Boy killed while unplugging GBA

[keithp]

Wow. This is sad.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/2007/01/05/news_6163774.html

Boy killed unplugging Game Boy

Seven-year-old on holiday in Thailand is electrocuted trying to unplug his handheld while its battery was charging.

By Emma Boyes, GameSpot UK
Posted Jan 5, 2007 11:27 am PT

A vacationing British child was found dead in his hotel room in the Sunset Beach Hotel in Phuket, Thailand, the Mirror reported today. Connor O'Keefe, a 7-year-old boy from Southwark, London, is believed to have been electrocuted when he unplugged his Game Boy from the power socket as its battery charged.

The child's body was found slumped on the floor of his parent's hotel room by his mother, Kathleen Curry. She said that Connor understood the dangers of mixing electricity and water, and insisted he would not have plugged the handheld in while still wet. The family reportedly bought the charger in Thailand.

"We're all devastated," Curry said. "My son was only unplugging his Game Boy--he does it all the time at home. There should be some kind of warning about the different electrical currents you get abroad because this would not have happened in England."

In Thailand, most electrical plugs have two prongs, compared to those in the UK which have three, with an added "earth" prong. British plugs are unusual in that they also contain a fuse for added safety.

The resort is in one of the areas affected by the devastating Boxing Day tsunami two years ago, but has since been repaired and reopened to the public. Police called the death an accident, and insisted the Sunset Beach Hotel was not to blame.

Nintendo, manufacturer of the handheld, made the following comment on the tragedy: "Nintendo wishes to offer its sincere condolences to the family of Connor O' Keefe. Details of the accident are currently unclear so we are unable to make any further comment at this stage."

[HumanSnatcher]

Phuket, I'll play devils advocate here, and say that the mother should have known that plugs vary by country and locale

[Diiz]

:cry: That is sad....

[tcv]

You know, I usually don't delve much into the massmedia-bashing that occurs on various blogs (not the OP), but I am really bummed by the headlines for this particular story. Some of them are pretty outrageous, implying that the GAMEBOY killed the kid. It wasn't the water. It wasn't the electricity. It was the GameBoy. Shame on you, Nintendo. Shame on gamers everywhere! Where's that wagging-finger icon...

[TimPV3]

Phuket, I'll play devils advocate here, and say that the mother should have known that plugs vary by country and localeAhem...


"The family reportedly bought the charger in Thailand. "

[Diiz]

You know, I usually don't delve much into the massmedia-bashing that occurs on various blogs (not the OP), but I am really bummed by the headlines for this particular story. Some of them are pretty outrageous, implying that the GAMEBOY killed the kid. It wasn't the water. It wasn't the electricity. It was the GameBoy. Shame on you, Nintendo. Shame on gamers everywhere! Where's that wagging-finger icon...


They didn't imply that at all. What should they have said? "Boy killed unplugging portable video game media device"? Regardless, they never placed blame on WHAT he was unplugging, they even said the charger was bought in Thailand and the mom mentioned differences of voltage.

[tcv]

I am not speaking of this particular article but others. It's the headlines that bother me.

Try this (http://spong.com/article/11432/Mainstream+Press+Uses+Tragedy+For+Cheap+Game+Headl ine?cb=365)

And this (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=22022)

And this (http://feeds.joystiq.com/%7Er/weblogsinc/joystiq/%7E3/71434958/)

How about "Boy, 9, killed unplugging electronic device"
How about "Child's death reminds of electical outlet danger"
How about "Common electrical outlets can still kill"

I understand that GameBoy in the headline makes it stickier, but some of the headlines, as you'll see at those links, are pretty extreme.

[eau]

Where's that wagging-finger icon...:shame:

Sad story, indeed :cry:

[yukine]

Hilarious.

[Jeoff]

I guarantee it was the kid's fault.

[Zing]

The headline should say:

Seven year old boy left unsupervised in hotel room electrocutes himself. Mother caned.

[Zen Davis]

Who here, soaking wet, tocuhes an electrical outlet? Of course you're going to get shocked. The kid might as well have tried to fit a fork into the socket so his mom would sue the utensil industry.

