12-Year Old Boy Runs Away From Home After Parents Take WoW Away

By William on Thursday, August 2nd, 2007 at 3:15 PM PST In World of Warcraft

runaway.jpg

What kind of evil parents would take World of Warcraft away from their 12-year old son? Just kidding! Any kid who would run away from home because their parents took away their video game probably needed it taken away. Personally, I see nothing wrong with adults being addicted to video games, but at 12 you should probably have plenty of other things to do in addition to playing games.

Growing up, I was restricted to about 30 minutes a day for video game time, and although I didn’t like it, I have to appreciate that my parents kept things under control. My complete addiction to games didn’t come full circle until I was in my 20s. I also have to consider the fact that it took less time to beat games back in the old days. 30 minutes was plenty of time to beat most games if you had the skills.

A 12-year-old boy from California reportedly ran away from home after his parents took away his World of Warcraft video game.

“We were so worried about him. We couldn’t find him anywhere,” said mother Dorothy Rollins about her son’s disappearance.

“We called everyone, our neighbors, his friends. Nobody had a clue about where he could be,” she said.

According to Stanton Weekly, the parents of 12-year-old Damien Rollins decided to take away his World of Warcraft video game after they say he became addicted to it. That night, the 12-year-old apparently left his room and vanished.

“He got it [WoW] for his birthday and hasn’t stopped playing it since,” said Damien’s father, Thomas Rollins.

“It got to the point at which he would play all day and throughout the night. More than 15 hours nonstop sometimes,” said Dorothy.

After looking for hours, the parents finally gave up and called the local authorities. When police arrived, Dorothy received a phone call from her son.

After his World of Warcraft was taken away, Damien apparently became upset and stayed in hiding at a friend’s backyard before making the call home.

Damien was returned home soon after and reunited with his parents.

“He’s learned his lesson. We’ll let him play the game occasionally, but not for hours and hours at a time,” Dorothy said.

Via Game Rush

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80 Comments on “12-Year Old Boy Runs Away From Home After Parents Take WoW Away”

  1. Chuck Hog says:

    Hey that reminds me of my neighbor’s son (his name was Milap). He did the exact same thing when his mom took away his account privileges from a game called RuneScape, a Massively Multiplayer Online roll playing game and sent him to fat camp (mind you, he weighed 340 lbs).

    I guess he plays NeoPets now.

  2. scotty says:

    omg u shitting me. ROFL what a nerd. im sry but if u play that much and get that pissed because of a video game u just …. have problems..

  3. professer says:

    Hehe thats sad.

    :twisted: :shock: :mrgreen: :smile: :???: :evil: :lol: :razz: :wink:

  4. smashy 12 year old gamer says:

    :evil: :evil: :evil: that is horrible :cry: becuase im a 12 year old like that and i was banned from maple story and its not fair. we have the right to play these games. :evil: :evil: :evil: i own a ds, pc, wii, snes(super nitendo), game boy and a ps2 plus foxtel iq. i watch many ch and memorised such as 108(fox8),150(fox8 x2),701(nick),713(cartoonnetwork)and many more. i have many email addresses some secret some public such as smashy7377@hotmail.com and smashy7377@yahoo.com .i also cheat with many websites such as gamewinners.com and many more. ive played many games such as maple story(banned by dad), millsberry, club penguin, marapets, neopets, flyff, runescape(banned by dad)and dragon fable. WTF do adults think there doing banning us kids it not fair. they’re the biggest noobs(idiots) of them all. if they’re played these games they would sit there for longer (like 10 hours) playing and would not addmit it’s fun then they says “oh you kids play to long ‘blah’ ‘blah’ ‘blah’”.”well thats it ive had it your banned” :evil: :evil: :evil: adults are just so evil. my bro (9 years old) has been banned because of a little anger that is so not fair.

    in conculsion i think kids sould not be banned because of the reasons above.

    written in 10 mins by (real name not wanted to be said) smashy

    :evil: evil adults :evil:

