Kotaku 
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Denver, 2:26 PM
Mon Dec 14
36 posts in the last 24 hours
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11/07/08
Games indeed played a factor in his death. Not a direct factor, but an important one. I mean, honestly, he was so upset at his parents temporarily taking away his Xbox, which he honestly played way more than is healthy, that he packed camping supplies and ran off into the woods and stayed there. Overreaction much?
I say this not as some uninformed, knee-jerk "think of the children" type, but AS A FELLOW GAMER. One that spent a few too many hours gaming at one point or another.
Living in denial, out of fear of your absolutely ridiculous "hardcore gaming" lifestyle coming under assault, will get you nowhere. Gaming addiction is a problem, and it needs to be dealt with. The idea of your parents now taking interest in the extents of your hobby must annoy the hell out of many of you.
11/07/08
A kid running away happens quite often, and most people would figure in that they'd be back by supper. But this is a 1:1,000,000 case to me, and to be honest, we still don't know the full detail of how he died. (At least, I've yet to read of a Coroner's report.)
While I agree that games were a factor, I don't believe that it was THE factor. I think it is more psychological/sociological pattern-based.
11/06/08
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11/06/08
Thats what I was starting to figure, actually.
11/06/08
Why do we always cover these death stories with all of this attention? Thousands die every day in many parts of the world, yet why do we cover these specific cases? What do you find them more tragic? A kid dying in the snow is not tragic as one dying from a muscular degenerating disease? Or how about people being butchered in the Congo? You'll sympathize for this one kid but forget the other people that die today because their deaths are "more acceptable" since we knew how they died? The world isn't any better or worse than the day before. All you people do is unnecessarily focus on one tragic semi-game related story (and that's a STRETCH) and scorn those that don't share your sympathy for a stranger that none of us have met. He doesn't deserve any more sympathy and attention than anyone else who dies.
And for all of your attention what have you accomplished? All of this attention in the media has only gotten the parents thinking about it more and will for much longer. And it is also getting people to troll his facebook tribute pages and the like. Let the people who actually know him mourn and move on. I ask that people and Kotaku in general, to try to reduce the posting of these stories about the death of one, because it does no one any good. I doubt anyone will listen to me, but I felt like my thoughts needed to be said.
And yes I don't want people who don't know me to sympathize over my death for when I die as well. I understand the "good will" but it is meaningless.
11/06/08
Reviewing my comment again I realize I come off as cold but if you understand what I'm saying, you know I'm trying to stay on principle.
11/06/08
Plus, kotaku picked up this story because it was somewhat related to video games, and it has sadly taken a turn for the worst.
Lastly, I doubt the goodwill is meaningless to the family. They may never get there sun back, but knowing people care could, for a short period of time, make them feel a little bit better. And for a lot of people, that's good enough.
11/06/08
11/06/08
It is naive to want not to be contradicting? You only say naive because it isn't your view. You share the same sympathy for this child yet you won't pay mind to someone who died elsewhere more horribly? I don't have sympathy for him. And unless foul play is detected, this kid literally chose to freeze to death. True this kid was poor in judgment and maybe death is a harsh punishment, but that is the way the universe works, if you go out in the freezing cold, you will freeze to death eventually.
But of course this kid deserves sympathy as opposed to someone who is dying of something not their fault? Focusing on personal stories doesn't help anyone. Sympathize for those you know, and let those who know sympathize for him.
11/06/08
I'm not going to close off my feelings just because I can't cry for everyone. I'd rather feel for a few then nothing at all.
Lastly, it may mean something to the family of Brandon, and who are we to judge that?
11/06/08
Well said.
I mean, I've followed this story really closely from the beginning, not because of the video game bit, but because he was a runaway young kid from my area who I was hoping would turn up alive. He wasn't kidnapped, he wasn't killed instantly, he ran away. A part of my heart broke going 'you stupid, stupid little boy!', so I felt terrible when his body turned up.
