Video games are often accused of causing violence, but in Pittsburgh, they may have prevented some.

According to multiple reports, a 24-year-old man in the city’s Oakland neighborhood used a fake gun to stop a burglar who sneaked into his house.

The unnamed victim was playing video games in his bedroom Sunday. He was wearing a headset and didn’t hear the robber enter the house — until his door opened and he was confronted by a stranger. And that person was pretty surprised to see him as well.

The gamer grabbed a nearby fake gun, stopping the would-be robber in his tracks and keeping him there until police arrived. The accused, 23-year-old Oakland resident Kymarr Freeman, was charged with burglary, criminal trespassing, and possession of a criminal instrument.

Speaking to Yahoo, Pittsburgh public safety spokeswoman Sonya Toler said that technically the victim used a “prop” gun that may or may not have been associated with the video game he was playing. The police officer’s report isn’t clear, she said, though CBS Pittsburgh believes it’s “likely” the gun was being used in the video game.

There are, of course, lots of accessories that work with action games, from light guns to mock rifles. But most of those don’t look particularly realistic. A Wii Zapper isn’t going to strike fear into the heart of even the most timid crook. And the PS Move Sharp Shooter isn’t much more intimidating.

But plenty of third-party gun controllers could legitimately fool someone under low-light conditions, such as Nyko’s Perfect Shot Wii controller or the pricey EMS Top Gun. Last year, Kickstarter backers contributed nearly $200,000 for the Delta Six controller, an ultra-realistic gaming gun that would make anyone pause.

Regardless of whether or not a video game gun should be credited with warding off criminals, our hat’s off to the quick-thinking gamer for keeping his wits about him. Hope he saved his game, too.

Follow Chris Morris on Twitter.