Everquest Connection Alleged In Child Death

Thanks to NWAOnline.net for their story regarding a mother facing manslaughter charges which may relate to videogame addiction, following her 3-year-old daughter's death after being left alone in an overheated car. According to the piece, "Authorities said [Mary Christina] Cordell and her boyfriend, Eric Long, 21, may have been so fixated with the interactive game EverQuest that she neglected to pay adequate attention to Brianna's whereabouts on Aug. 8, the day the child died." The article also points out posts to the Spouses Against Everquest mailing-list from Cordell, one of which is controversial, but tragically prescient: "Verant is also an enabler by providing a type of 'entertainment' that requires an inordinary amount of time to do basic functions of the average role playing games... I'm afraid that eventually many more people will be hurt or even killed by this 'service'."

It'll never happen to any of us...

[lightspawn]

The average slashdot reader spends so much time browsing and playing games that he's extremely unlikely to have any children in the first place.

*Tell* me about it!

[ghost.]

I could have gotten FP, but I was too busy playing EQ.

It's time for everyone to re-read

[Anonymous Coward]

This classic slashdot post [slashdot.org]

The car is to blame!

[nsideops]

Maybe they should sue the car company. Obviously the car gets to hot when left in the summer heat. They, of course, should be responsible. We live in a free country. We should have the right to leave our small children anywhere we want for long periods of time and do whatever we feel like, and not have them end up dead. What is this country comming to?