  5. gdfg says:

    that is true you have to stop playing games for once ina while and that is bad for the eye i have a ps2 and a ps2 but i dont play it for along time o and i have a gameboy to :smile: :smile: :grin: :wink:

  6. gdfg says:

    i am so cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :cool:

  7. xx-Thor-xx says:

    “I was restricted to about 30 minutes a day for video game time” wow, me too but it was weekends only. but back when i was a kid we actually played outside and stuff, i think thats a foreign concept to a lot more kids than it should be these days. what ever happened to Super Soaker’s and NERF guns? that was the best way to spend an afternoon.. running around shooting the crap out of your friends never gets old.

  8. Blizzard says:

    Go to the website xfire.com, and then look how many WoW minutes have already been played today.
    Reply when you do it.

  9. erathoniel says:

    Smashy, calm down. It’s no big deal. Your parents should have lived many years longer than you, probably at least 2, 3, or even 4 times longer than you have, so they are probably wise in these matters.

  10. SMOOOOSHY says:

    :sad: :sad: :?: :smile: :smile: :sad: :!: :cry: :razz: :roll: :mrgreen: :arrow: :neutral: :eek: :lol: :sad: :eek: :cool: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: yea liek i hate my parents!!!!!! :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

    smashy you are sooooo right LOL!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: my parntes are soooooo dumb :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: we should totes meet up and have sex :???: :cool: :oops: :eek: :mad: :roll: :shock: :twisted:

  11. Adam says:

    Wow that’s one sad kid.

  12. Adam says:

    And i totally agree with Thor! What’s with these kids that sit at home all day just so they can “own” some random American at halo. It’s really sad.

  13. Dao says:

    pfft… kids…
    I was a 12 year old once (weren’t we all?), and when I was, I was not limited in playing stuff on my PC. Never. Still, I guess sitting at the screen for more then a couple of hours seemed a bit extreme for me at that time, and I want to clarify - I WAS LIMITING MYSELF there, not being limited by parents. Now, I am MUCH older (by MUCH I mean VERY MUCH)and play far more hours, and still - addiction is not a point in my life because of the limitations I put up to myself back then. This child here, is SICK. And so are ALL children who can sit through 15 hours (doubt it tho, must have been maximum 8 or 9 hours… multiplied for dramatic effect) of gameplay. As some wise person said here - Super Soakers never got old, go and get ur mum to buy you the best there is (its cost would be lower then WoW at any rate) and go pwn the living crap out of your friends. Its like PvP, really! Only without the side effects of growing fat all over the damn chair…

  14. krashy 13 year old gamer says:

    hi ny name is Neon(real name will not be given out)i am the cousen of smashy. i am 13 years old. parents think we get pissed off playing games but when they ban us it makes me even more pissed off. it is stupid how they think, example when they say how are u going to get a job by playing these games.one, by the time im an adult mostly everything will be controlled by technolagy so i think im getting a good start in my career.i play all the games smashy does because im the one who mainly shows them these games.to me i think the games are a great way to cool down and pass the time. so i think that i will be laughing when my parents won’t no how to drive a new 2035 hover car and i will be getting around with pleasure.if they come to ME asking how to use there new phone i will go say go play some games and then sarcasticly say oh i forgot it will rot your brain. then i will walk off laughing.

    thats my opinion goodbye

  15. xx-Thor-xx says:

    “by the time im an adult mostly everything will be controlled by technolagy so i think im getting a good start in my career”

    you can’t seriously think that? using auto-attack and cleave for 6 hours a day doesn’t help you learn how to do any real life job skill. if thats your attitude for life i hope you don’t go to college, because that will be the worst 20-30 grand your parents could ever spend.

