Gamer Sues Bethesda, Claiming Fallout 4 Is Too Addictive
For a game to be called “addictive”, it has to be really, really good. It has to offer an immersive experience, it has to have a captivating story, it has to make you want to come back to it. So is it a good thing for a game to be addictive? In most cases, yes. In Fallout 4’s case, not so much.
A Russian gamer is clamming that Fallout 4 is “too addictive”. This guy went on a three-week Fallout 4 binge, lost his wife and his job, and now wants to sue Bethesda because he didn’t know “this game could have become so addictive.” I don’t know if I should feel sorry for him or laugh at his ridiculous story. You be the judge.
The Russian gamer’s story
Our protagonist is a 28-year-old man from Krasnoyarsk, Siberia. He saw an ad for Fallout 4, liked it, and decided to download the game. To no one’s surprise, he liked playing Bethesda’s post-apocalyptic role-playing game. He liked it so much in fact, that he played it excessively for 3 weeks. He was so focused on playing Fallout 4 that he stopped speaking with friends and family and skipped work to stay home and play.
What happens when you miss work to stay home and play games? You get fired, of course. And what happens when you’re too focused on a game that you ignore your wife? She leaves you. And what happens when you game so much that you forget to eat and sleep? Your health deteriorates.
That’s what happened to our Russian gamer. His employers fired him because he regularly skipped work to play Fallout 4. When his wife asked for a divorce, he retreated into the game even more. And because he didn’t eat and sleep properly, his health started to deteriorate.
What are the Russian gamer’s claims?
He claims that he did not know Fallout 4 would be so addictive. He wants to sue Bethesda and SoftClub, a Russian localization firm. He wants them to pay for the emotional distress that he suffered, in the amount of 500,000 rubles (about $7,000).
“If I knew that this game could have become so addictive, I would have become a lot more wary of it. I would not have bought it, or I would have left it until I was on holiday or until the New Year holidays,” says a statement from the Russian gamer.
The law firm that represents him said they want to ““see how far we can go regarding this case.”
Why this matters
Something like this hasn’t happened in Russia before. It’s happened in the US, but not in Russia. If the suit goes to trial, it will be the first time the Russian courts have to address the issue of video game addiction. Depending on the court’s decision, it could set a legal precedent in the country as to whether players could sue developers for the psychological impact of their products.
A precedent has been set in the US, back in 2010 when a Hawaiian man claimed he became addicted to Lineage II. Craig Smallwood, who spent more than 20,000 hours logged into the game, said he would not have started playing it if he had known he would become addicted to it. He claimed damages from the game’s makers and the judge agreed. A PDF of the decision is available here.
Is this guy serious?
I know that addiction is a serious thing. But even if he developer tells you that a game is potentially addictive, it doesn't solve a nothing. A warning label won’t stop you from excessively playing the game. It’s up to you to control how much time you spend in a game. And if you can’t control yourself, ask for help!
Accept responsibility for your actions. If you skip work to play a game, it’s your fault; how is the game developer responsible for that? And if you ignore your wife for a game, maybe getting a divorce is for the better. I’ve been playing Fallout 4 like a madman since its launch too. But I did not skip work and I certainly haven’t ignored the missus. Well, maybe a little bit, but I certainly did not ignore her so much that she’d ask for a divorce.
In related news…
The first official Fallout 4 patch has been released earlier this month. Here’s what it fixes.
Fallout 4 lets you extensively customize the way your character looks like. It’s a golden opportunity to make your character look like a celebrity. Here are 22 examples.
You’ll have to choose 7 primary abilities for your Fallout 4 character. Here are 7 fun videos that present said abilities.
Google and Apple recognized Fallout 4 Shelter as one of the best Android and best iPhone games of the year. Want to play Fallout Shelter but you don’t have an Android phone? Try a free Android emulator.
A Russian gamer is clamming that Fallout 4 is “too addictive”. This guy went on a three-week Fallout 4 binge, lost his wife and his job, and now wants to sue Bethesda because he didn’t know “this game could have become so addictive.” I don’t know if I should feel sorry for him or laugh at his ridiculous story. You be the judge.
The Russian gamer’s story
Our protagonist is a 28-year-old man from Krasnoyarsk, Siberia. He saw an ad for Fallout 4, liked it, and decided to download the game. To no one’s surprise, he liked playing Bethesda’s post-apocalyptic role-playing game. He liked it so much in fact, that he played it excessively for 3 weeks. He was so focused on playing Fallout 4 that he stopped speaking with friends and family and skipped work to stay home and play.
What happens when you miss work to stay home and play games? You get fired, of course. And what happens when you’re too focused on a game that you ignore your wife? She leaves you. And what happens when you game so much that you forget to eat and sleep? Your health deteriorates.
That’s what happened to our Russian gamer. His employers fired him because he regularly skipped work to play Fallout 4. When his wife asked for a divorce, he retreated into the game even more. And because he didn’t eat and sleep properly, his health started to deteriorate.
What are the Russian gamer’s claims?
He claims that he did not know Fallout 4 would be so addictive. He wants to sue Bethesda and SoftClub, a Russian localization firm. He wants them to pay for the emotional distress that he suffered, in the amount of 500,000 rubles (about $7,000).
“If I knew that this game could have become so addictive, I would have become a lot more wary of it. I would not have bought it, or I would have left it until I was on holiday or until the New Year holidays,” says a statement from the Russian gamer.
The law firm that represents him said they want to ““see how far we can go regarding this case.”
Why this matters
Something like this hasn’t happened in Russia before. It’s happened in the US, but not in Russia. If the suit goes to trial, it will be the first time the Russian courts have to address the issue of video game addiction. Depending on the court’s decision, it could set a legal precedent in the country as to whether players could sue developers for the psychological impact of their products.
A precedent has been set in the US, back in 2010 when a Hawaiian man claimed he became addicted to Lineage II. Craig Smallwood, who spent more than 20,000 hours logged into the game, said he would not have started playing it if he had known he would become addicted to it. He claimed damages from the game’s makers and the judge agreed. A PDF of the decision is available here.
Is this guy serious?
I know that addiction is a serious thing. But even if he developer tells you that a game is potentially addictive, it doesn't solve a nothing. A warning label won’t stop you from excessively playing the game. It’s up to you to control how much time you spend in a game. And if you can’t control yourself, ask for help!
Accept responsibility for your actions. If you skip work to play a game, it’s your fault; how is the game developer responsible for that? And if you ignore your wife for a game, maybe getting a divorce is for the better. I’ve been playing Fallout 4 like a madman since its launch too. But I did not skip work and I certainly haven’t ignored the missus. Well, maybe a little bit, but I certainly did not ignore her so much that she’d ask for a divorce.
In related news…
The first official Fallout 4 patch has been released earlier this month. Here’s what it fixes.
Fallout 4 lets you extensively customize the way your character looks like. It’s a golden opportunity to make your character look like a celebrity. Here are 22 examples.
You’ll have to choose 7 primary abilities for your Fallout 4 character. Here are 7 fun videos that present said abilities.
Google and Apple recognized Fallout 4 Shelter as one of the best Android and best iPhone games of the year. Want to play Fallout Shelter but you don’t have an Android phone? Try a free Android emulator.
