I know video games don't cause violence, right?  This kind of thing would have happened over baseball cards or something else, of course.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-police-boy-16-slain-on-south-side-20140105,0,5198889.story

I really find these people to be a poor influence to the world the type of people that do this are retarded stupid and should go to jail for the rest of there lives

Yeah, video game addiction is real thing and can really mess up how people view real life versus the virtual ones. It was most likely the gun of his parents. If they had been more safe and locked up their gun, then there wouldn't have been this. Now they will have to feel guilty for letting their 13 year old son (who seems messed up) know where they kept the gun.
A lot of kids have anger issues, but having weapons easily accessible only makes that problem a lot worse.

If your kid has bad enough issues to kill over a video game. Don't have a gun out in the dang open.

warmaker : oh my gosh thats horrible but i hate people like that

Wow! Seriously?!? Over a freaking video game system? Come on now. This is appalling. I never fought over anything like that when I was growing up. I don't get how people's moral values keep going down the drain as each generation comes along. Chaos, pure chaos!

This happens in europe too. But at least guns here are illegal so it happens with airguns that cause less damage. The parents should put their guns in a safe or something.

ive actually had to research this topic before, multiple times. video games do cause thoughts of violence and aggresion, but not immeaditaly. over the course of playing for numerous years for more hours than needed can cause thouhts and actions related to aggresion. ways to control it or stop it from happening are less hours on electronics(suggested as 3-5 hours) and more physical activity, especially with friends.

Wow I just don't understand why people would kill other people over stupid things such as video games & that...... I have been hearing these kinds of stories alot from someone that I listens to on youtube.... this is just unbelievable!!

First of all, most people know that violent video games don't make children violent, but addiction to something can make someone violent, and xbox's and Playstations are like crack to kids. I hate to make assumptions though, and it's not clear where he got the gun either, so I don't want to blame the parents too readily. Though if they did leave the gun in a place where the 13 year old could get access to it, they should be at fault, even though losing a son might be punishment enough.

I hate to say it but this is why my parents never let us have games for a long long time.  It wasn't till I was 13 and was over a friends house did I know about such things.

In my house we have no game systems because we believe it distracts from learning.  No so much as making a kid violent but they loose focus on life.  These kids must of played too much games and lost the sense between real life and virtual life.  Even without a gun there would most likely be an identical result.

Leaving a gun where a kid can get to it falls on the parents they should of made sure the place was kid safe.  Letting there be a gun in ease of access even if it's not their gun is not good parenting.

Theres actually been a story about a women who shook her baby to death over farmville. This kind of stuff happens a lot and not just over games. I think this could be aresult of baad parenting but maybe not. I htink it's when kids are exposed to such games like shooters when they are still 8 or something can cause a difference to the way they think at a later age. They could end up being more aggressive and do violent things such as this over it. It's better if kids that age play games that won't frustrate them but instead you can actually have fun with it. Then maybe they won't turn out to be so aggressive. Video Games won't cause violence if they actually play games around their age limit. I didn't start playing 18+ games until I was 13-14. By then I was mature enough to handle a little anger from the games.

The bad parenting in this situation is having a gosh darn gun right in the open for their kids to grab so easily. Unless the parents were telling the truth and saying they were truly unaware of where the boy got the gun.

tgags123 : Lucky I didn't do that to you in your Xbox One hate thread!!

Ok that is the only joke I am going to make because this is a serious matter since someone actually died and I hate to see stories about this. I must say though, I am not going to agree on that video games are the influence on his actions as some users have said. Some people have mental issues, for instance I have an anger issue but I think this kid needed help a long time a go.
To shoot someone is crazy and over something so small is ridiculous, if say the guy he shot had been part of a terminal accident with one of his family members that would be reasonable, accepting that he obviously has some insane mental condition. 

You seriously thing it was video games that made him kill his cousin? You don't think maybe it was because there is something wrong with his head? Video games do not cause violence. If someone kills someone else it is because they are messed up mentally, not because they play too many video games.

SEE?! THIS IS WHY TODAY'S GENERATION IS SO CORRUPT!!! I've been talking to my "comrades" about this! THEY JUST DON'T LISTEN!! I predict by the year, 2031, the Earth will fall in HELL!!

I think people need a pre-existing mental condition or weakness to be so heavily influenced by a video game and the media portrayal of this issue is as it always is biased for the sake of sales. Anther plausible explanation is that he is using that excuse so he can use the insanity defence to try and reduce his charge to murder but I am unfamiliar with american law

I can't believe somebody would so this, especially a kid. Over a game. 

It's unfortunate that the child wasn't taught better. I truly believe (and I know others disagree) that parents need to teach their children to separate video games from reality, and that's just the tame portion of the story. Pulling a gun on anyone the way he did is unacceptable. Guns are dangerous and shouldn't be accessible to the child. I believe if they don't have a license, they shouldn't be allowed access to a gun.