  16. krashy 13 year old gamer and smashy 12 year old gamer says:

    ok
    1. :evil: ‘xx-Thor-xx’ :evil: i did not say every thing will be controlled by technolegy i said mostly everything will be controlled by technolegy so shut your trap in fact i think your one of the :arrow: gay adults are you
    2. thor your rite :oops: oops im wrong your a :arrow: :evil: :mad: :sad: :cry: :evil: :twisted: :mrgreen: like my parents
    3.mostly every thing is ran by technolegy

    ok under stand

  17. havoc of smeg says:

    i think someone who does nothing but play on their games is just a sad little worthless wanker.

    p.s if you are one of these wankers, take my advice, loose that 300 pounds of fat, then get a life and go loose your virginity, sad act

  18. krashy 13 year old gamer and smashy 12 year old gamer says:

    i only weigh 30kg and kids in my class that do sport weigh 52kg

  19. weclock says:

    @smashy12 year old

    you don’t own any of those systems, your parents do.

    @krashy and smashy

    1. when I was 12 I hardly played video games, not because they weren’t fun or because I didn’t like them, but because I had other very important things to do, like go outside and play, chase girls, and have fun. Video games are great, yes, but they are meant to be a hobby not your life.

    2. Spend sometime in Darfur and you’ll really begin to appreciate technology.

  20. yadaddy says:

    why does anybody care? i mean if the kids want to get fat and lead worthless lives…..well, then let them.

  21. weclock says:

    The parents care, lol.

  22. yadaddy says:

    lol,yeah i guess. they should not though. i would just dissown the little bastard. i think this current generation is degrading. im seventeen and i love WoW but damn. i also play football and lead a life.

  23. Peter says:

    I think a majority of these comments are proof that kids can’t be left alone with computers for an extensive amount of time. Not only does it ruin any chances of having any kind of social life outside the internet but it also affects the level of English our kids are brought down to.

    But then once again I have to blame parents; spare the rod, spoil the child.

  24. weclock says:

    selfish parents who never grow up, don’t think of what’s best for their family, or for their kids.

    only whats best for them.

  25. havoc of smeg says:

    @krashy and smashy

    so what your saying is, you dont play any sports and spend so much time playing games its made you look like starvin marvin?

  26. yadaddy says:

    lol uhhm i dont even understand kilos. :oops: im guessing thats little like sixty pounds or something?

  27. krashy 13 year old gamer and smashy 12 year old gamer says:

    i do play sports i play tennis and the piano, drums, gutair, (this is ture)

    if played soccer , cricket , i go to a gym once a week

    so now try to say i dont do sport

    losers are :arrow: yadaddy , havoc of smeg , weclock , Peter , xx-Thor-xx , dao , adam , erathoniel , gdfg

    the winners are krashy 13 year old gamer and smashy 12 year old gamer , SMOOOOSHY
    the reson why there winners is because they agree with me

  28. havoc of smeg says:

    @ smashy and krashy

    no, we are winners because there are more of us.

    now go suck your thumb and shut up.

  29. weclock says:

    @smashy and krashy

    the gym once a week? when I was a kid I did all of that PLUS gym every day.

    What’s the matter with you?

  30. yadaddy says:

    awww man i just got told i was a loser by two obese children. life is soooo unfair. and by the way you out of shape little punks i never made fun of you until just now. lol god you really are retarded. everything that you say is pure nonsense.

  31. yadaddy says:

    btw smooshy being a winner? its probably a pedaphile. lol either that or i hope to god he was being sarcastic, i honestly think that you are some lonely little fat boy trying to get attention because your mommie does not love you. so you made up two people and you just trying to make it seem like there are more of you to agree with. your a psych little bastard arent you?

