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| Gamers hired by father to 'kill' son in online games | Gamers hired by father to 'kill' son in online games |
| (about 17 hours later) | |
| A man in China hired virtual "assassins" to hunt down his son in online video games and kill off his avatar, according to local media. | A man in China hired virtual "assassins" to hunt down his son in online video games and kill off his avatar, according to local media. |
| The man, named by the >Kotaku East blog as Mr Feng, was concerned about the amount of time his 23-year-old unemployed son was spending online. | |
| He hoped his actions would deter his son from playing the games, he is reported to have said. | He hoped his actions would deter his son from playing the games, he is reported to have said. |
| His son eventually asked one of the gamers why they kept targeting him. | His son eventually asked one of the gamers why they kept targeting him. |
| "It's not going to do much for family relations," Prof Mark Griffiths, a gambling and addictions expert at Nottingham Trent University told the BBC. | "It's not going to do much for family relations," Prof Mark Griffiths, a gambling and addictions expert at Nottingham Trent University told the BBC. |
| "I've never heard of that kind of intervention before, but I don't think these top-down approaches work. Most excessive game playing is usually a symptom of an underlying problem." | "I've never heard of that kind of intervention before, but I don't think these top-down approaches work. Most excessive game playing is usually a symptom of an underlying problem." |
| Prof Griffiths said he heard from many parents who were worried about their children's gaming habits but often it was not an addiction. | Prof Griffiths said he heard from many parents who were worried about their children's gaming habits but often it was not an addiction. |
| "I've spent 25 years studying excessive video game playing," he said. | "I've spent 25 years studying excessive video game playing," he said. |
| "I've come across very excessive players - playing for 10 to 14 hours a day - but for a lot of these people it causes no detrimental problems if they are not employed, aren't in relationships and don't have children. | "I've come across very excessive players - playing for 10 to 14 hours a day - but for a lot of these people it causes no detrimental problems if they are not employed, aren't in relationships and don't have children. |
| "It's not the time you spend doing something, it's the impact it has on your life." | "It's not the time you spend doing something, it's the impact it has on your life." |
| Father and son are said to have reconciled but World of Warcraft expert Olivia Grace said she did not think Mr Feng's actions would necessarily act as a deterrent. | Father and son are said to have reconciled but World of Warcraft expert Olivia Grace said she did not think Mr Feng's actions would necessarily act as a deterrent. |
| "Being killed by someone happens all the time," she said. | "Being killed by someone happens all the time," she said. |
| "People are just like that online." | "People are just like that online." |