Shawn Woolley
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| Shawn Woolley | |
| Born | February 12, 1980 Wisconsin, United States of America |
|---|---|
| Died | November 22, 2001 (aged 21) Wisconsin, United States of America |
| Nationality | American |
Shawn Woolley (February 12, 1980 - November 22, 2001), of Wisconsin, was an avid player of the computer game EverQuest, an MMORPG, who had been diagnosed with epilepsy, depression and schizoid personality disorder, and committed suicide at the age of 21. He shot himself and was found dead at his computer, which was still running EverQuest.
His mother, Elizabeth Woolley, describes Shawn's playing as addictive, arguing that the last few epileptic seizures he had were caused by the amount of time he spent playing EverQuest and it was this addiction that ultimately led to his suicide. Shawn began playing EverQuest in 2000, and Elizabeth Woolley asserts that by 2001, it had taken over his life. During this time Shawn Woolley was evicted from his apartment and had to move back in with his mother, a move which is also suggested as being a result of Shawn's addiction.
Soon after being evicted, his mother recommended he stay in a group home to make some friends other than "online friends" and get support. After months of doing so it seemed that he was beginning to get his life back on track. He told his mother that he was interested in getting a new apartment and living on his own. She was told by his group home that living on his own with a job would be an important step in his recovery. After getting a job at a local pizza shop Shawn moved in to a new apartment eventually earning enough money to buy a new computer and quickly returned to his online-gaming addiction.
A week before the suicide he had quit his pizza parlour job in order to play upwards of 12 hours a day, and bought a gun. He was finally pushed over the edge by unknown events that had occurred within the game, which might have included the betrayal of a six-month associate who stole Woolley's character's money and refused to return it. Elizabeth Woolley said that he was in tears after this particular incident. Furthermore, he made a character that was supposed to look like him as much as possible, and named it "iluvyou", suggesting to his mother that he might have been rejected by a girl online, in the game, something which furthered his depression.
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[edit] Suicide
On Thanksgiving day, November 22, 2001, Shawn's mother, Elizabeth, went to his newly rented apartment so he would not be alone during the holiday. She knocked on the door with no response then tried to open the door but the chain lock was connected. There was a foul smell coming from the room and she immediately thought something was wrong. After going to her residence to get a hammer she hammered the chain off and entered the apartment where she found her son slouched in his computer chair dead. He had shot himself in the head while playing "EverQuest" at his computer.
Elizabeth Woolley says that EverQuest is dangerous and addictive by design, which is what she claims led to her son's suicide, "I think the way the game is written is that when you first start playing it, it is fun, and you make great accomplishments. And then the further you get into it, the higher level you get, the longer you have to stay on it to move onward, and then it isn't fun anymore. But by then you're addicted, and you can't leave it."[1][2][3][4]
[edit] Sony's point of view
Sony Online Entertainment CEO John Smedley, one of the creators of EverQuest, said that the game did not cause Woolley's death:
"When I spoke with Ms. Woolley, I expressed my condolences. And it's really one of those terrible things that happens. And there's just nothing to suggest that EverQuest had any role in his death. EverQuest is a game. And I don't see any connection between a form of entertainment and somebody's tragic suicide. It's entertainment. Is a book dangerous? Is a TV show dangerous? I think the answer is no. People need to take responsibility and say, 'Hey, you know, this is too much. Enough's enough.' It's a game."
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Death of a game addict March 31, 2002
- ^ Wired News: "Did Game Play Role In Suicide?" April 4, 2002
- ^ CBS on Woolley: "Addicted: Suicide Over Everquest?" October 18, 2002
- ^ E! Channel -THS Investigates Online Nightmares- Showed on September 29, 2007 at 13:00 (EST)
