Het is een vast protocol wanneer iemand ergens op een killing spree gaat dat video games er de schuld van krijgen. Dit is nu ook het geval in Amerika waar de 34 jarige Aaron Alexis die stemmen hoorde (en dus ook vuurwapens voor handen had, maar dat ligt nu eenmaal gevoelig in Amerika) 12 mensen dood schoot. Volgens zijn "vrienden" bleek hij een fanatiek speler van Call of Duty en World of Warcraft te zijn. Hier onder kan je het hele verhaal lezen.

Gunman Aaron Alexis was treated for mental illness, telling psychiatrists he was "hearing voices" in his head after playing violent video games for hours on end.

Friends of the 34-year-old, who massacred 12 people at Washington Navy Yard, said he was a "hardcore drinker" who became obsessed with bloody "shoot em ups", including Call of Duty.

Michael Ritrovato said he had watched Alexis playing violent video games that involved playing the part of an armed killer.

Alexis was said to often be in front of his console for up to 18 hours at a time.

Friend Nutpisit Suthamtewakul said the former Navy reservist become so hooked on the games he would have to bring food to him during gaming sessions so as not to tear him away.

The darker side to Alexis's character saw him playing violent "zombie" video games in his room, sometimes from 12.30pm until 4.30am.

Mr Suthamtewakul said: "He could be in the game all day and all night. I think games might be what pushed him that way."

Alexis worked at Suthamtewakul's Happy Bowl Thai restaurant in Fort Worth, Texas and for a time lived with the owner and his wife.

Mr Suthamtewakul added: "He always had this fear people would steal his stuff so that's why he would carry his gun all the time.

"He would carry it when he was helping out in the restaurant which scared my customers."

One of the restaurant's customers, Chris Childs, told today how he had had conversations with Alexis about the shoot em up games when he had eaten there.

Mr Childs, a radio show director, described Alexis as "really" into video games like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft.

He said: "When a new game would come out - there were a couple of guys I worked with that were kinda, sorta into shooter games, but by the time a new one would come out, he would know a lot about the game."

A source close to the case told the Mirror: "What is emerging is a picture of someone who was clearly troubled but yet no one in authority picked up on it.

"There are several events in his life that should have set alarm bells ringing that he was unsuitable to be around firearms.

"We know he had an obsession with violent video games and we will look into that a part of the ongoing investigation."