Akihabara Killing To Cause Japanese Internet Regulation?

It's been several days since tragedy hit Akihabara. While the internet is having its own grinning nerd witch hunt, the Japanese media is having its own. Standard defaults are bandied about (video games, anime). Website Canned Dogs has a handy recap:

• Chugoku Shimbun states the the "Dagger knife" the killer used is an featured in popular games like Dragon Quest.
• Yomiuri Online also says the "Dagger knife" is also in video games and quite popular with teenagers.
• Zakzak points out that the killer was into doujin games like Eternal Fighter Zero and Chantelise, and he apparently loves a cutesy bullet hell shooter for the PC.
• According to Yahoo, Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications Hiroya Masuda is keen to regulate dangerous information on the internet, since the Akihabara killer posted his plans on a cell phone BBS (not 2ch) about his murderous plans before authorities could stop him.

And like clockwork, the agendas descend like vultures. Lovely.

Akiba Incident [Canned Dogs]

Internet Vigilante Searches For Akihabara Tragedy Grinning Morons

Previously we brought word of the tragedy that hit Tokyo's gaming/anime/manga district Akihabara. A 25-year-old-man attacked 17, killing 7. Horrible, horrible stuff. When reporters showed up on the scenes, some idiots got very excited to be on TV! Because when people have been mowed down with a truck and stabbed, there's nothing more exciting than getting on TV. Forget that, you know, the streets were literally covered in blood. Huge Japanese forum 2-channel has launched an effort to actually expose the identities of the shameless dummies who grinned and waved at the TV cameras. A "Wanted" YouTube video even popped up recently. Certainly, these people acted disrespectful, but not sure if vigilante internet justice is appropriate either.

Hit the jump for the YouTube video.

Details Surface About Akihabara Killer (Ninja Gaiden 2 Confusion)

As we reported earlier, tragedy struck Tokyo's video game/anime/manga district Akihabara this Sunday. A 25-year-old-man stabbed 17, killing 7. Truly, truly horrible stuff. The killer's name is Tomohiro Kato, and according to blog Japan Probe, details about him include: He had been to Akihabara many times in the past. He worked for a Tokyo-based temp company and had been sent to Shizuoka for work. He played tennis in school. One of his year book sketches includes a character from Namco RPG Tales of Destiny with messages he wrote in English (after the jump). The mass media has already latched onto the game connection, instead of the tennis one to explain this senseless spree. (Because tennis driving people to kill makes no sense — but apparently video games does!)

The chilling part (if trying to kill 17 people wasn't chilling enough!) is how Kato chronicled the events leading up to his mass murders. Truly disturbing. AFP via Yahoo! News incorrectly points out: "On a different site, an anonymous posting on May 27 was entitled 'A disaster in Akihabara' and warned that an incident would take place on June 5." As commenter muu points out, the "disaster" that the thread is referring to? Ninja Gaiden 2 — which went on sale, you guessed it, on June 5th in, that's right, Akihabara. The thread is apparently nothing more than a fanboy flamewar. That Ninja Gaiden 2 Xbox 360/PS3 fanboy fight appeared on television news here as well (above). Yahoo! News Japan has pulled its original story, but at time of posting Yahoo! News was still running that AFP story.

Chinese Online Gaming Rebounds After Earthquake

Despite the massive devastation of China's recent earthquake, CDC Games, headquartered in China, said today that its revenues for its online games have rebounded almost immediately. Judging by the images on the news, it's easy to doubt that any Chinese are in the mood to play - but CDC says that's not so, despite the fact that its game service was suspended for three days due to the tragedy.

"In fact, on May 24, 2008 daily revenues for CDC Games were 1.3 million RMB, or approximately (U.S.) $187,000. In addition, the company has seen strong revenue growth from Shaiya, a massively multiplayer online role playing fantasy game (MMORPG) launched by CDC Games in December 2006."

China's online RPG culture dwarfs online gaming anywhere else in the world, and it's interesting to see that even (or especially) in the wake of a tragedy, gamers are making room for their favorite pastime. The image shown here, from CDC's Shaiya Online, is certainly much more comfortable to look at than this gallery of Seattle Times images from the center of the devastation.

Mortal Kombat Killers

As previously noted, a 7 year-old girl is dead, and two teens are being tried as adults. A Colorado judge ruled last Friday that there was enough evidence to take Lamar Roberts, 17, and Heather Trujillo, 16, for child abuse resulting in the death of Trujillo's half-sister, Zoe Gracia. Both will be tried as adults. According to authorities, Gracia died after being kicked, hit and pounded on the floor as the two teens re-enacted Mortal Kombat. Roberts pushed Zoe, twisted the child's arms and held her ankles, according to Trujillo. Police Detective Kathy Halldorson said that Roberts told a friend, "he was doing martial arts on her (Zoe) and that his hands were registered weapons." Odd that this Mortal Kombat finger pointing continues in light of comments from Gracia's aunt, who claims video games do not factor into this killing. Tasteless fatality jokes and worrying about how-this-affects-games aside, this is a terrible, terrible tragedy.

