Lawsuits Over Video Game Addiction Dismissed

A pair of lawsuits alleging that prominent gaming companies facilitated video game addiction have been dismissed at the request of the plaintiff. According to a review of court documents, the suits, which were filed on behalf of minors in Arkansas and Ohio, targeted companies such as Epic Games, Activision Blizzard, Take Two Interactive, Rockstar Games, Roblox, Microsoft, and Sony. The defense cited First Amendment protections and argued that the terms of user agreements, which specify arbitration over litigation, should apply to the plaintiffs, as reported. A similar lawsuit was filed in Arkansas last October, naming Microsoft, EA, Activision, Ubisoft, and Epic Games, along with some of their studios, as defendants. This particular suit was initiated by a mother on behalf of her child and spouse, claiming the child spent 12 to 14 hours daily playing video games and incurred around $3,000 in expenses for in-game transactions and downloadable content.