Dad's sale of pot-smoking son's game sparks Web debate

A screengrab from the hard-to-find ''Guitar Hero III'' in an image courtesy of Activision. A Canadian man who said he sold his 15-year-old son's prized video game on eBay after catching him smoking marijuana has sparked an online debate on who is wrong -- father or son. The unidentified man decided to punish his son by selling the videogame he had bought him for Christmas for $90 on the auction site where an Australian buyer bid $9,100.

TORONTO (Reuters Life!) - A Canadian man who said he sold his 15-year-old son's prized video game, a Christmas gift, on eBay after catching him smoking marijuana has sparked an online debate on who is wrong -- father or son.

The unidentified man decided to punish his son by selling the popular and hard-to-find Guitar Hero III videogame he had bought him for Christmas for $90 on the auction site where an Australian buyer bid $9,100. It was not known if the sale at that price actually proceeded.

"I had finally got the Holy Grail of Xmas presents pretty much just in the nick of time. I couldn't wait to spread the jubilance to my son," the father said in a letter accompanying the posting on eBay.

"Then, yesterday, I came home from work early and what do I find? My innocent little boy smoking pot in the backyard with two of his delinquent friends."

The seller, who describes himself as an elementary school teacher but could not be contacted to verify his story, said that by selling the game he intended to teach his son a lesson.

But whether true or not, the five-day auction, that ended on Dec 10, elicited more than a 100 comments.

Some sided with the disgruntled father and others accusing him of "publicly humiliating" his son.

The father has since updated the posting with more responses to the feedback, including accusations that the sale was a hoax.

"All I can do is assure you that yes, the auction is real," he said on the site.

No one from eBay was available to comment.

"I am still considering getting him a game for his Nintendo. Maybe something like Barbie," added the father.

(Reporting by Claire Sibonney; Editing by Patricia Reaney)