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The parents of a teenage son who committed suicide just over a year ago claim that their son become addicted to the massively multiplayer online role-playing game, World of Warcraft. They believe that as a result of this addiction he took his own life. Now these parents are suing World of WarCraft developers Blizzard Entertainment, blaming the game developers for the tragic loss of their son.

The details of just how many hours this teen had been playing World of Warcraft prior to his death has not yet been published. Just what would constitute an addiction is hard to quantify. The generally accepted medical definition of an addiction is; a habitual psychological and physiological dependence on a substance or practice beyond one's voluntary control. So using this definition as a guide we could assume he had no control over how often he sat down to play the online role playing game.

Looking at a common addiction many people can relate to, smoking. Nobody would claim that the actual act of smoking could lead to anybodys death. Rather it is the chemicals being inhaled while smoking that have been linked to various diseases leading to a potential premature death. Following this same logic we could then say that spending large amounts of your day playing World of Warcraft could not kill you. So the real problem in this case most be something else.

Examining suicide we should look at what really causes someone to take their own life. While a lot more research on the subject is still needed, it is believed that some type of psychiatric disorder, depression being the most common is the leading cause of suicide. If properly diagnosed most mental health problems can be treated and controlled. The difficulty is for people to realize that they have a problem and to go and seek treatment. The unfortunate stigma still attached to mental health problems leads many to go without getting treatment for what could be a highly treatable disease.

Looking back at the case at hand, we can see that a teen playing World of Warcraft too much could definitely be a potential sign that something is wrong. People who have difficulty dealing with reality or interacting with people are two possible signs of a mental health disease. So every parent should be aware of this, and if their children are using computer games as a way to withdraw from friends and family they should definitely seek profession medical advice, it just might save their childs life.

Mark MacKay is a researcher, marketer, and an avid online gamer, including World of Warcraft and also the creator of the World of Warcraft Gold Price List Guide, a web site setup to help WoW players find the cheapest place to buy their gold. The complete web site address is http://www.world-of-warcraft-gold.com

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Mention the song title "William Tell Overture," and a lot of people might scratch their heads in confusion. But hum a few bars, and there are few people who don't recognize this classic tune. It's so famous that it's been covered by literally hundreds of artists since its composition in the early 1800s. Modern recording artists still turn out renditions of the "William Tell Overture" today because of the public's instant connection to its familiarity.

Though everyone recognizes it, many are not aware of the history and the context from which the song originated. It was composed by Gioachino Rossini for his 39th and most famous opera, William Tell. The man on whom the opera is based is a figure surrounded by mystery and lore. William Tell, although well-known in Switzerland as a national hero, is arguably a somewhat controversial figure. Some historians debate whether the man even existed. If he did, was he really the legendary figure he has been lauded as being?

Regardless of such questions, school children around the world can recite the story of William Tell, the man who shoots the apple off of the head of his son with his crossbow. According to legend, Tell, who was something of a renegade, refused to bow to the statue of a contentious ruler. As punishment, he was forced to either shoot the apple, or subject both himself and his son to execution. An expert marksman, he successfully saved the life of both himself and his son with a single shot. (He reportedly said afterward that he had one arrow in reserve for his punisher, should he have failed his son.)

It's a grand story that is told fondly in many classrooms. But, like many legends, his has probably been embellished over the centuries, if indeed the man lived at all. Despite the questions about his life, he is still recognized as a Swiss hero. Perhaps it is this cloud of intrigue that has inspired so many artistic works based on the legend of William Tell.

The opera William Tell was based on a previous work, a play written by Friedrich Schiller. The musical version of the hero's life is a four- hour work characterized by complicated and demanding scores. Since its first public performance at the Paris Opera in 1829, it has been edited and recreated in less-demanding versions over the following centuries.

In the years after its first performance it was censored and banned by various governing authorities for its controversial glorification of a revolutionary character. As censorship often does, this tended only to fuel the public's interest even more. This may be one of the reasons the legend of this Swiss hero became so dramatically retold, embellished, and exaggerated.

The overture itself is written in four distinctive sections, with each leading seamlessly to the next. Rarely has any song without lyrics been sung so frequently. While the composer Rossini might be pleased with how his work has become so ingrained into modern culture, he may be less impressed with the reasons why. The "William Tell Overture" catapulted into popularity when it was used as the theme music for the television series "The Lone Ranger." Appearing first as a radio broadcast in 1933, followed by the television series, the "William Tell Overture" may be forever associated with the media hit. Politically incorrect though it was by today's standards, "The Lone Ranger" continues to be credited with indelibly etching the overture in the minds of popular culture.

Today the song is parodied more than any other classical song, with versions found on the CDs of modern artists and even on YouTube. It graces sporting events, and it is particularly associated with horse racing. Even those who can't identify it by name refer to it as "The Lone Ranger Song," and usually they can't help but hum or whistle along when they hear it played.

Duane Shinn is the author of the popular DVD home study course on playing piano titled "How To Play Piano By Ear"

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