  32. marsek says:

    i absolutly love good videa games and there arnt that many out atm so i dnt play it tht much but wen a reeaaaly good game comes out i play it non stop :D and its stupid for adults to ban kids from playing games when its their fault for getting a pc/ps2/xbox w/e :P u either get an xbox and from the start only let them play on it for bout 1 hour maybe or get an xbox and let them play on it as long as they lyk and neva take it away from them (unless it happens to brake (by accident of cours *hint hint*)) or just dont get an xbox then they would nevver get addicted to it :P and if they need a computer for hmk or anything get them a laptop tht dusnt have the power to play any of the games they want…

    o n btw im 15 :D iv got a ps3 and a xbox 360 at my dads neerly every game iv played in the past 5 months has got me bored of it in bout 40 mins so thts how much i play games evry umm week…

    and now to the kids

    if you get soooo upset about loosing your game then get higher expectations, critisise as much as u can about the game and think how it wud be better then sooner or later you start to see the games as not very good at all. then you only play v v v v v v good games (n ther arnt much of them) and onli play normall games for about 20 mins max (thts from expeirience) hope it helps

  33. marsek says:

    oh and im nt over wieght at all i go out evry day and run around the town for about 1 hour climbing on stuff and also one reason i dont go on games alot is cos im on msn :P i used to play wow but i missed out on soo much of the gossip tht i gave up and went on msn :P

  34. krashy 13 year old gamer and smashy 12 year old gamer says:

    oh marsek wats you msn i would like to talk
    :razz: :razz: :razz: :smile: :smile: :wink: :wink: :wink:

  35. nomoretobeWoWgamergirl says:

    :mrgreen: Hey guys i used to play WoW for atleats 6 hours a day i was highly addicted.. my parent’s did start to give me time limits everyday it really sucked ( I’m only 10 years old ) :roll: But your parents do that for your health and your eye vision. They don’t want you to stay on the computer forever and get fat and unhealthy..They want you to be healthy and in good shape thats why they put time limits on you … because they care about you.. You should be happy your parents are doing this for you… Or else like 75% of the U.S.A would be not succesful of anything hope you guys know what im talking about.. :wink:

  36. nomoretobeWoWgamergirl says:

    am i right? When u guys grow up ( smooshy & smashy ) you guys will be 40 yr olds living in your mom’s basements playing runescape, clubpenguin , World of Warcraft, etc.

  37. nomoretobeWoWgamergirl says:

    oh that last one was for krashy too :wink: :smile: :???: :cool: :lol:

  38. nomoretobeWoWgamergirl says:

    I’m sorry im sounding like a parent but this is for you … ( even thought im only 10 yrs old ) :oops: :roll: :wink: :lol: :eek: :mrgreen: :smile:

  39. nomoretobeWoWgamergirl says:

    I hope u guys get what i’m saying .. i mean when i was playing WoW ALOT my grades when very very LOW like c’s and d’s that will happen to you guys.. But now since i quit wow my grades went from c’s and d’s to A’s and B’s … You get low grades cause in school while ur teachers are talking you will just be sitting there day dreaming about the game you are playing like runescape World of Warcraft clubpenguin maple story , ETC. You guys get it?

  40. nomoretobeWoWgamergirl says:

    :grin: :mrgreen: :neutral: :shock: :smile: :cool: :grin: :mrgreen: :lol: :wink: :roll: :razz: :!: :idea:

  41. nomoretobeWoWgamergirl says:

    you guys need to learn … video & computer games aren’t EVERYTHING like its not your whole life and at 12 and 13 ( i shouldn’t be saying this cause im only 10 and i played Wow for 5 hours a day atleast ) you guys shouldn’t be addicted to these games… JUST LIVE UR LIFE WITHOUT THINKING ABOUT THESE GAMES!! I’m sorry im acting :evil: its for your own good

  42. nomoretobeWoWgamergirl says:

    parents are doing what they need to do and you should be happy they are doing it for your health :!: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :wink: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :cool: :wink:

  43. nomoretobeWoWgamergirl says:

    Anyone here? at the time????

