Well this is very interesting. A couple, Michael Straw, 25, and Iana Straw, 22 are going to spend 12 years behind jail due to child neglect. Their addiction to gaming, or more so the MMORPG, Dungeons and Dragons Online was blamed by Prosecutor Kelli Ann Viloria. The parents had food, but they were too involved in their games. The 22 month old boy was starving and had genital infection. He also had a hard time walking. The 11 month old girl, had mouth infection, dehydration and dry skin. Authorities also found cat urine in her hair. The children are now in foster care after being found starving and swept to the hospital. The man deserves not to see his $50,000 spendings on some heavy hardware and a plasma TV for a long time.

Some hardcore gamers go as far as setting up an extremely expensive hub. One man from Nevada even spent US$ 50, 000 he inherited to acquire some heavy hardware and a plasma TV. Unfortunately, he won't be seeing those anytime soon. Together with his wife, they'll face 12 years behind the rails. Their case? Child neglect.

Two children were sent to a hospital last month after they were found almost starving to death. The kids are now in foster care and are slowly recovering. The 22 month boy suffered from starvation and genital infection. Until now, he is still having a hard time walking. His sister, an 11 month girl, had mouth infection, dry skin, and severe dehydration. Her head was also shaved when authorities found cat urine on her hair.

The justice hammer dropped on parents Michael Straw, 25, and Iana Straw, 22, after pleading guilty of child neglect. Prosecutor Kelli Ann Viloria blamed MMORPGs, particularly Dungeons & Dragons Online, for their crime. ''They had food; they just chose not to give it to their kids because they were too busy playing video games,'' she told the Reno Gazette-Journal.

Proposals to officially brand video game addiction as a clinical disorder came up with the issue. Patrick Killen of Nevada Child Abuse Prevention, calls the relation of video game addiction and child abuse ''a new spin on an old problem.'' ''It's easy for someone to get addicted to something and neglect their children. Whether it's video games or meth, it's a serious issue," he added.
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Most recently commented on by on Jul 25, 2007
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  • 1
    Sakura Jul 15, 07
    Awww, that's really sad. I hope the kids are able to get all better soon. I didn't realize people could get that addicted to gaming. =/
    • 0
      SSJ3 Trunks Jul 16, 07
      Thats what you call, going a bit too far. How sad can those parents be? Video games > Kids? I don't think so.
  • 0
    Synergized Jul 15, 07
    Yeah, me too. Especially 20+ year old parents for *bleep*s sake. People need to control their addiction. I hope there aren't many more people like this.
  • 0
    tidus04 Jul 15, 07
    [size=1]This is really sad to hear but yet at the same time interesting. Just goes to show the extent of peoples desires for the game./size]
  • 0
    Insanity Prevails* Jul 15, 07
    Wow, that's rather pathetic to neglect your own children, no matter what the addiction may be.
  • 0
    Rinkydink Jul 15, 07
    Holy shit, I never realised that video game addiction is up there with the ranks of the likes of drug addiction. The parents fully deserve to be locked up for that long, their addiction is sickening.
  • 0
    Mister Ivanovich Jul 15, 07
    Those are some pretty terrible parents. I don't understand how they couldn't have skimmed off the top of that $50,000 to pay a nanny for a while instead of wasting it ALL on hardware and video game stuff.

    People never cease to amaze and dissapoint me. -_-
  • 0
    Storm* Jul 15, 07
    So addicting that they don't feed their young? Dear lord...this is exactly why I don't get into highly addicting games like WoW. Those poor kids...this in turn makes video games look bad. I bet Thompson will run with this. *sigh*

    People need to learn how to control their addictions. On a side note, that picture synergy added is quite disturbing.
  • 0
    Synergized Jul 15, 07
    Haha, yeah, it is. I can imagine the parents being like that while their kids are whining in the background and the dad telling them to shutup and that's he's trying to slay a dragon or he'll lose Dungeon Money or something.


  • 0
    Final Blade Jul 16, 07
    Where is it ok to blame videogames for this?
  • 0
    Evanster Jul 16, 07
    This is the funniest news article I have seen on GameGrep in a while. But I know this is really nothing to laugh about. But the parents gaming for that long is pretty funny. But I feel sorry for the kids.
  • 1
    FRoGBuster Jul 16, 07
    This is scary. Now I've learned my lesson. I will not have kids, or else they will starve. At least I feed my dog.
  • 0
    ZhaoYun88 Jul 16, 07
    Thats a joke that is, how can anyone do that, yes people like gaming, but this is outrageous, even we dont do this now, and where 13-20 year olds, its funny about the cat urine in someones hair, but sad on the other hand
  • 1
    black_wing79 Jul 16, 07
    i think that is just pure irresponsibility on the parent's part... if they have kids , they better be responsible for them... I know that gaming can be addictive, ESPECIALLY MMORPGs.. but even when there were times i went 10 hours a day on World of Warcraft, i always did in such away that i had time for my family and friends.. i think these parents are an insult to all of the other decent players who know how to balance their family and work life with their gaming..

    And whats more these are parents we are talking about... not single people like me... they have to know how to say no and prioritise their kids above gaming..
  • 1
    Chimaira Jul 16, 07
    Wow, what a pair of dumb shits.

    It wasn't even a good game.
  • 1
    Breeze Jul 16, 07
    Some parents spend years trying and failing for kids, and then this couple jetison theirs in favour of video games.

    However, what is even more disturbing than this is that strange image that accompanies the article...
  • 0
    imperialcereal Jul 16, 07
    Well, as long as the kids are okay then this isn't so bad.

    And I agree with Mister Ivanovich, that $50k should've been spent on childcare, not hardware
  • 0
    Cruxis Mana Jul 16, 07
    This is very unfortunate and in this cause I think the verdict is right, that they neglected their child due to game (( Probably the first time its ever been said in the right term )).
    But still the parents should have know to feed their child ... and it doesn't cause all children to starve. I'm not stupid - I know how to pick up a piece of fruit or make a sandwich ^^
  • 0
    Solid Snake 4Life Jul 16, 07
    It's not the games fault it's the parents fault. It's sad that they could get so involved with a game and they deserve to do time.
  • 0
    dcbake Jul 16, 07
    What dumbass's. They need to go to jail if they honestly can't think beyond a video game.
    • 0
      Final Blade Jul 17, 07
      Already have.

      however i play games alot and still be able to feed my cats, it shows you lack of mentality of some people. People like this needs to get banned from gaming not games.
  • 0
    Capn Droid Jul 22, 07
    Hate them. Hate them both. Just like a kid who "went to live with [enter WoW CPU name here] in the World of Warcraft" and then commit suicide. It's a f--cking game.
  • 0
    DarrylR Jul 25, 07
    This is just sick....

    Go Guild Wars :0.
  • 0
    YeOldeBowser Jul 25, 07
    Wow, they suck. They deserve to be locked up behind bars for the rest of their worthless lives. Oh and by the way, that guy's not the dad or one of the kids. That's The Angry Video Game Nerd - why is he there?

    Anyway, that's crazy - giving up your kids for video games.
  • 0
    Dance Floor Killah Jul 25, 07
    I may not have kids, but I sure as hell wouldn't have neglected them for some video games. >_

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