Tennessee Verdicts

California Family Sues Roblox and Google in Gaming Addiction Lawsuit

January 28, 2025: In a new video game addiction lawsuit filed in Fresno County Superior Court, a California family alleges that Roblox Corporation and Google knowingly designed and distributed addictive gaming products that harmed their 11-year-old child. The complaint claims that Roblox employs patented addictive design features such as operant conditioning systems, loot boxes, and microtransactions, which exploit the vulnerabilities of young users. Filed as part of the growing wave of video game lawsuits, this new suit highlights accusations that major tech companies prioritize profits over the health of minors. The family contends that Roblox and Google failed to warn parents of the inherent risks of gaming addiction while actively marketing Roblox as an educational and creative platform. So it should come as no surprise that the child allegedly developed compulsive gaming habits, experienced withdrawal symptoms, and suffered cognitive and social harms. There is no video game class action lawsuit for personal injury claims, so these gaming addiction lawsuits are filed individually against video game companies.

Lawsuit Alleges Addiction Caused “Severe Psychological Harm”

January 7, 2025: In a new video game addiction lawsuit filed in Alameda County, California, the family of a minor, referred to as A.G., sues the giants of the gaming world—including Roblox Corporation, Epic Games, Microsoft, Mojang, Sony Interactive Entertainment, and Nintendo. The suit claims these companies have shrewdly engineered their games, such as Roblox, Minecraft, and Fortnite, to hook young players through psychological tactics akin to digital candy designed to be irresistible (and harmful). The lawsuit alleges these games use operant conditioning, AI-driven feedback loops, and cunning monetization schemes that exploit children’s psychological vulnerabilities, leading to compulsive use and severe psychological harm, including sleep deprivation, anxiety, depression, and social isolation. A.G. was drawn into gaming marathons stretching over 12 hours a day. The games’ alluring design not only disrupted A.G.’s mental and emotional development but also strained the family’s finances with endless in-game purchases. Efforts by A.G.’s family to curb this digital binge were futile against the games’ addictive allure. The lawsuit also touches, as most of these gaming addiction lawsuits do, on disturbing privacy concerns, accusing these companies of harvesting and misusing personal data to deepen user engagement and boost spending. The family is now seeking not just compensatory and punitive damages but something that would help other kids. It seeks injunctive relief to order these companies to curb these predatory practices and shield other children from the clutches of engineered addiction. It is a good idea, albeit one that is unlikely to be granted.

New Minecraft Addiction Case in California

November 20, 2024: In a new lawsuit filed in California state court, a family is suing Roblox, Microsoft, and others, alleging they exploited addictive designs in their popular video game, Minecraft. The complaint asserts that the game was deliberately engineered to target psychological vulnerabilities, particularly among minors and neurodivergent individuals, resulting in significant mental, emotional, and physical harms. The plaintiffs claim that Minecraft’s developers collaborated with behavioral experts to create features that foster compulsive gameplay. These features, combined with microtransactions and in-game notifications, allegedly exploit users’ brain chemistry to maintain prolonged engagement. The lawsuit describes this as part of a broader strategy by Microsoft and Roblox to maximize profits at the expense of minors’ well-being. The family also alleges that the companies violated privacy laws by collecting personal information from minors without obtaining proper parental consent, as required by California and federal law. They argue that these practices, along with the game’s social features and addictive design elements, have caused significant harm to their child, including psychological distress, compulsive gaming behaviors, and related physical effects. Seeking damages for these injuries, the lawsuit joins a wave of litigation scrutinizing the gaming industry’s impact on vulnerable populations, particularly children. The case adds to the growing number of claims against tech and gaming giants for prioritizing revenue over child safety.

Motion to Dismiss Video Game Addiction Lawsuit

September 19, 2024: Activision Blizzard, Roblox, Microsoft, Nintendo, and other major players in the video game industry filed motions on Tuesday to dismiss a lawsuit alleging they intentionally designed their games to be addictive for profit. The companies argued that the case is protected under the First Amendment. The plaintiff’s video game addiction lawsuit claimed that these companies contributed to a “worldwide epidemic” of video game addiction by making games like Fortnite, Minecraft, Call of Duty, and Grand Theft Auto V excessively addictive, exacerbating issues like ADHD, anxiety, and depression in players. In multiple motions to dismiss, the companies argued that video games are creative works protected by the First Amendment, which shields their right to create and distribute these games. Microsoft and Nintendo, in a joint filing, emphasized that video games are entitled to full constitutional protection as artistic expressions. They argued that the claims against them are akin to suing a bookstore for distributing third-party content, noting that they simply provide online platforms where games can be downloaded but do not create the games themselves. Roblox made similar arguments, asserting that it offers tools for users to create games on its platform but does not develop the games directly. Roblox and other platform operators also cited Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects service providers from liability for content generated by third parties. These defendants interpret this law as the ultimate get-out-of-jail-free card. In addition, the companies make the case-specific argument that the plaintiff’s claims are time-barred due to the statute of limitations. The lawsuit, filed when the plaintiff was 23, alleged injuries from gaming addiction that began at age 10, but the developers contended that the two- and four-year statutes of limitations for product liability and negligence claims had expired.

No Video Game Addiction Class Action Lawsuit for Now

June 10, 2024: What might have really jumpstarted this litigation would have been a video game addiction MDL class action lawsuit. That is not going to happen, at least not yet. The plaintiffs in five lawsuits requested the cases be centralized in the Western District of Missouri. These lawsuits, which involve video game developers, digital app stores, and other tech companies, allege that these entities created and sold games with features designed to be psychologically addictive, particularly targeting minors and young adults. There are fifteen such cases spread across ten districts. The defendants opposed centralization and, if it proceeds, prefer the Eastern District of Arkansas or the Northern District of Georgia as the venue. After reviewing the filings and holding a hearing, the panel decided that centralizing these cases would not improve convenience or efficiency. The plaintiffs argued that the cases were similar because they involved the gaming industry’s alleged tactics to create addiction through features like feedback loops and reward systems. However, the differences among the games and defendants were too significant to justify centralization. Each lawsuit involves different games and various combinations of defendants, with minimal overlap. The biggest problem is we only have five lawsuits to be consolidated. The plaintiffs also mentioned the potential for many more lawsuits because we all know many more are coming. But the panel correctly pointed out that the possibility of future video game lawsuits is not sufficient grounds for centralization. At some point, that dam will break, and there will be a video game addiction class action lawsuit. But that day is not today.