Major gaming names, Microsoft, Rockstar, Epic, and a few others are being sued for using 'addictive psychological features' in their titles, such as Minecraft, Grand Theft Auto 5, and Fortnite. These companies have received a total of six 'video game addiction lawsuits' which were recently filed against them. The complaints were submitted to the courts in the last 12 months and blame the developers for intentionally making gamers addicted to their titles through specific features.
One of the motions filed this month is to dismiss one of the complaints from a woman from Arkansas and her son. The targeted game developers have claimed that it is "an attack on the First Amendment rights of video game creators."
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Game Developers Respond to Allegations of Incorporating "Addictive Features"
The Arkansas lawsuit against developers claims that titles like Roblox, Fortnite, Call of Duty, Minecraft, and more games in the similar multiplayer category have used 'addictive psychological features' to make her son addicted to the screen when he was 12 years old. At 21, the son in question reportedly spends $350 per month on various games, while being a school dropout. As also stated in the PC Gamer report.
The lawsuit even states that he has been diagnosed with major depressive disorder and 'anxiety' while experiencing multiple withdrawal symptoms, including rage, anger, and physical outbursts. Alongside the various symptoms, the mother has claimed that she has always been 'afraid' to regulate her son's gaming due to these outbursts.
The complaint is primarily against the developers for using addictive designs that 'take advantage of the chemical reward system of a user's brain', especially for a minor, says the report. She has also stated that indulging in these addictive video game features has caused her son serious mental and physical harm, as companies have repeatedly failed to warn users of the risk of addiction.
During the motion to dismiss in the court, video game developers' lawyers have argued that these games are an 'expressive medium', as it was established in the 2011 Supreme Court decision, with the information being publicly available to everyone. The lawyers have also stated that finding video games 'too entertaining' is not a valid reason to limit protected speech in the country. In other words, the complainant did not establish the features of each title that allegedly caused harm to her son.
The particular complaint states several reasons to describe the addictive properties as harmful to the jury. One of the most important ones is the 'monetization' in gaming, and the deceptive UI trick called 'dark patterns.' As of now, there is no further information regarding the dismissal of the lawsuit. However, many are suspecting that the motion may progress further.