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Murderer and victim, predator and prey A gaming center in korea

SEOUL - A South Korean man died of heart failure minutes after finishing his marathon—in an internet cafe. Like millions of other people at that time, like you now, he was sitting in front of a computer. He sat, however, longer than it takes for the earth to rotate about its own axis twice. 50 hours of almost non-stop playing, with minimal toilet breaks and rest in between, sent Lee to the netherworld, making him yet another victim of technology.

BEIJING – A chinese man was found dead after playing the online MMORPG (Mass-Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) ‘World of Warcraft' for several continuous days—when the people of China were celebrating their national holidays, it would be the day his family commemorates his death. Soon after ‘Snowly''s online—as well as real life—funeral was held, yet another one of his fellow gamers, nicknamed ‘Thereafter' bit the dust.

RUSSIA – A young Russian man has been charged with murder, for killing his gaming clan's competitive rival. While online violence never kills, what happens when gaming rivals meet face to face? Albert (the victim) was badly beaten during their confrontation and died from his injuries on the way to the hospital.

“I think they have confused the game and reality. And after we buried him on December 31, they continued to threaten us,” Albert's sister Albina says.

Indeed, with people's increasing reliance on technology as well as usage of the cyberworld, the line dividing virtual reality and reality is blurred. People are dying all over the world, and this time, technology murders. As shown in the aforementioned case studies, technology (or gaming) has successfully brainwashed certain individuals to commit the unthinkable. To win in the cyberworld, gamers killed people—both virtual and real.

Whether it is having one's soul stolen by merely sitting in front of computers or be it beating the soul out of a person, the true mastermind remains as something we humans have created—technology. Like the devil, technology seduces us into a virtual world, a world where you are the hero, where you have unlimited friends, where you have unlimited powers, where you are free and can kill as you please. This demon, however, would not be pleased by merely pleasing us humans. In turn, weak-willed humans are made permanent residents of the cyberworld, determined to do their best to seek and destroy anything, dead or alive, virtual or real.

This soul stealing monster is one that we should definitely be wary of. With the increasing competitiveness in the human world, convenience and speed are things that continues to lure us closer to the cyberworld where the devil resides. It is convenience that allowed the gamer from seoul to do his daily necessities at lightning speed. It is convenience that made possible the confrontation between the two clan, as well as Albert's death. It is convenience that swapped people's real life for a virtual one.

Technology and convenience are everywhere. Is it not just convenient for you, the reader, to read from our very own webpage to know more about technology and how it is to be feared? The pandora's box has been unleashed. More and more people are falling prey to this invulnerable predator, technology. It is, however, an ironic but sad fact that the preys are willingly consumed by their predator. It would foolish to assume that one is invulnerable under the aegis of the anonymity and the internet.

Watch your back. You could be the next victim.

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