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NCsoft Sued For Making Lineage II 'Too Addictive'

Posted by Soulskill on from the dopamine-farming dept.

An anonymous reader writes "South Korean MMO game publisher NCsoft is finding itself facing another lawsuit, this time for making games that are 'too addictive.' US Lineage II player Craig Smallwood is suing the publisher for $3 million because he found himself playing Lineage II for 20,000 hours over a period of 5 years. At times, his average play session would persist for over 11 hours, crippling his life and ability to function. A federal judge is allowing the court case to go forward (PDF), stating that the plaintiff has a claim for negligence and gross negligence against the publisher."

9 of 360 comments (clear)

  1. I Too Am a Victim ... by eldavojohn · · Score: 5, Funny

    3142 comments?
    Submission Summary: 36 pending, 879 rejected, 607 accepted (1522 total, 39.88% accepted)?

    Yes, surely that is why I have no life! See you in court, Slashdot!

    --
    My work here is dung.
    1. Re:I Too Am a Victim ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Much like this lawsuit, you're running into a chicken and egg problem...

      Do you have no life because you post on Slashdot?

      Or do you post on Slashdot because you have no life?

      Ah, the great philosophical questions of our times...

    2. Re:I Too Am a Victim ... by Jedi+Alec · · Score: 5, Informative

      In all fairness, the tobacco industries were sued for:

      - withholding information on and downright lying about the addictiveness of nicotine.
      - withholding information on and downright lying about the health consequences of smoking.
      - adding artificial agents to make the product even more addictive.
      - targeting their product at children while knowing damn well what smoking does to kids.

      Selling an addictive product is one thing. Lying to congress, marketing at those who are considered incompetent(children) is an entirely different ballgame.

      --

      People replying to my sig annoy me. That's why I change it all the time.
  2. "Wahh, I'm a victim! Waahhh!" by grub · · Score: 5, Insightful


    US Lineage II player Craig Smallwood is suing the publisher for $3 million because he found himself playing Lineage II for 20,000 hours over a period of 5 years.

    The whole victim-mentality that runs rampant makes my blood boil: "He had bad parenting" "She wasn't potty trained properly" "The breweries make beer taste too good" "I have a disease" blah blah blah fucking excuses blah blah blah.

    Hey Craig Smallwood, take responsibility for your actions; you're not a victim. In actuality your lawsuit paints you as a blatant parasite.

    --
    Trolling is a art,
    1. Re:"Wahh, I'm a victim! Waahhh!" by rainmouse · · Score: 5, Interesting

      So we should also eliminate or create legal liability for all forms of psychological manipulation? Advertising and political speech come to mind, do we want to protect against that?

      Your quoting me out of context there and ignoring a lot of what I said. Try watching some of the Youtube video's on people deleting their Warcraft characters, people who have lost their jobs, homes, wives and kids. I hardly think being manipulated into buying another cheesburger or diet pepsi is going to have a similar effect. At no point did I say that this lawsuit was a good idea, in fact I think its ridiculous. I do however think that as developers get better at nutruring addiction and creating ever more immersive worlds, it's going to develop into an increasingly serious problem that will need addressing at some point.

  3. I'm suing my employer by Daddy-Oh · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I waste 2,000-3,000 hours *a year* working for my employer. I can't stop myself. I feel that, if I stop, my ability to function in society will end. I must be addicted to work.

    Anyone have the number for a good lawyer? (hmm, is that an oxymoron?)

  4. You're Making It Worse! by eldavojohn · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm suing you for making your comments too entertaining!

    I'm suing you for giving my addiction positive reinforcement and feedback! I also want the logs so I can see which moderators continue to mod me up so I can add defendants to my lawsuit! By the time I'm done sobbing in front of the jury, they'll believe I never had a choice to quit!

    What the hell, did you just add me to your friend's list? Oh you better believe that's a lawsuit.

    Oh. My. God. Did you see my achievements?! My lawyer's head just exploded.

    --
    My work here is dung.
  5. He was banned in 2009. by Blackwulf · · Score: 5, Informative

    I skimmed NCSoft's defense pdf (linked in the Wired article) and it winds up that the guy in question was involved in real-money transfers and had all of his accounts banned from Lineage II in 2009.

    Could that possibly be the REAL reason he's suing?

  6. Re:Corrected Headline by nomadic · · Score: 5, Informative

    Oh give me a break, it's such an echo chamber in here, the usual screeching about how horrible the courts are, without anyone even looking at what the judge actually did. The problem with this country isn't the judicial system, it's the ignorant people who go from zero to outraged in 5 seconds based on a slashdot summary written by some anonymous guy. The judge is ruled by the Federeal Rules of Civil Procedure. Those rules say you can't just throw out a lawsuit AT THE DISMISSAL STAGE simply because you don't think the plaintiff will win. To survive dismissal, all you have to do is draft your complaint in a way that, if the facts you allege are accepted as true, your claim can move on to the next stage. That's it. The judge isn't saying the guy's going to win, just that under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, promulgated by the Supreme Court, as authorized by Congress, he has to let the lawsuit go to the next stage.