But...
yeah, I've said everything I've wanted to say on the subject already, and you said it even more so.
+1 follower dude.
11/06/08
Everything on earth for the rest of humanity's existence has been cancelled out of respect for every person that has ever died anywhere since the beginning of time.
There, I think that covers it.
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11/06/08
Especially considering the stores will still be open for people to pick the game up anyways. They simply won't be having "festivities".
It's a nice gesture, but seems a little misguided in its reasoning.
11/06/08
Nice gesture but I don't see the correlation.
11/06/08
it's a complete non-sequitar and it just further solidifies that weirdo "games kill that kid" spin the media put on.
11/06/08
Well, its good to see the first handful of commenters are on the same page here.
Good point dude. This just makes the video games-kid disappearance spin look worse.
11/06/08
"Damn them, respecting the family of that kid that died." Even if this is a PR move, I don't see it as a bad one.
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11/06/08
Yeah, because Brandon Crisp was in the area of Vancouver.
Also, Toronto is not exactly side by side with Barrie either.
Its one thing to cancel celebrations in general (not just a video game launch, but everything) in the town where the people are hurting, but to cancel them on the other side of the country?
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Y mst b nw t cptlsm.
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11/06/08
Looks like a sad PR attempt at gaining... something. Not quite sure what. Respect? Admiration?
Sorry, but that's just fucking stupid.
11/06/08
It's a show of respect, nothing more.
11/06/08
a) What does a Gears of War 2 midnight launch have to do with Brandon Crisps death
b) Video Games had nothing to do with his death, especially now that he was found dead and not kidnapped by some Call of Duty 4 predator
c) This seems like Futureshop making a free PR attempt. Theres a million other places people can go for Gears 2 at midnight, Futureshop knows they will sell copies of the game in the morning, and this way they don't have to pay those employees they were going to have working on or around midnight
Something stinks here.
(Once again, I am deeply saddened by Brandons death, as a gamer who lives right near where this happened, just to clear that up)
11/06/08
I would like to correct myself. They will still be open at midnight and paying the employees. But the rest of my points stand.
11/06/08
c'mon, what they're doing isn't so terribly complicated to understand.
a) the kid loved the xbox. GoW is a flagship title for the xbox.
b) his reason for running away was related to games.
just because they aren't carving his likeness into a mountain side doesn't mean they're small attempt is unjust or misguided.
11/06/08
So you're saying the next time some child ends up in the obituaries section, regardless of how or why, they should... oh, say... cancel a balloon festival in a city on the other side of the country because the kid liked balloons?
No. Theres mourning, and then theres stupidity. This is the latter.
11/06/08
Can someone please back this statement up?
11/06/08
No, its who is doing it that is more important.
The kid liked video games and died. So a store that sells video games, is cancelling celebration of a video game coming out, in cities completely unreleated to the incident.
Thats like if I liked hockey cards (which I do) and I died in a completely non related hockey incident, a major hobby store chain saying that they wouldn't celebrate a reprint of a Gretzky a couple of days after I was dead.
If anything, dead me would be pissed that something I loved so much was being hampered because I croaked.
You may find someone to back you up, but judging by the majority of these comments here, Im glad Im not the only skeptical/cynical one seeing issues with what Futureshop is doing.
11/06/08
And like I said, this doesnt help matters that the media was all 'Video games led to death' before, even if that turned out to not be the case, to have Futureshop doing this.
The lowest common denominator often forgets step c, if a, b and d all sound similar and c did not.
11/06/08
They do run a business, and everything is fueled by money, but I'm hoping that this is (mostly) out of respect for once.
11/06/08
It could be because you're a parent. Im sure if I was one, and something bad happened to a youngster that easily could have been my kid, I would feel the same.
I'd want someone to recognize such tradgedy somehow, so that if anything happened to mine, someone might do the same. Im just glad we could have differing viewpoints and can talk about them in a civil way, even on the internet (egads!). You sir have my follower status :P.