Gamer Sues Over Being Addicted to MMO Gaming

[nebun]

what a moron...get a real life...i hope he will get sued for not having a real life...he needs a lesson on time management

 

[ragequit]

Yeayeayea, we all know this kid needs a few friends and to get laid. ***********Please Staff at Tom's Hardware>>>>>Stop implementing this In-text advertising, it makes the pages load at least 2x as slow as normal. And when you like to read Tom's Hardware at work, and are using an outdated computer, it just makes loading a web page that much more annoying...Thank you.

 

[JOSHSKORN]

I'm suing the Internet for Online Multiplayer gaming. I've gotten addicted and have wasted my life on it. I'm suing the porn industry for getting me addicted to watching girls get nailed and making videos of hot chicks making out. I'm suing Microsoft for making Windows because it's so easy to use and such that it runs everything. I'm suing Charles Babbage for inventing the computer because I'm addicted to using it. I'm suing Toyota for making the vehicle that I drive because it prevents me from getting exercise because I could just as easily run 3 miles to work in each direction and now I'm fat. I'm suing a chicken nugget because it tastes good. Furthermore, I'm going to find a way to sue myself. Justice will prevail!

Really though, why hasn't this guy sued his parents for inheriting the name "Smallwood?"

 

[misha87]

wat a sissy

 

[rawoysters]

This is the weakest human being on the planet.

 

[Guest]

.A. If this Guy is that bad at playing the game called "real life" then how on earth/game does he know how to Sue?????
B. How much does he expect to get?
C. After he fails epicly at his miniature attempt of sueing this company, his entire life will get even worse after the company trys to Sue him back for the frivolous lawsuit and they take all his money pluse millions more.
D. They should ban his account, lol, that'll show him, and do either make him spend 5 more years playing, or make him quit.
E. I'm gunna go Sue gPotato game portal for banning my flyff account for no reason and having the worst customer service ever.
So that's what I have to say folks. This Guy's a clown. Really. I hope/know he will loose. xD

 

[nologo]

can i sue Ford, because since i bought my car from Ford i have become lazy and drive everywhere..this has had a knock-on effect for my health..cos im now a fat **** like smallwood

 

[Guest]

Some people just have addictive personalities and if he wasn't addicted to games it might be something else, drugs or whatever. Many in the industry will try to dismiss this entirely, of course - I think it wouldn't be bad to open up that can of worms a little and see if games companies really are hawking wares designed to create addictions. But then, games are SUPPOSED to be addictive..! Tough to call, I think it will get thrown out of court pretty sharpish...

 

[Guest]

If Miles Davis managed to kick heroin and I stopped smoking, surely anyone can stop playing a dumb game.

 

[xrodney]

[citation][nom]ares1214[/nom]ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! This boy should be procecuted for being an idiot. Not only is it his fault for playing 11 bloody hours a day for 5 years, but how is that the games fault? Did the game threaten him if he didnt play? This should fail hard...Doing anything for 11 hours a day for 5 years tends to drain your social life a bit[/citation]
If I remember correctly Lineage II is asking player repeatedly after playing for more then hour to take break, get out etc so he was even ignoring it. Only fault is his and his family.

 

[swell9]

From now on, we will see World Health Organization (WHO) warnings on games similar to those on tobacco packs.

 

[JackFrost860]

20,000 hours over 5 years, that ~11 hours ever day of the year for 5 years stright.

 

[stromm]

[citation][nom]crazitrain02[/nom]...They develop friends....[/citation]
No, they do not devlop friends. They devlop acquaintances. The difference being most MMO addicts never associate with fellow MMO players outside of the game.

The don't really get to know the person behind the character.

 

[nebun]

it just hit me...he is lazy to go to work, therefore if he gets the money he will be even more lazy and waste even more time playing his stupid game...again what a moron

 

[garyshome]

I thought so.

 

[Ciuy]

Only in America !!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Guest]

If he's "unable to function independently in usual daily activities such as getting up" that would mean he's sleeping and not playing the game?

 

[danielmastia]

God, somebody get him a life

 

[mpdugas]

The thing that is interesting about most of the MMO programs on-line today is that they use behavioral conditioning as part of their effort to keep players coming back to the game by way of intermittent reinforcement schedules that condition a player to continue to seek more drops, loots, etc.

Of course, this maximizes revenue for the MMO producer.

What is significant about such conditioning is that it reaches the psychology of the player, even when they are not in the game, by creating a DESIRE to play more. So for people who have a tendency to addictive behavior this conditioning is more effective.

I am certain that MMO designers used behavioral psychologists to set up their reinforcement schedules to maximize this effect. I have seen the same sort of reinforcement scheduling when working with animals in behavioral conditioning laboratories; what works on lab rats works on us, too.

It isn't a trivial matter; the Internet is full of stories about players who took their on-line experience to unhealthy extremes.

 

[gogogadgetliver]

OK, gonna get downrated for this probably.

The guy should have sought help just like any other addict but to deny that MMOs are addictive is naive. Also to deny that this is intentional is naive. MMO designers put in a grind to stretch out content. Then they sprinkle that grind with rewards to keep the player going.

Read up on the psychology of "Operant Conditioning" if you aren't familiar. Take WOW as an example:

badges from heroic dungeons = fixed ratio operant conditioning.
daily quests = fixed interval operant conditioning
loot drops = variable ratio
boss drops in weekly instances = variable interval

This is REAL manipulation of human psychology. A Vegas slot machine can leverage variable ratio to make an old lady pee herself before she'll get up from the machine.

But again: this guy should have sought help. I'm sure if he told the company he was having a problem (instead of suing) they would have been happy to disable his account.

 

[eyemaster]

Every game in the world has this potential. Why not just require all games sold to have a simple warning on the box that states that you may become addicted. Caution is required?

If this was done pre-emptively by game companies, maybe this would be avoided. Do they want to avoid this or do they like the publicity it generates? Maybe they would still see stupid stuff like this even if the warning was there.

 

[Krayziepop]

The dude is probably 400lbs now, and the mere thought of getting out of his computer chair to take a shower would give hime a stroke... Maybe I should sue Youporn.com for giving my wrist carpal tunnel... :-/

 

[kresso]

[citation][nom]IM0001[/nom]Just what we need. One idiot that can't figure out that nobody is forcing you to play the game, then next every game will have to have the time limit kickoff so you can only play X amount of hours a day. Someone needs to disconnect this guys Internet and power and tell him to get a real job to earn his way back into gaming like normal people. Enjoyment is supposed to be done in moderation.[/citation]
That is why they invented Moms.

 

[Guest]

What a lame-o. Take some responsibility you air sucking flesh sack. Grow up.

 

[_Pez_]

Im gonna sue Intel for keeping its CPU's expensive, looks like in america everyone sue everyone even for stupid things amazing... get a life dudes.