Nintendo responds to Game Boy accident that killed UK boy

KevMa - a breaker is a mechanical device in most structures. Current flows through a metal resistor which is two different metals rolled back to back. When the circuit shorts the metals heat and expand at different rates, such that the metal bends away and breaks the switch by (in most cases) having the force to flip the breaker switch.

Breakers in bathrooms and kitchens sometimes act fater then those in bedrooms and livingrooms for this very reason...there is a lot more water in the kitchen and bathroom.

However, a child with R = 120ohms at V = 230 yields a current of 2 amps (for the record, .08 amps is the shock you get from touching a doorknob while staticy). Thus all of the childs muscles contracted at full force at the wrong time. Chances are he burst his heart before the breaker even tripped.

I've had some bad misshaps with capacitors recently (never open your disposable camera without making sure the flash is discharged), but no permenant harm came to me because I was dry (the resistance of dry skin is over 100 times that of wet skin), reducing the current to a "never do that again" level.

It seems, to me, strange that such a relatively minor difference in voltage could cause a fatal shock. Maybe the wiring in the Thailand hotel was faulty?

I feel for the kid and all but people like sheppy are right. I worked at an elementary school last year and all grades 1st through 5th were taken to the library and were talked to by firemen and a special mascot about these types of things [and fires, naturally].
Thing is that its not the kids fault, but the parents where were they when he got out of th epool and went inside to play his gameboy? I remember when I was a kid my mom would be sitting in a chair or bench and when we got out she had a towel in hand to dry us off.
Oh and one more thing, those jokes about the GBA and the bears are really inappropiate.

I'm just going to add in some more comments here. I hadn't read many other posts before I posted my own, but looking back...I didn't know half of Joystiq's readers were assholes. Why do we have so many burdens in this world?

As for the topic at hand, I hope this family can get through this, and that nothing like this ever happens again.

All that kid wanted for X-Mas was a PSP!

Juan, you have to remember that just because your school did that, doesn't mean another school in another country did as well. It's never that simple.

But it's all beside the point. Nothing wrong with understanding the facts and having half a soul at the same time.

You know, the moment the parents file the $10 Million lawsuit against Nintendo, a vast majority of these opinions will change.

Screw the kid. He's a moron. And his parents are bigger morons for not teaching him about electricity. They should know how since they can afford to fly to Thailand. Meanwhile, at least we get to laugh at him.

Sheppy, do you get all your knowledge from your TV, or do you ever step out into the real world?

Wait a minute, Billyok.

You're trying to tell me I don't like in the real world when you're the one going "we don't know what that country's educational system is" when the little kid is a brit? You're telling me that America, despite being dramatically behind the educational curve of several countries (in fact, we're halfway down the list) including the UK, is one of the few educational programs that didn't skip past the "don't play with electricity while you are wet" lessons?

Think about that for a second and realize just how stupid what you just posted is! Those PSA's at the ass end of GI Joe cartoons... those were for you, huh?

i ese both sides to this arguement....my conclusion..
you're all being way over-sensitive pricks.

sheppy (#56), you cannot say that with any solid evidence. You cannot back up your claim, and as such, it is invalid.

However, anyone whose opinions about the CHILD who died change because his PARENTS filed a lawsuit obviously is just incapable of understanding something as *unnatural* as sympathy. Just imagine! A human feeling compassion!

sheppy, i'm from the UK and I can honestly say I don't remember ever having a "don't play with electricity while you are wet" lesson.

At any rate, it would seem that it was the hotel manager that claimed the kid was wet after the parents said that the hotel electrics were unsafe.

Who do you believe?

Thats what the Dumbass gets for buying a Nintendo product

he should of bought a PSP or a PS3


Good thing he's dead, One less nintendo fan faggot
ps3 rules
so does sony

Serves the dumbass right, for buying a NINTENDO product
he should of bought a psp and or a PS3

Well AT least another Nintendo buyer is dead, i hope the nintenfaggot rots in hell



ps3 rules

Sheppy, stop embarrassing yourself. Actually think about my point after reading it. Just because one classroom invites a firefighter to speak to 7-year-olds doesn't mean every classroom in the same city/state/country/planet will do the same thing. Do you understand now? I doubt the United Kingdom any more than the United States has a single lesson plan for all students in the entire country.

Does that make sense to you? It has nothing to do with some mythical nationwide curriculum. It has to do with one teacher being different than another. And maybe his class did have that lesson, and maybe he was absent that day. There are factors you don't know, and you sound stupid when you try to convince us that you do just to justify that you're a soulless ass. Just be an ass and be proud of it.

the sad thing is Shagi would make a better PR man than anyone Sony currently has working for them.

This is it. Kids sometimes do stupid things (as does everyone else), but kids seem to especially not realize quite what the consequences for certain actions can be. You could be the smartest person in the world, and this kind of thing could happen to you if you're not thinking; you're coming out of a great party, talking to friends, you don't look as you're crossing the street THAT ONE TIME because you feel on top of the world and that's when a car comes and hits you. OF COURSE everyone knows to look both ways and cross carefully, but does everyone do it every time? No. They're not stupid; as a wise man once said, to err is human and sometimes people just make mistakes and that's how accidents happen.