[swetooth9]

OR, the parent should unplug the gameboy for the kid?

[anotherpoorgamer]

Sad story!

The way I'm reading it is the boy always unplugs his charger with no problems of being wet in the UK, but then when in Thailand problem occurs since there's no third prong. Still though, surely this kid would have been shocked a little bit or saw sparks that he wouldn't have tried again in the past and later asked a parent.

Reminds me of the several hairdrier incidents, where people would attempt to plug in the hairdrier while still wet.

[DeathDealer]

Slut mom leaving the kid alone in the room, thats the tragedy.

[horrido]

bEING

[Swingman]

I find it appalling that you're calling the mom names. The kid was 7 years old. Were you never by yourself ever at 7 years old?

It was a horrible accident. The mom thought her kid knew better than to plug something in when wet.

I get fed up with people blaming video games as much as next gamer but give me a break with trying to blame the mom based on the information in that article.

[chuNla]

Seriously, I do feel sorry for their loss, but I don't feel sorry for the kid.
A British kid on holidays in Thailand plugged his Xmas Gameboy into the wall of his hotel room to recharge it. He was fresh out of the pool, the wiring sucked, he was electrocuted.
GG white boy.

[Swingman]

Seriously, I do feel sorry for their loss, but I don't feel sorry for the kid.

GG white boy.

I feel sorry for the kid. It was his fault and a dumb move on his part but he missed out on most of his life.

[Reality's Fringe]

Yeah, you can't really blame anyone. It was a fucking ACCIDENT. 7year olds are stupid. Seriously, think about how 18 year olds act. What warped sense of reality do you have to have to think that 7 year olds make great decisions for themselves? Anyway, tasteless joke time:

I wonder if the Gameboy evolves into a DS after it gets enough kills?

[kmartbum001]

owned

[Weedy649]

Yeah that is pretty sad. I dont think its cool how people are mad that they blame the gameboy instead of the mom. I mean no one is to blame really, shit happens sometimes. To defend the gameboy and blame the kid or mother is being just as bad as the rest.

[wageslave]

Freak accident and nothing more. :-(

[Kayden]

A shocking development indeed.

[schuerm26]

I mean no one is to blame really, shit happens sometimes.

Exactly.

[MillerTime2523]

Wow, Thats crazy. Really sad.

Anyway, tasteless joke time:

I wonder if the Gameboy evolves into a DS after it gets enough kills?
I lol'd :cold:

[OzCatter]

So this is what it is, family goes on vacation, parents leave kid alone(at 7, I was never really left alone), goes for a swim while the Game Boy is chargin, decides "Hey, I wanna play Game Boy", gets out while wet, unplugs, zap!

What is Jack Thompson's say? GBA wants to kill kids?

[schuerm26]

So this is what it is, family goes on vacation, parents leave kid alone(at 7, I was never really left alone), goes for a swim while the Game Boy is chargin, decides "Hey, I wanna play Game Boy", gets out while wet, unplugs, zap!

What is Jack Thompson's say? GBA wants to kill kids?

I'm not an expert on unplugging things while wet, but when unplugging a charger my hand doesn't even really come close that close to the outlet. I guess Im at a loss for how this actually happens?

[Zen Davis]

I blame Tingle.

[captainfrizo]

. . .my hand doesn't even really come close that close to the outlet. I guess Im at a loss for how this actually happens?

The kid was seven years old and that age group is known to defy logic and common sense every so often.

It's a bummer about the kid and I do feel sorry for the family, no matter what circumstance or situation the child may have been in prior to his death.

[tcv]

One of the things I read in another one of the stories is that the adapters in the U.K. are required to have fuses. Therefore, this type of problem can't happen. Also, I think the country they were in required them to get a special adapter to allow the unit to be hooked up the AC.

It really was just an accident. I see nothing wrong with a seven year old unplugging an electronic device whether he's alone or not. I sincerely doubt Mum and/or Dad would have stopped him before he grabbed the plug and said, "Let me do that for you." So, I see it as very likely this would have happened whether someone was with him or not.