A series of six lawsuits for video game addiction was recently filed against Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, Roblox, Epic Games, Rockstar and other major video game developers and publishers. The complaints, all filed in the courts in the last 12 months, allege that video game developers are intentionally making players addicted to their games and, in short, doing so by making games “too funny”
There is one behind one of these lawsuits American woman who claims that Roblox, Fortnite, Call of Duty, Minecraft and other popular games have used “addictive psychological characteristics” to trap her son since he was 12. Now 21, he spends $350 a month on games, has dropped out of school, has been diagnosed with major depressive disorder and anxiety, and has experienced “withdrawal symptoms such as anger, rage and physical outbursts,” according to the lawsuit . The complaint also alleges that the mother could not regulate her son's gaming habits because she “feared” him due to his outbursts.
The complaint alleges that the games' developers are responsible for defective and negligent designs that “they exploit the chemical reward system of a user's brain (especially if minor) to create addiction, compulsive use and further mental and physical harm”, as well as failing to warn users of the risk of addiction.
The developers' response
In their motion to dismiss, the developers' lawyers argue that games are an expressive medium, as established by a 2011 Supreme Court decision, and that deeming them “too funny” is not a valid reason to limit them. The lawyers also argue that the plaintiffs failed to clearly establish which features of each game specifically caused harm and in what ways.
The complaint devotes several pages to a general description of each game's alleged addictive properties. A few are mentioned commonly criticized aspects of modern gamessuch as “predatory monetization” and deceptive user interface elements called “dark patterns,” but many of the complaints concern aspects of games that we consider normal or positive.
For example, call of Duty has been criticized for rewarding players with in-game items such as weapons, which the prosecution claims is “operational conditioning”. Additionally, the game features “fast-paced gameplay, satisfying graphics and sound, and other dopamine-boosting factors.” Minecraft has multiplayer features that “create addiction in players and push them to connect with others in the game world” and it also states that players with ADHD “can easily become hyperfocused and addicted to world-building”. GTA 5, on the other hand, “includes an endless amount of activities and challenges that continue to entertain players and ensure they never get bored.”
Some of these accusations are more flattering than fans of these video games often say.
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