An 83-year-old woman was knocked to the ground and robbed of her purse. Matt Caulcutt, 16, and
Yoan Philogne, 15, were playing video games when they saw a suspicious fellow sprint past their window. They
investigated, found granny in a ditch, and chased the perp down to a public toilet, according to tomorrow's print
edition of the Herald Sun.
Here's the big question: was this act of heroism despite the fact that the two were playing games (i.e., they had to overcome inertia and all of that evil brainwashing), or because of it (i.e., they learned to follow clues, give chase, and confront evildoers because they had practiced those same actions many times in a game)?
That's a trick question. They're likely just a couple of average Australian boys who know right from wrong. But if game critics are going to attribute every evil action that anyone who has ever held a controller has committed, they need to be prepared to give credit when gamers do good things in the world. Both attributions are downright silly.
