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September 12, 2008 | mtg, humor
Boy's Suicide Possibly Caused by Game; Manufacturer Denies Responsibility
by slearch

The tragic death of James Goodman this past weekend has many searching for answers and many, including the boy's parents, believe that a trading card game is to blame.

James was an avid player of the card game "Magic: the Gathering", a game in which players do something with cards.

"We found chat transcripts and internet logs about wanting to use this card," Mrs Goodman said, holding up a "Lich's Mirror" game card that investigators say was on his person when his body was found. "He and his friends kept saying he had to find better ways to ... 'kill himself' so that the card would be more powerful" she continued, having to pause to dab away the tears.

"Does that sound right to you? It's just sick. Someone should be held responsible."

That someone, she claims, is Wizards of the Coast, the company that produces Magic: the Gathering. According to company representative Mark Rosewater, that simply isn't the case.

"I just want to be clear, all of us here at Wizards of the Coast are deeply saddened by the loss of Timmy or Johnny or whatever," says Rosewater. "At the same time, we can't control how everyone who plays our game will play. We did our due dilligence."

"Early in the life of the card, it had much of the same functionality but our legal department was leery." When asked to elaborate he showed us an early version of the card:

"To my understanding, the current wording frees us of any responsibility in cases such as this."

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