Two lawsuits concerning game addiction, filed in Arkansas and Ohio on behalf of minors against several leading companies in the video game industry, were voluntarily withdrawn this week.
Initial filings reveal that the lawyers for the companies involved have cited First Amendment protections in their defense and have also argued that the plaintiffs are required to follow user agreements that mandate arbitration. It is not clear if that was the reason for retracting the lawsuit.
Several other similar lawsuits were dismissed in June. In one notable case, a woman from East Saint Louis claimed that her grandchild developed a video game addiction at the age of seven, necessitating therapy and a specialized education plan. However, Epic Games discovered that the child’s account had recorded merely one hour of gameplay.
Another recently dismissed lawsuit involved a mother who asserted without evidence that her child engaged in gaming for 12 to 14 hours each day and had spent $3,000 on in-game purchases.
Numerous lawsuits have been initiated against major video game corporations, alleging that these companies foster video game addiction by deliberately designing their games to be as engaging as possible to maximize revenue from players. Prominent entities such as Activision Blizzard, Epic Games, Nintendo, Sony Interactive Entertainment, and Roblox have been implicated in the majority of the lawsuits filed in the past two years.
At least 11 of these legal actions have been filed by Bullock Legal Group, a law firm based in Atlanta, which claims on its website that the games produced by these companies are “intentionally designed with the assistance of Ph.D. behavioral psychologists and neuroscientists” to ensure that players remain engaged and continue to spend money.
A lawsuit initiated in a federal court in Missouri in April (Carey Courtwright v Epic) outlines various tactics employed by the gaming industry. These tactics include (1) Reward Systems and Feedback Loops: Games are structured with reward mechanisms that stimulate dopamine production in the brain, fostering a pleasurable cycle that encourages prolonged engagement. This instills a sense of accomplishment that young players seek, leading them to extend their gaming sessions, and (2) Limited Transparency and Predatory Monetization: The actual costs associated with in-game items and features are frequently obscured or minimized.
The 239-page complaint asserts that game addiction can lead to a series of adverse effects, including deteriorating academic performance, social withdrawal, and various physical and mental health issues.
See: Carey Courtwright, individually and on behalf of K.C., a Minor v. Epic Games et al, Case No 2:24-cv-4055 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, Central Division.