Mortal Kombat Killing [The Denver Channel Thanks, Michael!]

15-Year-Old Killed For Not Passing Game

When 15-year-old Olivier Baptiste refused to hand over the video game he was playing to his 18-year-old friend William Suarez, Suarez pulled out a .32-caliber Smith and Wesson from his waistband and shot Baptiste in the head. This according to police, who have charged the alleged killer with manslaughter, illegal possession of a firearm, assault with a dangerous weapon, and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling.

Witnesses told authorities that Suarez then put the gun down on the kitchen counter and began saying, "This just didn't happen," according to court documents.

It's Official, The Japanese News Media Is Dumb

Found in the suspect's bag was this katakana hack and slash game software—

Samuel L. Jackson isn't only a fine actor, but a gamer. He's one of us. What does he think of NIU tragedy? No clue. But what does FAKE Sam Jackson think about it? He's a pissed off motherfucker. Over on News Groper, which clearly states "These Blogs Are Not Real," the phony Samuel L. Jackson blogs:

And I was also fucking amazed when I read about Christian conservative attorney Jack Thompson blaming all this shooting shit on video games again, like there ain't no other possible got-damn reason on God's green earth for a motherfucker to go batshit and blow away another person. Jack Thompson's letter to the Northern Illinois University president is a laugh-riot. I'm assuming Jack Thompson isn't related to Eric "Don't Call Me Lance Bass" Thompson, but both these Thompsons sure got a family resemblance of idiotic statements.

The New York Post, not exactly a bastion for accurate and fair reporting, decided that "sick shooter" Steven Kazmierczak's interest in Counter-Strike three to four years ago made a better headline than the fact that he was off his medication when he decided to go on a rampage in an Illinois classroom.

The man who gunned down five people and wounded 16 in an Illinois classroom rampage was a loner who preferred studying to partying and was obsessed with an ultra-violent video game, dormitory mates said yesterday.

Stephen Kazmierczak, 27, played the wildly popular game Counter-Strike while studying sociology at Northern Illinois University in 2003 and 2004.

"He played a lot of video games, especially Counter-Strike, really loud," said dorm mate Ben Woloszyn, 24.

What they failed to mention was what dorm mates likely told them next, or at least told the Northwest Herald, that just about everyone in the dorm played the game.

last night jackson, tn got hit with a tornado that tore down most of the dorms and left our campus in ruins. i got out ok (glass in my hand, but that's about it) and all of my close friends are account for and doing well. unfortunately my car got totalled, and my room has been quarantined so i can't get to it. what really stinks is that my room contained well over $2,000 worth of gaming apparatus (including a pc which ran WoW, a 360 elite, multiple controllers, a psp, ps2, tv, sound system, and a couple hundred dollars worth of games). now i'm homeless (staying with friends) and bored as mess because i don't have any games to keep me company!

GameStop Murder Suspect Captured

Police in Marietta Georgia have arrested a suspect in Sunday's GameStop robbery, which resulted in the suffocation death of 21 year-old manager and fitness buff Mathew Cherry (pictured, left). Fingerprints found on the scene as well as a composite sketch created from descriptions given by the two surviving victims of the crime led police to 34 year-old ex-convict Patrick Gray Graham, whose priors of forgery, obstruction of a law enforcement officer, cocaine possession and cocaine distribution are now joined by charges of murder, three counts of kidnapping, three counts of false imprisonment, three counts of armed robbery and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Police arrested Graham early this morning at the Skyway Apartments on South Cobb Drive, while searches of some of his other known residences uncovered the stolen merchandise. According to police spokesperson Mark Bishop, Cherry's father cried when told of the arrest. Rest in peace Matt.

Suspect arrested in duct-tape suffocation death [AJC.com]

GameStop Manager Killed During Robbery

VA Tech's Gaming Connection? Sonic the Hedgehog

Video Game Stabbing Update

The two had been playing a sports video game when an argument erupted over who would play the next game, according to Lansdowne Police Chief Daniel J. Kortan Jr. "It was a dispute over the use of a video game," he said.

Teen Killed By Brother Over Video Game

"I don't believe the actual game itself was the cause of it. I don't believe they were acting out in any way or mimicking anything in a video game. I believe it was actual use of the game and whose turn it was," said Lansdowne Police Chief Daniel Kortan.

Child Killed By Water and Electricity

Another Wii Tragedy

Pirates MMO Promises User-Submitted Content: God, We Hope Not