Residents of the Akkerwinde in Hapert were shocked by a lot of shouting on Tuesday evening. “It looked like someone was being slaughtered,” says resident Monica. After calling the police, it turned out to be her 15-year-old neighbor who was gaming fanatically.
Cool off outside, thought Monika on Tuesday evening. She was sitting quietly in her front yard when she suddenly heard a huge noise.
“The police came very quickly with three cars.”
“I think: what am I hearing? I heard screaming and screaming. It really didn’t sound good. It was a lot of intense and aggressive screaming. It looked like someone was being slaughtered.” She continued to listen with her husband. The screaming grew louder. “The neighbor also came out. She said: ‘It’s coming from next door’.”
Monica wasn’t sure if she should call the police. “Until it got so bad that my husband said, ‘Call now! Call the police!’ They came very quickly. Not with one or two, but with three cars.”
“Has the police been here?”
“The police rang the doorbell of the boy next door. It turned out that he was playing a computer game. He would take it easy for the rest of the evening, he said.” In the end, according to Monica, the officers could also laugh about it.
During our conversation with Monica, the father of the 15-year-old boy walks out. He reacts surprised. “Did the police come to the door? I don’t know anything. I got home around twelve o’clock. My son didn’t say anything.”
“How can you make so much noise during a game?”
The father has to laugh when he hears the whole story. “Sometimes I say: don’t shout so loud. But then he is so absorbed in the game and he hears nothing with his headset on.”
Neighbor Monica still can’t quite understand. “I thought: seriously, how? How can you make so much noise during a game? It was very special.”
After her neighbor talks to his son, he says, “My son said he was just playing Rocket League and Grand Theft Auto. Then he’s so motivated and driven that he forgets everything around him.”
Despite the false alarm, Monica is glad she called 911. “Because you never know. But next time I’ll ask if he’s playing a game,” she laughs. Her message to the boy next door: “Put your volume down next time.”