Video game addiction lawsuit investigation

Video game addiction: Who’s affected?

Has a member of your family been treated for video gaming addiction? Or are you seeking treatment? You may be eligible for compensation.

Doctors, health organizations and even insurance companies now accept the existence of video game addiction, also known as internet gaming addiction.

The question remains: Is it an addiction or a mental illness? The Cleveland Clinic says individuals should not wait for an answer. “Any activity or habit that becomes all-consuming and negatively impacts your daily functioning can cause significant mental, social and physical health issues. It’s important to seek medical care if you think your video game habits are taking over your life.” Or taking your life.

There is “a significant positive correlation between internet gaming addiction and suicidal ideation,” according to the National Institutes of Health.

Devastated families say companies design the games to make maximum dollars by driving people — particularly children, teens and those in their early 20s — to compulsion, using psychological tactics to gain power over them and reward systems to keep them coming back.

Loot boxes as bait

Some games offer “microtransactions” through which users spend real money to receive add-ons they think will better their chances of winning. Often offered on otherwise free-to-play games, these financial transactions are played within the game and are easy to use. They may begin relatively inexpensively, say $1 to $40, and become higher when players start buying “loot boxes.” These moneymakers are banned in some countries and are under discussion in the U.S. Congress and courts. 

The loot might include virtual perks that can help the player play that game better, but they are not told what is in the crates and won’t know until they buy and open them. At that point, they are likely to find only cosmetic additions to make the game look different. So they buy more hoping to get what they pay for. The mystery is part of the fun and a great deal of the cost. One estimate put video game microtransaction revenue in 2021 at $190 billion. 

Gaming companies have even been accused of “slowing down gameplay drastically and adding additional issues that prevent progress. The player is then encouraged to purchase the upgrades to fix those artificially created issues.”

Most gamers spend between $50 and $100 on microtransactions in what are called MMOs, or “massively multiplayer online” games. But about 5.6% spend well more than $1,000 on in-game purchases. These big buyers are known as “whales.” To be competitive, they think they have to have all the virtual add-ons and pay till they get them, although the add-ons have no value in the real world. That’s why these purchases are called pay-to-win (P2W).

Sometimes the purchases are devastating, as when children old enough to figure out the game are too young to understand they are playing with real money or even what money is. Using credit cards or instant-pay accounts a parent has programmed into a device, little kids captivated by the game can do serious damage to family finances. One Florida mother’s bank account was wiped out when her 7-year-old played Roblox. And a 6-year-old spent $16,000 on microtransactions playing Sonic Forces: Speed Battle. 

To some parents’ dismay, as children age and become addicted to video games they often dream of going pro. When they are old enough, they forgo other long-term goals to livestream their gaming and play in tournaments around the world for prizes, sometimes with sponsors. Competitive gaming is called eSports (short for electronic sports). Colleges offer degrees in eSports management, building gaming centers and hosting tournaments that bring in the bucks. 

There are more than 5 million games out there, including educational entertainment across many themes for children. Gamers confess to playing video games just about any time and any place, including when they are at work or on the toilet. Some games are even about toilets.

Many video games are extremely violent and may lead to aggressive thoughts, according to the University of Michigan Youth Violence Prevention Center. It states “violent video games may be related to bullying, which researchers have found to be a risk factor for more serious violent behavior.”

Who is addicted?

As a parent or guardian responsible for a child, you are in a better position to help than the family of an adult with a video game addiction. The statistics are alarming: up to 10% of the U.S. population may be addicted, depending on the diagnostic criteria used as measurements, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Video game addiction affects children, teens and adults and primarily people assigned male at birth. 

The mechanism is under study, but the latest thinking is that the playing and winning of video games releases dopamine in the brain — a chemical that governs pleasure and reward motivation, according to The Cleveland Clinic. 

Current treatment involves psychotherapy in individual or group sessions and for couples trying to maintain family life in the face of addiction. It may also include medication to treat unbearable symptoms.

What are the symptoms of video game addiction?

Symptoms of video gaming addiction can be alarming. They include:

What games are they playing?

If there is a video game addict in your family, chances are they are using the most popular games to feed their habit, among them:

Products

Gaming companies sell various consoles and brands and numerous packages of games, all of which are regularly updated, repackaged, improved and made more complex — and perhaps more addictive. The global gaming industry is expected to reach $189.3 billion in 2024.

In 2022 the global gaming industry was estimated at $184.4 billion, according to Forbes. That’s some 3.5 times more than the combined global music and movie industries in the same year. 

Consoles and software packages are updated as games get more complex. Some games can be played on tablets, Windows and Mac computers, Chromebooks, apps available on iPhone and Android phones and other devices and some smart TVs. 

The games and equipment are available online and through video gaming shops, some of which also sell accessories such as “skins” to change the look of a player’s avatar, the appearance of weapons or, in some cases, certain rewards. 

Through these plans and shops, players connect with others, back up data, store games online and receive free games. 

Among the many suppliers: 

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