Andreu Coll Tur, an 18-year-old from Alaro, Spain, has confessed that he murdered his wealthy father, 57 year old Andreu Coll Bennasar, using a weapon inspired by Capcom’s Dead Rising 2. Tur stated that he was harassed at work and committed the murder in order to inherit the 50 million euro his father was worth, meaning he could start living a simpler life.
The weapon was made two months before the murder, which happened on June 30, as an exercise in creativity. A hammer and a vase were also used in the murder, after which Tur and his associate Francisco Abas Rodríguez, whom he had met while playing Call of Duty online, doctored the scene to make it look like a robbery.
While there is no indication that the murderers were influenced by the games they played, people have already started comparing this tragic case to the shootings last December in Connecticut. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced it is closer to conducting a study on the links between media and real-life violence. While it may be tempting to announce how you are uninfluenced by violent games or how research proving a connection don’t follow the scientific method, I ask all of you to respect the fact a person has died for such a petty reason. Defending the games we love is a worthy cause, but this is a battle we should fight another day.
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