Portable games putting safety at risk?

Katherine - posted on 02/05/2011 ( 1 mom has responded )

A PSP handheld video game console almost killed a 10-year-old boy in Milan today. Oh yes, it's true. Could this be a wake-up call that our constant exposure to and dependency on technology is putting our lives in danger?

The young gamer was so engrossed in killing birds or shooting torpedoes on his portable screen that he fell several feet off of a platform and right next to the train tracks. Thankfully, an off-duty policeman named Alessandro Micalizzi quickly jumped down to lift the little boy to safety.

Sure, we all had a good laugh a couple of weeks ago watching Cathy Cruz Marrero, the woman who took a spill in to a mall fountain, because she was so engaged in whatever she was doing on her smart phone. That was pretty pathetic, because, I mean, how could she not have seen that HUGE fountain in her path? Still, friends and I have all agreed that it was ridiculous how no one jumped to her rescue! But, thankfully, that wasn't really a nearly fatal incident.

On the other hand, this PSP incident makes my heart jump out of my chest and my brain go, "OMG WHAT?!" I have a lot of questions, though! Like, where was this kid's guardian, and why did he think it was such a good idea to walk even that close to the edge of the platform? But those concerns aside, the fact that he was so immersed in a portable video game brings to light so many worries about the technology itself.

We should all know by now that it is totally idiotic to text and drive. (FYI: If you're one of those fools I see swerving between lanes, because you need to send a sext to your booty call, well, I have nothing to say to you other than a lot of angry obscenities I'll refrain from spewing here.) Since we already acknowledge that it's dangerous to multi-task with technology on the road, maybe it's about time we realize that it's just not safe to walk and game or walk and text/e-mail/IM, etc.?

Kids especially should be trained to practice "Mobile Device Safety." In other words, to focus their sight on where they're going -- not how many levels they've beaten in Gods Eater Burst! (Oh, yes, apparently that is the real name of a forthcoming PSP game ... ** shudder **)

See the nasty incident for yourself and then weigh in ... Do you think portable technology is putting our safety at risk?

http://thestir.cafemom.com/technology/11...