  44. marsek says:

    lol ye parents are doing it for u but alot of the tym u dnt learn a lesson unless you learn it by yourself so try out wot i mentioned it mite just help n jst sayin but im 15 and iv been playing video games all my lyf and my eyes are just fine and i get a’s n b’s n i do all my work on the pc :P so tht argument bout u nt getting gd grades wen u play video games etc is nt tht good and even on runescape n wow u can learn stuff i learnt wot quite a few words ment on wow n rs :P bt ye its tru nt to play it too much oh and i just remembered tht on wow parents can changed sumin so that wow only lets you on for a few hours at a time… oh well ill reply wen i get msgs sayin thers a reply but till then c yas :D oh n i dunno bout puttin my msn up on here :S cos anyone can see it

  45. nomoretobeWoWgamergirl says:

    Yeah.. But for some people .. they will never get out of the house and.. they can’t stop playing like when someone wants then to do something they will just make an excuse ..Like “Not now busy!” Like in WoW they might say that when they are doing an instance or trying to level up… And in school some people just sit there day dreaming about what they should do today like “Today i’m gonna do a dungeon and try to get to level 70!!!” (thinks in head) maybe if they play for a few less hours they can get out of the house once in a while… :???: All i’m trying to say is Try not to play a lot… You might wanna take an addicting test see how much addicted u actually are… :neutral:

  46. nomoretobeWoWgamergirl says:

    Yeah..Sometime games can be A LOT of fun i agree with that but the maximum time you should play in a day would be like 3-4 hours…I’m just saying i don’t wanna start an argument or anything i’m just saying you can do whatever you want..it’s your choice

  47. nomoretobeWoWgamergirl says:

    :neutral: :neutral: :neutral: :neutral: :neutral: :neutral: :neutral: :neutral: :neutral: :neutral: :neutral: :neutral: :neutral: :neutral: :neutral: :neutral: :neutral: :neutral: :neutral: :neutral: :neutral: :neutral: :neutral: :neutral: :neutral: :neutral: :neutral: :neutral:

  48. krashy 13 year old gamer and smashy 12 year old gamer says:

    that ok marsek it does not matter about msn

    on maple story i learned diffenret ores are ture
    you can also talk to people on mmorpg
    (massive multiplayer online role playing games) games
    im like marsek i get a’s b’s c’s at school
    also nomoretobeWoWgamegirl you say you limet you time but you were playing for 1:15 pm to 8:48pm talking on here not inculding wat else you do on here

    p.s. “devil went down to georgia” is a cool song

    p.s.s. i can finnish a rubix cube

    p.s.s.s. i found out on youtube

    p.s.s.s.s. watch my youtube videos

    p.s.s.s.s.s. you can find 3 under smashy7377

    p.s.s.s.s.s.s. smashy and krashy rule

    p.s.s.s.s.s.s.s. ?????????

    p.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s. bye

  49. marsek says:

    lol anyone know about assassins creed? well i got it on friday and played it at 4 30 till 12 XD went to sleep n woke up at 8 in the mornin n played it till lunch (12) then went out but thts lyk extreeeeeeemly rare but iv been mad bout it for bout 1 year now :P and for wow i also gave up cos im very impatient n it took too long to get up a lvl so ye :P i was a leader of a v v v v good guild at lvl 20 XD it had bout 300 ppl in it n bout 100 of em wer lvl 70 bt im guessing no w its all stopped :P anyway iv beeten assassins creed alredy :P bt its been bout 2 years since iv played a game longer than 1 hour by myself :P

    and im jst saying bt its never really the child fault til they get to the age of bout 16+ cos its the way theyv been bought up and treated for example my uncle didnt have a ps2 til recently (they neva had anything technology) and from the begining he didnt let my cousins play it more than 1 hour a day and thts onli if they been good and dun thei hmk n they havent rebelled against the system or anything n the play out quite alot
    ooh and btw video games can b good :P cos in prince of persia and assassins creed iv learnt alot of parkour moves tht i can do in real lyf :P im wel gd :D and if youv seen die hard 4 then the guy the sorta runs orund the ice room is kinda wot i can do :P i rok !!!! :D

  50. U gay sados!!!! says:

    y the hell are u arguing over games!! for fuck sake!! why dont u shag yr best friends girl friend its just as worth while!! get a life! i mean all it does is waste money and put fat on yr fat thats sitting on your fat!! admit it!!

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