Panchkula: The eight-year-old boy accused of brutally assaulting a six-year-old girl was apparently attempting to score points as part of a task inspired by a video game, officials and those associated with the inquiry into the case have said.The Class III student was reportedly fond of watching gameplay videos of the online game on his parents’ mobile phone and spending time with older boys in his neighbourhood. Family members and officials who interacted with him described him as intelligent, energetic and highly active.According to defence counsel Manbir Singh Rathi, the boy’s actions appeared to have been influenced by the video game he was obsessed with. “He also wanted to get a dragon tattoo inspired by a game character. During our interaction, it emerged that he was habituated to watching and playing the game on his parents’ phone. He is extremely intelligent and active, but his energy needs to be channelled positively. This incident is a wake-up call for parents to closely monitor what their children are doing on mobile phones,” Rathi said.An official of the district child welfare development department, who visited the boy’s home and interacted with his parents, said the child displayed an unusually high energy level and had recently secured first place in a school race. “While he may not have played online game extensively himself, he frequently watched videos related to the game on his parents’ phone. He was also friends with boys older than him and appeared to be influenced by them, often trying to imitate their behaviour and interests,” the official said.The boy’s father works as a taxi driver while his mother is a homemaker. Officials said the parents remained largely unaware of the content he was consuming and its possible influence on him.Recalling an interaction at GMCH-32, the victim girl’s uncle said the boy appeared unusually casual in the presence of police personnel. “We heard him addressing a policeman as ‘veere’,” he said.Following observations about the child’s behaviour, doctors are understood to have recommended psychological assessment and intervention.Free Fire rated for older usersAccording to the Google Play Store, the online game that the 8-year-old boy played carries a 16+ age rating. The game has been downloaded more than 500 million times globally and is often considered unsuitable for young children because of its combat-oriented gameplay, online interactions and potentially addictive design features.
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