Another tragic and unthinkable story with a relation to a violent video game has just surfaced in the news. The trial for Daniel Petric began December 15, 2008. Over a year ago, on October 20, 2007, when Daniel was 16, he killed his mother and tried to kill his father – all because they didn’t want him playing Halo 3.

Daniel’s parents, New Life Assembly of God minister Mark Petric and his wife Susan (pictured at right), didn’t want Daniel playing Halo 3 and forbade him to buy it. Daniel didn’t listen, and around a month before the attack snuck out and bought the game. His parents found out he bought it on his own, and confiscated the game. Mark then placed Halo 3 in a lockbox, where he also happened to keep the family’s handgun.

Daniel managed to get the key when his father was unaware. He took both the gun and game. He shot his mother in the head, arms and chest and his father in the head. Luckily, his father’s wound wasn’t fatal. Daniel then tried to frame his father, and tried to force his dad to hold the gun so it would look like a murder-suicide…

Sad news is coming out of Canada today (November 6, 2008) – specifically, the town of Barrie, in Ontario. Brandon Crisp was discovered by two deer hunters today a little over a mile away from where his bike was found on October 20, 2008. Brandon originally ran away on October 13, 2008, after a dispute with his parents over video games.

Brandon’s parents, Steve and Angelika Crisp, had felt that the amount of time he spent playing games, specifically Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, was excessive, and they had decided it was time to take away the fifteen year old’s Xbox 360 for good. Brandon rebelled at the news, and decided to run away. His parents thought this threat was idle, and so didn’t stop him – his father even helped Brandon with his preparations before he left…