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Gamer Sues 'Lineage II' Developer for Addictive Nature of MMORPG

by Caleb Johnson on August 20, 2010 at 01:17 PM

Lineage II
A Hawaiian man wants NCsoft, a South Korean video game developer, to pay up for neglecting to warn against the addictive nature of its popular MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game), 'Lineage II.' According to Wired, Craig Smallwood claims he is "unable to function independently in usual daily activities" because of his addiction to the online role-playing game. Smallwood claims to have spent 20,000 hours playing 'Lineage II' between 2004 and 2009, which would break down to about 4,000 hours a year, or 333 hours each month. Because of all the time he's spent casting spells and battling monsters, Smallwood has had trouble "getting up, getting dressed, bathing or communicating with family and friends." In early August, U.S. District Judge Alan Kay refused to dismiss Smallwood's claims, which could pave the way for a trial and possibly a big-time payday. Smallwood alleges that he would have never played 'Lineage II' had he known how addicted he would become.

Rather than settling this with money, maybe NCsoft could put Smallwood on medication -- like a group of South Korean psychiatrists did with 'StarCraft' addicts. That way, he can continue playing 'Lineage II' in a healthier manner (since he'd probably just blow all that settlement money on upgrades for his avatar anyway).

Tags: addiction, court, lineage-2, mmo, mmorpg, ncsoft, trial, VideoGameAddiction, VideoGames

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