We’ll be the first to admit that our obsessive nature for all thing gaming has lead us into the world of addiction.  Simply check our WoW usage over the past six months if you need supporting evidence.  Unfortunately sometimes an addiction to online gaming can lead to neglect or in this case even death.  Last year a woman, who was not named for legal reasons, was introduced to the online game Small World by a Facebook friend.  What started as an hour long hobby soon escalated to the point where she was living off two hours of sleep per night.

The real kicker here is that the woman had three children, aged nine, 10 and 13.  As luck would have it, a neighbor started to notice the mess accumulating at the residence over the next 6 months and eventually did some investigating work where she discovered some grim details.  First, the woman had apparently starved her two dogs because she was too busy to feed them.  Not only where the dogs dead, but their bodies were lying on the living room floor rotting.  Second, the woman had stopped eating all foods that needed to be heated, focusing her efforts on her gaming rather than wasting time on food preparation.  Last, her children only saw their mother in the mornings when they were leaving for school.

Now for the rub.  After authorities learned the truth behind the woman’s Small World addiction she was charged with numerous offenses, ultimately pleading guilty to three counts of child cruelty and two counts of animal neglect.  The end result of the matter is that she was sentenced to six months in jail, 75 hours of community services and her children are now in protective custody.