According to QuickJump and several other sources, some douche by the name of Craig Smallwood (tee hee, small wood) is suing NCsoft because they made the MMORPG Lineage II too addictive. A federal judge has allowed the negligence suit to proceed.
Smallwood has stated that Lineage II has caused him to be unable to function independently to perform day to day activities, such as bathing, dressing and communicating with family and friends. The plaintiff states he has spent around 20,000 hours from 2004 to 2009 playing Lineage II because it has hooked him so bad.
He also alleged that NCsoft “acted negligently in failing to warn or instruct or adequately warn or instruct plaintiff and other players of Lineage II of its dangerous and defective characteristics, and of the safe and proper method of using the game.” Had he known that the game would be that addicting, he said he wouldn’t have touched it in the first place.
Smallwood is asking for an undisclosed amount in damages. NCsoft is filing for dismissal. Adding further fuel to the fire:
Smallwood’s Lineage II accounts were banned from Lineage II for engaging in alleged grey market RMT activity, which is expressly forbidden by NCSoft’s EULA. Smallwood claims he never engaged in RMT activity and that NCSoft banned his accounts negligently as part of a scheme to “force” Lineage II players to begin playing another NCSoft game, Aion, instead.
Smallwood’s suit argues that his addiction to Lineage II resulted in emotional distress, a three-week hospital stay, and an ongoing regimen of therapy three times per week.