Oh, and for the record, any of you talking about "darwinism," please just shut the hell up. You don't know what you're talking about, so stop throwing words around just because you think they'll back up your crackpot theories and don't come back trying to explain to me and everyone else how actually this event fits right in and in doing so make yourself look even stupider and colder than you already have made yourself look.

agree with 66

People who are frivolous about this sort of thing, or worse, seek to incorporate it into a self-serving expression of their own aggression or smugness (read: Darwinism, nationalism etc), clearly haven't actually experienced the emotional weight of an event like this in their own lives. Said people should really talk about something else, otherwise they just look childish.

Condolences to the family and damn the tabloid press.

I am very glad that kid is dead :)

BEST.... SHAGI COMMENT.... EVER.

May I suggest, Joystiq, that at the very least, everyone who left comments even remotely similar to that of Fatherton J. Pennyfeather (#68) have the minimum star count possible? And give us a feature to ignore everyone with a star count below a certain threshold?

Or maybe you could just ban their email addresses...That would probably be easier.

The kid should of bought a PSP
Oh well the brightside is one less nintendo Customer


This is just proof that nintendo Caters to STupid little kids who are SO DIMWITTED THAT THEY DIE!
While Sony Caters to men, REAL MEN


Buy a psp kids
you'll look cool

hahah cool look at all the fanboys taking my name, ppshh no matter, everybody knows that i am the real shagi



I do really think the kid should of bought a ps3 or a psp though, Oh well, At least another fanboy is dead

THATS WHATCHA GET FOR GOIN WITH NINTENDO
SONY CARES FOR THE CONSUMER

#70

No matter what you say, I am still glad he is dead :) I don't need your stinking stars.

Yes Shagi! Keep it coming! Keep the dream alive!

Hey Sony fanboys, at least this is probably one out of a handful of incidents that someone got hurt/killed because of a nintendo product. How many Sony fans have been beaten/maimed/killed because of the currently less than stellar PS3?

To everyone that is offering condolences and getting bent out of shape over all of the people that think this kid was an idiot along with his parents, who are you trying to impress with your bleeding hearts? You wouldn't even be giving this story a second glance if it wasn't for the more grounded people who know that the sun is hot, water is wet.... and you don't fucking touch an electrical outlet when you're soaking wet! Even if we were 7 years old we wouldn't and you know you wouldn't either! If you would, your parents didn't raise you right.

This IS Darwinism and at least he didn't die for no reason at all... everyone here will make sure that their kids know not to screw around with water and electricity... even my 6 year nephew knows this.

His parents shouldn't have bought him the Jack Thompson Edition GBA. Ya know, the one that kills the gamer before he has a chance to kill anyone else...

I would have figured that people on the internet would have grown some thicker skin by now. There will always be insensitive people that are the total opposite to your bleeding hearts, but to let each and every one get to you is fucking ridiculous.

I see there are HEARTLESS BASTARDS like 'sheppy' and 'jerk face' roaming joystiq...

"63. Thats what the Dumbass gets for buying a Nintendo product

he should of bought a PSP or a PS3

Good thing he's dead, One less nintendo fan faggot
ps3 rules
so does sony

Posted at 5:25PM on Jan 5th 2007 by Shagi 0 stars"

"74. #70

No matter what you say, I am still glad he is dead :) I don't need your stinking stars.

Posted at 7:00PM on Jan 5th 2007 by Fatherton J. Pennyfeather 0 stars"

I really hope you guys burn in hell.. I never wish other people harm, but you guys are just total @$$holes..

I really mean it.

SHAGI HOW DARE YOU. This child is dead now and all you do is rant about how his parents got him a damn Nintendo product. How is it that anyone makes light or laughs at a child's death is beyond me. And besides that, why the f*** do you care what gaming system he has? Are you that petty and unemotional that you can't get past the fact that he has a GBA to feel even a little sorry for his family? He probably has a ps3, ever think of that.

If you were to die of a similar inccident involiving your psp, why don't we see who starts laughing.

I know I wouldn't.

One revision, i had forgotten the ps3 hasn't launched in Europe yet. My bad.

He probably has a psp or ps2.

#79

Thanks! I hate you too :)

You know what pisses me off? I had a post deleted a while back for saying that one of the bloggers on this site seems kinda gay.

Yet joystiq apparently don’t mind someone posting "AT least another Nintendo buyer is dead, i hope the nintenfaggot rots in hell" about a dead seven year old child.

At the time I thought joystiq was just playing it safe and that they delete any posts that might cause offence. Obviously this was not the case.

"77. I would have figured that people on the internet would have grown some thicker skin by now. There will always be insensitive people that are the total opposite to your bleeding hearts, but to let each and every one get to you is fucking ridiculous."

...said the guy who won't even provide his name. I get your point, but geez, maybe try A LITTLE harder to not be hypocritical next time?

Mode7 (#83): I know. It's unbelievable. I seriously cannot understand why Joystiq has let this go on so long. The very least they can do at this point is ban all of these people's email addresses.

Joystiq, I never imagined you'd sink this low.

@Jonathan

The purpose of society is to prove that Darwin was wrong.

im under the impression shagi may well be a 360 fanboy ;)
naughty little boy...muddying the name of sony like that...lol