Video games can be fun. Today’s versions even allow for online social connections among gamers who live far away from each other. Modern video games can also present risks that are not always immediately apparent. Their design and capabilities can lead to video game addiction, sending the lives of victims and their families into upheaval.
A Las Vegas product liability lawyer from H&P Law is here to help you fight back against predatory gaming companies and get compensated for the losses related to your gaming addiction. Our team has 60-plus years of combined experience. A Las Vegas video game addiction lawyer from our firm will put that experience and knowledge into building your claim.
Video Game Addiction as a Matter of Personal Injury
When someone else’s negligence causes you harm, you have the right to file a personal injury claim to hold them accountable for compensating you for your losses. You must prove the elements of negligence in personal injury cases to collect damages. This means you must show the offender owed you a duty of care to uphold your safety, then breached that duty, and that breach led to your injuries and losses.
Product designers and manufacturers owe their customers a duty of care. The products they sell, when used properly, should not cause harm. If there are potential risks associated with use, the manufacturers must warn users of them. Video game manufacturers and designers are not exempt from these responsibilities. If they fail to uphold them, consumers may have grounds to file a product liability claim.
The types of product liability cases commonly waged against video game companies relate to their product designs and their failure to warn. Game design makes video games addictive. Companies know this, yet still produce these games and fail to warn users of the risks of addiction in order to boost their profits.
The Effects of Video Game Addiction
A Las Vegas personal injury lawyer can help you fight for justice if you or someone you love has experienced the effects of video game addiction. These effects can devastate victims and their families and include:
- Sadness, irritability, or anger when unable to play
- Social withdrawal
- Poor performance at school, work, or in fulfilling household responsibilities
- Decline in personal hygiene
- Lying about the amount of time spent gaming
- Abandonment of other relationships or activities
- Problems with sleep
- Financial loss from in-game purchases or subscriptions
- Needing more game time to achieve the same degree of enjoyment
The study Symptoms, Mechanisms, and Treatments of Video Game Addiction cites horrific consequences of gaming addiction. In two separate instances, parents neglected their young children to play video games. One infant died. In the other family, the children were malnourished and “near death” when finally seen by a doctor.
How Video Game Companies Demonstrate Negligence
A video game addiction lawsuit lawyer in Las Vegas can help if you or someone you love suffers from video game addiction. We can work to show how the video game companies’ negligence led to your condition.
The paper Virtual Gaming: Actual Damage from the Duke Law Scholarship Repository states, “There is nothing inherently wrong with creating or playing a video game. Nor is there anything inherent in video games that makes them addictive. Designers must work to create addictive games.”
Manipulative Product design
Designers implement a “variety of tactics to encourage excessive play,” according to “Are video games, screens, another addiction?” from the Mayo Clinic. They offer rewards for daily logins, create games without a “natural stopping point,” and create urgency with “time-limited events.”
Game features often include loot boxes. These are virtual boxes containing virtual items to be used in gameplay. Gamers earn them through more gameplay or by buying them with real money. These boxes are an enticement to continue playing and can also incur serious financial problems, especially when young gamers may not realize the consequences of frequent purchases.
Failure to Warn
Per the Mayo Clinic, these tactics produce dopamine releases in gamers, creating feelings of satisfaction and reward. Gamers chase that feeling of reward. The more they play, the more they want and need to play to get the reward. Companies “knowingly design games to be addictive,” but do not warn users of this known-risk potential.
A Las Vegas Video Game Addiction Lawsuit Attorney Can Fight for Compensation for Your Video Game Addiction
The damages that can be recovered in a personal injury case compensate victims for financial losses and recognize their pain and suffering. H&P Law will assess the losses associated with your addiction and work to account for all of them. You could see compensation for and acknowledgment of:
- Medical costs for injuries caused by excessive gaming
- Rehabilitation expenses, such as costs for counseling
- Lost tuition or costs for educational setbacks
- Lost wages if the addiction prevented you from working
- Suffering and reduced quality of life
It’s not possible to predict the exact value of a claim. The specific circumstances of each case affect how much compensation victims may collect. You can expect our team to fight for the highest amount available. Video game companies must be held accountable for the suffering they have caused you. Our goal is to deliver full financial justice.
When Minors Are the Victims
Many gamers are minors. Children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable to predatory gaming companies. Their underdeveloped brains don’t recognize manipulative tactics. Their ability to self-regulate is limited.
Sadly, many video-game addicts are in these younger age groups. They deserve compensation too. We know the special procedures involved in settling personal injury claims involving minors, and we can lead and support your family through that process.
Our Winning Team Is on Your Side
Video game companies are powerful entities with strong representation. That doesn’t mean they get to victimize their customers without penalty. A Las Vegas video game addiction lawsuit lawyer is here to help you hold gaming companies accountable for the damage they have caused. Connect with us today to take the first step toward justice.
