28 votes

Microsoft, Rockstar, Epic, and others are being sued for using "addictive psychological features" in games like Minecraft, GTA 5, and Fortnite

Posted by kfwyre
Tags: usa.ar, games industry, video games, microsoft, rockstar games, epic.games, legal, lawsuits, addiction, children, minecraft, roblox, call of duty, grand theft auto.5, fortnite, author.tyler wilde, source.pc gamer
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/video-game-addiction-lawsuit-motion-to-dismiss/

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Title
You can't sue us for making games 'too entertaining,' say major game developers in response to addiction lawsuits
Authors
Tyler Wilde
Published
Mar 27 2024

5 comments

  1. [3]
    GunnarRunnar
    Link
    XP grinding/leveling loop I think can be fairly described as addictive-by-design. It really does nothing but show the numbers go up and gives a little cookie in the form of an item. But these two...

    Minecraft's multiplayer features are said to "addict players to connecting with others in the Minecraft world" and the suit warns that players with ADHD "can become easily hyper focused and addicted to building worlds." Grand Theft Auto 5, the suit says, "includes endless arrays of activities and challenges to continually engage users and ensure they are never bored."

    XP grinding/leveling loop I think can be fairly described as addictive-by-design. It really does nothing but show the numbers go up and gives a little cookie in the form of an item.

    But these two examples seem pretty ridiculous, especially Minecraft. Its inherent design is to create and share, like that's THE gameplay. It's not a little add-on that some psyop team came up with to monetize. It's really the whole game. If it were easy to replicate and tack on on anything, it would be just as popular as battle passes are now.

    36 votes
    1. pete_the_paper_boat
      Link Parent
      Yeah that's really funny considering Minecraft is a game with nearly zero incentive to do anything in particular

      Yeah that's really funny considering Minecraft is a game with nearly zero incentive to do anything in particular

      26 votes
    2. teaearlgraycold
      Link Parent
      Minecraft is a game where spending hundred of hours building in it feels productive. You could learn real world skills. I’ve also met lifelong friends through the game.

      Minecraft is a game where spending hundred of hours building in it feels productive. You could learn real world skills. I’ve also met lifelong friends through the game.

      11 votes
  2. Sodliddesu
    Link
    It's funny, many of those games listed do have mechanics in them that promote daily engagement and addictive behavior... But adding Minecraft completely destroys the creditability of the...

    It's funny, many of those games listed do have mechanics in them that promote daily engagement and addictive behavior...

    But adding Minecraft completely destroys the creditability of the allegation. Just because your kid has some disorders doesn't mean you can pawn off your parenting responsibility on game companies. Like, take away the plug for the console and deal with your teen.

    29 votes
  3. kfwyre
    Link

    The Arkansas lawsuit alleges that Roblox, Fortnite, Call of Duty, Minecraft, and other popular games used "addictive psychological features" to hook the son starting when he was 12 years old. Now 21, he currently spends $350 a month on games, dropped out of school, has been diagnosed with major depressive disorder and "anxiety," and has experienced "withdrawal symptoms such as rage, anger, and physical outbursts," according to the suit. It also alleges that the mother could not regulate her son's gaming because she "feared" him as a result of his outbursts.

    The complaint says that the game developers are liable for defective and negligent designs that "take advantage of the chemical reward system of a user's brain (especially a minor) to create addictive engagement, compulsive use, and additional mental and physical harm," as well as failure to warn users of the risk of addiction.

    In their motion to dismiss, the developers' lawyers argue that games are an expressive medium, as established in a 2011 Supreme Court decision, and that finding their expression "too entertaining" is not a valid reason to limit constitutionally protected speech. They also say that the plaintiffs fail to clearly establish what features of each game specifically caused harm and how.

    13 votes