Dedication is probably one of those qualities parents want to hammer into their kids, but you've got to make sure little Jimmy or Jess are flowing that obsessive energy into the right channels. School work? Sure. Sports? Good stuff. Four day video game benders? That's somewhere up there with an unhealthy devotion to late night HBO in the rankings of qualities you don't want to see develop in your namesake.
Tyler Righsby, a 15-year-old from Columbus, recently locked himself in a room for four days playing his Xbox. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was his poison. When the kid finally emerged from the anti-social cocoon on Tuesday morning, Rigsby accompanied his mom on a visit to his aunt; pretty soon, he had face-planted three times from dehydration and exhaustion. An ambulance rushed Rigsby to a nearby hospital, where he was pumped full of fluids and released.
To which we can only add: this kid is a complete pantywaist. Only four days? You should have seen us back when Final Fantasy VII came out on Playstation. No doubt he's about to become the poster boy for some alarmist rhetoric targeting video games and their "deleterious influence on the youth." Nervous moms nationwide are passing this one along on nervous mom message boards.
A video from Columbus below features an interview with Rigsby's mom. She's taking the Xbox away, by the way, so take comfort that reason and common sense still have some purchase.
