Teen Hoping for Gear Makes False Suicidal Threats to Blizzard Rep

According to a story from the Middletown Journal (via Game Politics), during an online conversation with a Blizzard representative an Ohio teen said, "he was suicidal and that the game is the only thing he has to live for." That rep then did what (I hope) anyone in customer service would do, and called 911.

Police and paramedics rolled to the player’s house only to learn from the boy when they arrived that it was all a joke. According to the report, the teen told officers he hoped "to try and get what he wanted for the game." The police apparently didn’t find the incident very funny, and charged the boy with a first-degree misdemeanor.

Whether suicidal or not, let’s hope the young man has someone to talk things through with. Attempting to blackmail a game company by making suicidal claims is nothing to laugh about. With the intensity many WoW players put in their game, it’s important to take a step back and keep things in perspective.