We all know the tragic incident where a boy shot himself while trying to imitate Halo.

Dick Ward over at Xbox Focus has a few comments on the whole situation which should not be taken lightly - and should be heard, listened to, and understood - by gamers, parents, and legislators.

Obviously, this situation is bad: a child is dead and it’s a horrible tragedy. His family and members of community must be reeling from this, and certainly should be. This is a terrible occurrence, one that should never, ever, have to happen. None the less, this isn’t an excuse for journalistic integrity to go out the window though.

The article didn’t outright implicate games in the accidental death, but they mentioned them enough for people to make the link. People like Luke Plunkett of Kotaku, who should really know better, picked up the story and reported it as a Halo related death. Garbage like this can cripple our industry. and spits on journalism. If gaming sites post this stuff up, then how far can the mainstream keep going?

Rest in Peace, Joshua.

Deathsythe via xboxfocus.com »