Tiny Diggers – An iPad Construction Truck Game for Kids Age 2-5

Michael and Iana Straw were arrested and have plead guilty on two counts of child neglect each. The charges stem from the parents getting too involved in the MMO Dungeons and Dragons, to the point of not feeding or taking care of their children.

The children were found in terrible condition by social workers. The 11-month-old girl had to have her head shaved due to it being matted with cat urine. She also had a mouth infection, was severely dehydrated and had extremely dry skin. The 22-month-old boy had a genital infection, severe malnourishment and the lack of muscle tissue left him with difficulty standing and walking.

The “parents” in this situation, if they can even be called parents, have claimed they were sucked into the world of the game that they were playing to the point of addiction. Michael Straw was an unemployed former cashier and his wife Iana worked as a temp office worker. Michael had recently received a $50,000 inheritance that he spent on a plasma screen TV and upgraded computers, instead of caring for the children.

I hope these two winners get the full 12-year sentences that they so rightfully deserve. I hope that prisoners find out what they did to their children. This is horrible. And I hope no one tries to defend these people under the guise of addiction, because I am not buying it. They decided their game was more important than their two toddler children. I am a hardcore gamer, but I will tell you right now, that I stop gaming whenever my child needs attention. End of story. He is far more important than my game.

The worst thing about this story is that this just becomes another black eye for gaming in the public spotlight, because people look at this story and immediately assume that all gamers must be like this. These two are a minute population of gamers in the US and the world. Hopefully the rest of the general population will understand that these two horrible people do not represent the rest of the gaming community. I for one want people that see themselves going down this road to step away from the game. After all, it is just a game, not your entire life.