Two young Chinese gamers killed in fight over internet cafe broadband speed

China’s internet cafes can be dangerous places, especially for kids. The latest tragedy, which unfolded this past weekend in the Guangdong city of Huangjiang, left two 16-year-old kids dead and another two in the hospital.

Last Saturday night, Zhang Yitian, Hu Guang, Li Ming, and Tang Shuxiang went out for an evening of fun and relaxation with a couple of other classmates. The 16-year-olds planned to spend the evening hanging out, eating snacks, and drinking beers, but late in the evening they got a phone call from another classmate named Xu. Xu was at the internet cafe, he said, and he’d gotten into some trouble.

Police investigation would later reveal that Xu had gone to an unregistered (and thus illegal) local internet cafe the friends often frequented to play some games. But another youth in the small room was watching movies, and Xu became convinced that the bandwidth his HD films were taking up was affecting his in-game performance. The two got into an argument that turned into a shouting match, and then both called their friends in for a fight.

(See: Chinese 16-year-old allegedly murders roommate after losing League of Legends match)

When Zhang Yitian, Hu Guang, and company got the call, they didn’t want to go. Having gamed there themselves, they knew the cafe was only about ten minutes away, but they were already a bit drunk. But Xu managed to get Hu Guang on the phone and convince him, and he decided they’d go to help.

What happened next isn’t entirely clear. The group of friends arrived at the internet cafe to back up Xu, and the guy who had been watching videos had also called in a few friends. One of them had a knife, and the fight quickly turned very ugly. Li Ming, who arrived later than the rest of his classmates because he had been walking slowly, described what happened after he entered:

I saw Hu Guang on [fighting] the ground with three others, all with blood on them. Another classmate ran away, and I went to persuade them to stop fighting, as we’re all from the same area. But the other two guys didn’t even say anything before they started hitting me. I didn’t feel it when I got stabbed; only later did I notice that I was bleeding.

Li called the police, as did several neighbors who heard the commotion, and they arrived shortly to break up the fight. But by that point, the damage had been done. The wielding assailant had fled, and Zhang Yitian, Hu Guang, Li Ming, and Tang Shuxiang were all taken to the hospital with knife wounds. Li and Tang are still in the hospital recovering, and are out of mortal danger, but the doctors were unable to save Zhang Yitian or Hu Guang, who both died of their wounds.

The tragic incident raises more questions for China about how minors who don’t own computers can safely access the web. Internet cafe disputes turning this violent may not happen often, but even on their best days, a dark, smoke-filled, and unsupervised room is likely not the best environment for children.

(via Sina Games)