gaming - playing computer games
offer gaming to children under 15 years of age outside of normal operating hours

frequent - going or being at place often
the game shop frequented by the boy

youth - a boy or a young man เด็กหนุ่ม, วัยรุ่น
what types of games are available to youth at the game shop

sign -  something that shows that another thing exists or is happening สัญลักษณ์, เครื่องหมาย
show sign of ... - you could see something and this thing meant that
showed no sign of

normal (adjective) - the usual situation that you expect, not surprising, strange or unusual ปกติ,  ธรรมดา
abnormal (adjective) - not normal  ผิดปกติ, ผิดธรรมดา

abnormality (noun)
sign of abnormality - something that shows that a person is not normal

the boy showed no sign of abnormality

remand - telling someone on trial for a crime to return to the court on some day
remand home - a place where a person stays when they are on trial for a crime

juvenile - a child or related to children
juvenile delinquents - a child who has broken the law, a child criminal (See Wikipedia)

sent to Ban Metta remand home for juvenile delinquents

the teen showed remorse and realised that he would no longer have his mother.

elder - older ที่แก่กว่า
elder sister

attack -  บุก, โจมตี, ตี
injure - ทำให้บาดเจ็บ, ทำร้าย
attacking his elder sister with a knife, injuring her

committed crimes - break a law; do a criminal act

excessively - too much
playing video games excessively

scold - get angry with someone for something they did wrong ว่ากล่าว, ตำหนิ, เอ็ด
scolded for playing video games excessively

the boy committed the crimes after being scolded for playing video games excessively .

mind - the part of you that thinks, knows, remembers and feels things  จิต, ใจ, จิตใจ, จริต, ความคิด, ปัญญา,เหตุผล, ข้อคิดเห็น, ความตั้งใจ, สติสัมปชัญญะ, ความจำ (See Wikipedia)

psychology (noun) - the study of the mind
psychological (adjective) - involving or affecting the mind

psychological tests - tests to check for psychological problems (See Wikipedia)
conduct psychological tests - give a psychological test to someone (to see if they have a psychological problem)

further psychological tests would be conducted on the boy.

addiction - a strong need to do something such as take a drug (cannot control), craving, dependence ความบ้า, ความหลงใหลหรือมัวเมาในสิ่งนั้นๆ จนผิดปกติ
drug addiction - การติดยาเสพติด

mental - existing in the mind
mental illness -  a sickness or disease in the mind, psychological problem 

video game addiction is a type of mental illness

state - a condition or situation สภาพ
mental states - a condition in the mind

fragile - easy to break or damage ที่เปราะบาง ที่หักง่าย
"fragile" mental states

imitate - to do same thing as other person; to copy something (such as the speech of a person)  เลียนแบบ

children with "fragile" mental states are more likely to imitate what they see

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