It's only a game.
Most of us are able to understand that concept and know that the virtual world of video gaming
is nothing to get upset over.
Yet there are those so intertwined in a false reality, that what happens to them in-game
starts to affect their personal life.
These three tales follow gamers that were so invested in their digital lives that they
could no longer separate the game from reality.
Their stories of rage may be troublesome, but are they real?
The line that divides the factual from the unreal has long since blurred, the tales we
once thought fantastical now implanted as truth.
To decipher verity from the imagined, you must break from the ordinary and consider
a universe where the outlandish prevails.
Can you expand your mind to see beyond our perceived reality?
Can you decide what's fact or fiction?
Any gamer knows that it's easy to get a tad angry at a game when it doesn't go your
way, but to be brought to a full-on, murderous rage?
It sounds ludicrous, but Simon Vitter can vouch for those that feel it, especially after
a game of Blizzard's Hearthstone, with his friend Greg Peters.
Story # 1: The Hat Trick Simon barreled down the road, ignoring every
semblance of traffic law that stood in his way.
The rage that flowed through him was only compounded by every stop sign and red light
he zipped through.
His destination, the home of pseudo-friend Greg, was only a few blocks away and the area
was rarely patrolled by cops.
Even if it were, he doubted he'd even stop for the flashing lights.
Simon had been muscling through Hearthstone's weekly brawl when Greg invited him to a private
match.
Though he was usually an easy opponent, if Greg's message indicated anything, he had
something up his sleeves.
"You're gonna hate me tonight," the in-game message said.
Reluctantly, Simon accepted, selecting a deck he had crushed his challenger with before.
The match started off heavily in Simon's favor, but about halfway through, Greg pinged
him with another taunting message.
"Getting cocky?"
Simon ignored it and continued on his path to victory.
With Greg's life reduced to more-than-half and his still holding strong, Simon had no
doubts he'd win.
Then, just as he was ready to deliver a fatal blow, Greg played the card that would ultimately
seal his fate.
Before Simon could react and get a handle on what had happened, his adversary played
turn after turn of effective cards that cleared the board and chipped away at Simon's health.
Before he knew it, the match was over in Greg's favor.
"Again?"
A message popped onto his screen.
Reluctantly, he accepted the rematch, only to be met with the same results, this time
even quicker.
A third and fourth rematch only further enraged Simon and when he switched his deck for the
fifth and still lost, something in him flipped.
That was his game and Greg was unfairly beating him in it.
Simon didn't hesitate to jump out of the car, knife in hand as he pulled into Greg's
driveway.
The moment he saw that smug face when the door swung open, he plunged the knife into
his chest.
Pushing Greg back into his apartment, Simon slammed the door behind him and repeatedly
stabbed him until he died.
Did a quiet disdain among fake friends result in the death of Greg?
Or is Simon's rage unfounded and a little too "far-fetched"?
Let us know what you think in the comments and prepare yourself for another bloody tale.
Online in-game marketplaces are an outlet for wheeling and dealing between players,
but there's also room for a little lying and dying.
When Qin Xiu lent Shan Peng a rare sword in Legend of Mir 3, he expected to, at some point,
get the item back.
His friend, however, had other plans for the valuable item.
Story # 2: Eye for an Eye "One week, then I want it back," Qin pleaded,
knowing it would likely be longer before he saw the shining blade in his character's
inventory again.
"Yeah, yeah.
You'll get it back," Peng retorted.
He hated borrowing from Qin, he was so protective of everything.
Though both knew the transaction would likely end in a brief rift between them, Qin transferred
the sword to Peng with one last reassurance that he'd have it back in seven days.
Peng knew Qin to be punctual and, as the sun rose on the seventh day of their agreement,
knew that before he could even enjoy breakfast, he'd have a punchy message.
Before he could even spoon the cereal into his mouth, he heard the chime from the other
room.
A rush of panic coursed through Peng, fearing the interaction he was about to have.
In the heat of the moment halfway through the week, he had been given an offer that
was impossible to refuse.
The sword had been sought after by many, but only one individual was willing to shell out
7,200 Yuan for it.
Peng wasn't proud, but money was always needed and so, with a passing thought about
his and Qin's agreement, he finalized the transaction.
"So, transfer it back now?"
The message stated, simple and to the point as Peng expected.
Though he wanted to prolong the interaction, he came out with the truth and received a
reaction he could never have expected.
The next few days were hell.
Qin threatened legal action on multiple occasions and, judging by his escalating anger, was
unable to pursue.
By the end of day three, Peng amassed dozens of increasingly threatening messages from
his former friend.
Finally, he realized he should just pay off Qin and give him the 7,200 Yuan.
When Peng arrived at Qin's home with the money in hand, it was clear his friend was
no longer behind those enraged eyes.
