Opinion

Judge who allowed lawsuit over game addiction needs to download some common sense

Bob Dorigo Jones Senior Fellow, The Center for America
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Have you started your holiday shopping yet?  Well, if you have anyone on your list who likes playing computer games, here’s some disturbing news.

A man in Hawaii is suing a video game maker because he claims he became so addicted to the game that he didn’t have time for other things in his life.   His lawsuit alleges that he spent 20,000 hours immersed in the game over five years, and that he neglected things like bathing, dressing and even waking up.

Now, I’ve seen some pretty crazy lawsuits over the years, but this is definitely one of the worst.  And as hard as it is to believe that someone would actually file this lawsuit, it’s even more difficult to believe that the judge has refused to dismiss it!

Let’s be fair, as the father of two boys, I know that the prices of computer games are already high enough.  If companies who make these games now have to spend money defending themselves against ridiculous lawsuits like this, I’m afraid the games will eventually cost more than the computers they’re played on.

Find out more.  Go to my website at BobDorigoJones.com.

Bob Dorigo Jones, who serves as Senior Fellow for the Foundation for Fair Civil Justice, is the author of the bestselling Remove Child Before Folding, The 101 Stupidest, Silliest and Wackiest Warning Labels Ever. He is the host of a new national radio/Internet commentary, “Let’s Be Fair.”