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Today, 05 July 2009

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Yesterday, 04 July 2009

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A man who was playing a popular multiplayer game at an entertainment centre in Singapore has been jailed after he stabbed a teenager in the back for killing his computer game character. In a definite case of life mirroring art, Daniel Tan Thiam Soon puts the "gore" warning on certain games in perspective.

At the centre of the issue is a popular multiplayer game called "Half Life: Counterstrike", which pits terrorists against anti-terrorists, in a battle over hostages. The game is filled with scenes of extreme violence, and methods of killing a man range from long-range sniper rifles to wicked knife blades.

Tan (21) from Singapore, an unemployed gamer who was playing Counterstrike at a computer gaming centre in Tampines, lost it during the game when his character was kifed to death by an unseen assassin. Tan yelled out asking who had killed his character, and 16-year old Ng Qiyong confessed to the crime.

Tan stormed over to Qiyongs' computer and started hurling obscenities and abuse at him. Qiyong responded and a fight broke out, during which Tan produced a knife and stabbed Qiyong in the back. Qiyong suffered a deep cut which required stitches, and Tan was arrested.

While out on bail Tan took vast quantities of unnamed drugs, and pleaded guilty for the offence in court.

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He also pleaded guilty to hurting his victim, and was sentenced to six years in prison and six lashes with a cane. The severity of the sentence was as a result of a previous conviction for possession of offensive weapons, as well as for the fact that taking drugs while out on bail was seen as an aggravating factor, as it demonstrated Tan's lack of remorse.

In related news:

A Thai man has died from a stroke after playing a marathon game of Counterstrike. Factory employee Thanet Sommoi collapsed in an Internet cafe after an all-night multiplayer session of the game, and died shortly afterwards.

No reason for his death has been offered, but the editor of a local gaming magazine said people should take regular breaks when playing protracted sessions of a game.

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