We should have seen this coming 30 years ago when native Inuit teenagers in remote Alaskan villages, introduced to MTV via satellite television, began wearing inner-city gang regalia and flashing gang hand gestures.

Somehow the digital experience has deteriorated to popular video violence like Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty. And while fantasy itself is not a crime, the line between fantasy and reality becomes thinner and ever-more blurred for many as the electronic imagery and animation become more sophisticated.

It’s perhaps the paradox of our time. The most advanced technology lends itself to the dissemination and promotion of the most primitive behavior.

The latest example is “the Knockout Game” or “Knockout”. The objective is brutally simple: Pick a pedestrian at random and without warning knock him or her unconscious with one punch — while friends use their smart phones to video record the assault along with their own mocking commentary.

The game is spreading across the country. A few incidents have been reported in Pittsburgh. Law enforcement officials who are tracking incidents say Knockout videos are spawning numerous copycats. At least three Knockout victims have been killed.

Pennsylvania school teacher Jim Addlespurger was a Knockout Game victim. Addlespurger was walking home, minding his own business, when a group of teenagers knocked him out during the day. He dropped face-down to the curb as the teens laughed and walked away.

“I was hit with one punch that knocked me to the cold concrete,” Addlespurger said in a television news interview. “It’s a horrific thing to see, and I’m fortunate that I’m alive here to tell you about it.”

Fully recovered now, Addlespurger said, “These kids are acting, maybe not thinking and not knowing the consequence of what could happen.”

That’s an extremely tolerant observation coming from a victim, but he’s essentially correct. Children who are raised in a zero-tolerance environment and are fed a steady diet of self-esteem might grow up lacking the mental connection between bad choices and bad consequences. In their world, they just reset the Xbox 360 and start the game over — or move on to the next Knockout victim.

So what should we do?

A prevention campaign should start immediately to tell young people random violence is a serious crime. Schools, churches, public service announcements for television and other media should portray the Knockout Game as a serious threat.

Knockout incidents should be prosecuted vigorously. Violators should be punished. Incidents involving ethnic violence should be prosecuted as hate crimes.

Pedestrians should maintain an alertness. Avoid walking alone in unfamiliar neighborhoods. Knockout players tend to pick defenseless victims, people walking alone are more vulnerable.

It’s unlikely this mostly urban phenomenon would spread to rural places like Butler County. But then again, who saw the emergence of gang colors 30 years ago in remote Alaska?