Litigation over addictive video game products

Publication date: May 15, 2024

New lawsuit holds video game companies liable for selling addictive products

By Movieguide® Contributor

A new class action lawsuit will hold nearly all major video game companies liable for intentionally making their products addictive.

The complaint alleges that video game companies intentionally create products that appeal to young gamers, primarily by imitating gambling products. This is especially true for “live service” games that go a step further by monitoring user habits and using algorithms to introduce new activities and keep users playing longer.

“Each defendant recognizes that video games are harmful to minors and young adults because each defendant designs their games to be particularly addictive,” the complaint states. has been done. “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.”

The most egregious examples are loot boxes and microtransactions, which often seek to extract more money from players for purely cosmetic changes to gameplay. Loot boxes, in particular, mimic gambling by offering high-value prizes that drop very infrequently. Through this system, gamers come back again and again to try out more items, essentially playing slots.

Video game developers have been so successful in developing addictive products that in 2019 the WHO classified a new mental disorder as “gaming disorder.” This addiction is characteristic of players who abandon real-life obligations such as school, work, and basic self-care in order to spend more time playing video games. It is also often associated with bad behavioral habits, such as increased anger and aggression.

This class action lawsuit aims to finally hold companies accountable for ruining lives. Previous lawsuits against video game companies have been filed in the past, and this class action lawsuit combines them into a single complaint to avoid duplicate discovery and contradictory rulings.

Microsoft, Epic, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, and Nintendo are all named as defendants.

Movieguide® previously reported:

Video game addiction is a serious problem that affects thousands of adolescents and takes the joy out of every aspect of their lives.

Brigham Young wrestler Logan Visser learned firsthand how addictive video games can be. After arriving at his university, Visser's favorite pastime took over his life and became a problem he could not control.

The then 18-year-old told the New York Post how he played League of Legends all night and slept all day. During his first semester at school, Visser gained weight and dropped out of most classes.

“When you get that deep, you carry a ton of shame and feel like the only place you can turn is to go back to the thing that's causing all the problems,” he said.

“The game just took over. I was completely wasting my life,” he continued. “I wanted to keep getting better at this inconsequential thing.”