OTTAWA - A CANADIAN boy who ran away from home after his father took away his Xbox game console has been found dead in a cornfield, local media said on Wednesday.

Brandon Crisp, 15, took off on his bicycle from his Barrie, Ontario home on October 13, provoking a massive police search with help from 1,600 volunteers that turned up no clues except for his abandoned bicycle with a flat tire.

Xbox-maker Microsoft and others had offered a US$39,000 (S$57,821) reward for information on his whereabouts.

On Wednesday, police said only that hunters had found a body in the search area.

The daily Toronto Star said on its website Brandon's parents had been notified it was their son, and students at his school were told the sad news at an afternoon assembly.

Brandon's father previously said he had removed Brandon's Xbox after noticing changes in his behavior since Brandon started playing 'Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare' online.

The boy started skipping school, stealing money and ignoring his studies, his father said.

In an interview with the daily Globe and Mail, the boy's father, Mr Steve Crisp, said he had not known how important the gaming system was to his son and how he would react when it was taken away.

Experts commented that gamers may form bonds with fellow online players.

'This had become his identity, and I didn't realise how in-depth this was until I took his Xbox away,' Mr Steve Crisp told the Globe and Mail.

'That's like cutting his legs off.'

'This is such an issue that hits every parent out there, with video games that are starting to control our kids' lives,' he said.

'I just took away his identity, so I can understand why he got so mad and took off. Before, I couldn't understand why he was taking off for taking his game away.' -- AFP