Virtual games, real death

Today, Alexander Bleskin, a 6th year student of the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute (MEPI), will be buried at the Domodedovo cemetery. On the Internet, or rather, among the players of the online game Lineage II, it was known as SUPER. Alexander died in hospital as a result of injuries sustained a week ago in a fight in the center of Moscow.

Lineage II is one of the most popular online games in the MMORPG genre. Formed clans and alliances of players are hostile to each other, but this almost never translates into “offline” clashes: clan members find out about relationships on the Internet - on the “battlefield” and game forums.

On January 12, Andrey Ponamorenko (DVP), a member of the Exile Alliance, the RedSquad clan, attended the traditional Friday meeting of the InquisitorS clan (“Incas” or “Inquisitors”) at the bar on Kitay Gorod metro station. Andrei is one of the strongest players of Lineage II in Europe, the general director of a Ukrainian computer trading company. He came to Russia on meetings with “brothers in arms” on purpose. At the “Inca” gathering, Kirill “Stay” was also present - an active participant in gaming forums, the author of articles on specialized resources and a long-time foe of DVP (they often argued in the forums, getting personal), and in their articles Stey spoke negatively about the clan to which DVP). Already pretty drunken DVP decided to talk to Shtai "like a man", for which they both went outside. As a result of the “conversation”, Shtai went to the toilet with a broken nose, and Alexander VVERH approached the DVP, deciding to explain that it was indecent to behave in a similar way “at a party”. The conversation quickly turned into a fight. Alexander's friends say that his right arm was dislocated a couple of days before and he had to walk in a cast for some time, but took it off himself. There is no need to speak about any serious resistance to Andrei Ponamorenko from Alexander. Other players who had dragged the DVP, who was beating Sverha on the asphalt, were able to stop the melee.
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Alexander was in the hospital with a cerebral hemorrhage and a fracture of the base of the skull. For 3 days he was in a coma, underwent surgery on the brain. His friends organized a blood collection, but this did not save his life: on Tuesday, Alexander Bleskin died without regaining consciousness.

International alliances and clans that have developed around Lineage2, are hostile only in the network. At traditional gatherings there are often “enemies” - members of competing clans, but this usually does not translate into a showdown and melee. At the meetings of the clan come and "veterans" who left the "virtual battles", but maintaining friendly ties with those who met during the game. The presence of Shtay, the author of scandalous articles known in the game crowd and an active debater in the forums, indirectly caused the death of another player. Those who knew Alexander speak of him as a faithful companion who does not abandon his friends in the lurch. He did not approve the squabbles in online forums and never participated in them.

At the moment, a criminal case has been opened under Article 111, paragraph 4 (intentional infliction of grievous bodily harm, resulting in the death of the injured by negligence; from 5 to 15 years in prison). Andrei Ponamorenko is in remand prison. It is expected that in a week or two the case will be brought to court.