Student’s Cannabis Fuelled 'Saints Row Rampage'

Another day, another skewed Daily Mail report on the negative effects of videogames on ‘our youth’.

This time, the Mail reports on the story of a Portsmouth student who’s “cannabis rampage” emulated “ultra-violent computer game Saints Row”.

20-year-old Dominic Anderson slit his wrists and then ran out into a nearby street brandishing a carving knife while throwing himself into oncoming traffic, following a session on THQ's Saints Row while smoking some skunk.

We’ll let you spot the key words in the above sentence for yourselves.

That’s correct. “While smoking some skunk” are the key words.

Police today said that Anderson's extreme behaviour bore "shocking similarity" to the videogame and warned youngsters about the dangers of smoking cannabis.

Margaret Edwards, head of strategy for mental health charity SANE, said, "This case highlights sharply how cannabis, especially skunk, can act as a trigger to a psychotic episode. In these situations, someone may lose touch with reality and become a serious risk to himself and others.”

A THQ spokesperson said of the incident, "It is very clear from the news reporting we have seen that the unfortunate incident was a result of the student's drug use"

Drugs intelligence officer Detective Constable Steve Kelly told the Mail, "Motorists described Anderson as 'covered in blood' and said he had a 'mad look' on his face. He was jumping onto their car bonnets, pulling at their doors and trying to stab through their windscreens with the knife. Clearly, the people inside the cars were very scared and rang the police. Thankfully none of them were hurt."

He added: "There's obviously a shocking similarity between the game and the way Anderson behaved, jumping on cars and trying the door handles. People who take skunk cannabis should be mindful that it is much stronger and they can experience very different effects from it."

Notice again, that this is a Drugs Intelligence Officer quoted here. Not a Violent Videogames Intelligence Officer. As far as SPOnG is currently aware, the Met do not employ such a specialist.

Although, following its recent form in the ‘sensationalist anti-videogame news reporting stakes’ the Daily Mail would probably welcome such a move!

SPOnG cannot help but be reminded about the Bill Hicks sketch about the TV newsreader claiming “boy on acid thinks he can fly, jumps off a roof and kills himself”

“Good,” quips Hicks, “We lost a moron. If he thought he could fly, why didn’t he try to take off from the ground like birds do.”

So, to recap, a young man gets waaaay too high on very potent skunk cannabis. However, while most of us would just throw a ‘whitey’ and be sick in the sink, this particular loose-cannon decides to emulate a violent 18-rated videogame and in the process nearly kills himself and others. The Daily Mail then report on the incident, with the spin that “the game was to blame as much as the drugs”.

Morons reporting on the mishaps of morons. Sometimes, we at SPOnG despair for humanity.