There has been a lot of baseless speculation about the man who climbed into and was killed at the tiger enclosure in Yorkshire Wildlife Park, with Donald Trump even fanning the flames by posting AI-generated memes of himself buddying up with the big cat. Now that the victim has been identified as 24-year-old William Chapman, that speculation has only intensified, as the Daily Mail is now suggesting that Skyrim may have been to blame for his death.
The finger is often pointed at video games for everything from wanton violence to the downfall of civilization, typically by out-of-touch Gen Xers and Boomers who haven’t touched a controller since Pong, Tetris, and Pac-Man. Still, this is an especially bizarre case, and a double jump of a leap if I’ve ever read one.
The Daily Mail claimed earlier today that Chapman “appeared to be a fan of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim,” noting that the game features axes and crossbows. Since Chapman took a picture with a crossbow on the day of the fatal incident (pictured below), the Daily Mail suggests that he may have been “living out a fantasy” of hunting enemies from the game.
“Like many young men his age, he was an active gamer. Specifically, he appeared to be a big fan of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, a fantasy game that sees players armed with crossbows and axes, slaying monsters and wild predators, such as large sabre cats. Could William have been living out a fantasy, or become caught between the blurred lines of his online and real worlds?” they ask.
No, Skyrim Isn’t To Blame
I don’t think I need to unpack exactly why this is a silly idea. Skyrim isn’t exactly known for its crossbows — they were added in the Dawnguard DLC, and players typically favor bows. But even putting that aside, Chapman didn’t bring the crossbow with him into the enclosure, and there’s no evidence that he was hunting the tiger, as the video shows him sitting and raising a finger at it.
Nonetheless, the Daily Mail punctuates its bizarre speculation by saying it’s a “chilling thought for everyone” that his love of video games may have inspired him to climb into a tiger enclosure. It isn’t chilling. It’s just another laughable example of the mainstream media being completely out of touch with video games and grasping at straws to pin the blame on them wherever they can.
- Released
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November 11, 2011
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes
- Engine
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Creation
- Expansions
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Skyrim: Dragonborn, Skyrim: Hearthfire, Skyrim: Dawnguard