He demanded the sword back, even as Peng offered the Yuan.
They argued until neither had any strength to continue and Peng returned home.
In his slumber that night, he didn't hear Qin enter his home.
It wasn't until the shadowy figure was looming over him that his eyes shot open.
Before he could protest, Qin brought the knife down hard.
Even bloodied and severely wounded, Peng reached for a pair of pants, hoping to die with dignity.
Friendships can be broken over many things, but the loss of a virtual weapon?
Just how unstable would a man like Qin need to be for that to drive him to murder?
Maybe he had a history of mental illness that few knew about.
Gamers know just how valuable in-game items can get, but consider that 7,200 Yuan converts
to over $1,100.
Before we get to the reveal, leave a comment with your thoughts on whether this story was
fact or fiction and prepare for one last story that really hinders the denial that video
games don't breed violence.
Sadie Bryer wasn't the best at Spy Hunter, but as it turned out, Richard Kylie was worse
– a fact he wasn't willing to own up to without a fight.
Story # 3: Real World Revenge Richard peered through the scope, trying to
line up the sight on his target.
The seven-year-old girl had made a fool of him and had embarrassed him in front of the
other kids on the block.
Most importantly, young Sadie Bryer beat his score, and that just wasn't acceptable.
The nine-year-old spotted the young girl playing in the snow that had kept them home from school.
Her joyous laughter was enough to grate on him.
From a window in the second-floor master bedroom of his home, Richard squeezed the trigger.
He didn't even check to see if he had hit his target.
He calmly replaced the window screen, unloaded the rifle and returned it to his father's
gun cabinet, and hid the shell casing in the box of ammo.
Without an ounce of remorse, Richard was about to go about his day when the phone rang, and
he answered.
On the other end, a frantic Mr. Mattison, who, with his wife, often hosted the neighborhood
children during snow days.
Through his panic, he implored Richard back to their house, claiming a sniper had just
shot Sadie.
Richard complied with Sadie's father and returned to their home, strolling the street
without a care in the world.
When he entered the Mattison home, other neighborhood kids had already gathered at the behest of
the Bryer's.
They were panicked, crying, and praying for Sadie, who Richard found in the living room,
dying from his well-placed bullet.
"If you don't think about it, you won't be sad," he muttered, shocking those that
heard him.
Making the statement even colder, he sat down at the NES and started playing again.
The Mattison's were confused by Richard's reaction to the dying girl but didn't put
the pieces together until the investigation started in the neighborhood.
It didn't take long for investigators to be suspicious of Richard once they noted a
half-moon-shaped injury on his forehead.
As they pressed their suspicious, their search brought them to the Kylie house.
It was there they found the murder weapon and a cause for the cut on the young boy's
head – when he fired, the recoil dug the rifle scope into his skin.
Only two days after the death of Sadie, Richard was arrested for her murder.
An evil, evil kid.
Cold and methodical, and all because of a video game.
Could Richard have so callously murdered Sadie without a second thought?
Where did he even learn to handle a rifle at such a young age?
Could his father have been a hunter or a gun enthusiast that passed his love for firearms
onto his son?
Go ahead and comment with your predictions on this story, but don't go too far.
It's time for the big reveal.
Are you ready to find out if you can decipher between fact or fiction?
Let's look back at tonight's three stories and find out which were born from reality
and which were fabrications of the imagination.
Do you remember our first story, "The Hat Trick".
Did Blizzard's deck-building game, Hearthstone, really lead to the murder of Greg Peters?
No, no it didn't; but its inspiration does come from a Hearthstone match between our
writer, Mark, and his brother, in which the latter was a little too liberal with the "Explorer's
Hat" card.
The wound of that loss still cuts him deep to this day..
So that's one fictional story, will our second story make for two?
Unfortunately, Qin's rampage is based on true events.
The real-life tale is that of Qiu Chengwei, who murdered Zhu Caoyuan over the loss of
his virtual sword.
As for the amount of yuan received from selling the sword?
That is accurate.
Though Qiu did try to rectify the issue legally, China law did not protect virtual property
from theft.
As for the third story, we bet you'd love to walk away knowing this one was completely
fake.
Sadly, in the winter of 1989, Cameron Kocher did murder Jessica Carr over a game of Spy
Hunter.
As described in the story, Cameron was calm and collected after firing the fatal shot.
Though the judge had decided to try Cameron as an adult, Jessica's mother signed a plea
deal that let him off on a misdemeanor involuntary manslaughter.
Though she immediately regretted the decision, Cameron was free and his record remained clean.
How well did you in tonight's video?
Did you look past the deception of our world and define the oft-blurred line that struggles
to separate lies from the truth?
Let us all know in the comment section below and should you find the urge to test your
perceptions again, be sure to subscribe and join us next time when we ask you to decide
what's fact... or fiction.
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