For some statements in the chat of Heroes of the Storm, a 26-year-old player is now in prison. Blizzard alerted the police.
In the chats of MOBAs, things can get heated. Insults are commonplace, and the occasional “stupid remark” is often made.
The fact that thoughtless statements can have extremely severe consequences is demonstrated by a case from Las Vegas. There, the player Michael Mickowsky (26) was immediately arrested after announcing a shooting spree in Heroes of the Storm.
This is what Mickowsky said: In the in-game chat of Heroes of the Storm, he announced that he wanted to carry out a shooting at a school. He literally said:
“One day, when I have enough money to buy a weapon and ammunition, I will shoot up a school nearby. (…) Just imagine if I went to an elementary school. Instead of a high school or middle school, just imagine that. I’ll buy a weapon and shoot anyone I can hit. I’ll stream it on Twitch. (…)
I promise, watch me blow the head off a 5-year-old with a 12-gauge shotgun.”
This is how Blizzard reacted: Shortly after these announcements, Blizzard contacted the appropriate authorities. Using the IP address, Mickowsky was subsequently tracked down.
The police confirmed that the statements were made from his game account.
This is what happened at the police: In a conversation with the officers, Mickowsky stated that he had made “exaggerated statements”.
According to the police, there are 18 elementary schools near Mickowsky’s residence. The police believe that it is “only due to a lack of money that no incident with many victims has occurred so far”.
Currently, Mickowsky is in custody and his bail is set at $150,000. His first hearing is scheduled for next week (April 25).
When the police informed Mickowsky’s mother, she reportedly asked if her son had hurt someone.
Whether Mickowsky truly intended to carry out the gruesome plans or if they were merely thoughtless and supposedly humorous statements remains unknown.
