Lawsuit says video games are designed to be addictive
In a complaint (PDF) filed in November against a number of game developers including Microsoft, Epic Games, Nintendo, Google, EA, and Ubisoft, Casey Dunn and Thomas Dunn of Arkansas state that GD It has been suggested that the 12-year-old son, identified only as , has developed an addiction to Fortnite, Rainbow Six, Battlefield and Call of Duty.
They found that GD spends up to $350 per month on games, and in-game purchases total around $3,000, not including monthly subscription fees for gaming services or the cost of the games themselves. Masu.
GD's parents note that he has no friends, weighs about 300 pounds, misbehaves at school, and must be homeschooled. They fear taking away his games or limiting his gaming time due to his volatile temper, which they claim is a common side effect of video game addiction. Masu.
A similar lawsuit (PDF) filed by Preston Johnson and his mother, Elizabeth Jones, says Johnson has an addiction to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Fortnite, Roblox, Minecraft, and Grand Theft Auto 5. Because of this, he spends about $350 a month on games. The lawsuit notes that 21-year-old Johnson sold cars for significantly less than market value and spent the money on various in-game purchases and microtransactions.
Video game addiction concerns
Video game addiction, also known as Internet gaming disorder, causes individuals to prioritize video games over other activities, causing loss of social functioning and decline in cognitive function, according to the complaint. This can lead to stress, aggressive behavior, loss of impulse control, depression, anxiety, and other behavioral addictions.
It is estimated that approximately 3 million to 6 million children and youth in the United States suffer from video game addiction to the point of becoming dysfunctional members of society, the lawsuit alleges.
Dunn's complaint states, “Each defendant knows that its video games are harmful to minors and young adults because the defendants specifically designed the games to be addictive.” It has been stated. “To take advantage of this, each defendant employs behavioral psychologists and neuroscientists to develop games that take full advantage of psychological tactics to keep players engaged for long periods of time.”
Video Game Addiction Lawsuit Motion MDL
On March 14, the Dunns and several other plaintiffs filed a motion with the U.S. Judicial Panel for Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) to consolidate all lawsuits related to video game addiction injuries in the Western District Court. (PDF) was submitted. District of Missouri for Coordinated Pretrial Proceedings. The lawsuit targets nearly every major game developer in the industry as defendants, particularly those focused on online games.
According to the complaint, plaintiffs representing all five cases filed to date are seeking to consolidate the cases as part of a multidistrict litigation (MDL) to avoid duplicative discovery and inconsistent judgments. , it claims to bring convenience to courts, parties, and witnesses.
If JPML agrees to create an MDL for video game addiction, the judge overseeing the case will have to decide how the jury is likely to react to certain evidence and testimony that the parties repeat throughout the trial. likely to schedule a series of early “pilot” trials to help determine the Lawsuit. However, if the case is not resolved through a video game addiction settlement agreement or other judgment during the MDL process, the case may be transferred to the original court for trial.
