A gamer has filed a lawsuit against the developers of Fortnite and Minecraft, as well as Microsoft, accusing them of causing addiction to the two games. According to the 56-page lawsuit, first published by Complex, Kaiden Breiden is suing the companies for failing to include "preventative measures" in their games to prevent addiction. Breiden accuses the companies of negligence and fraud, describing their business practices as "misleading, unfair, unethical, and reckless." He describes his gaming habits as "compulsive and unregulated," and claims in the lawsuit that he is "unable to curb his use of it." According to the lawsuit, Breiden exhibits symptoms similar to withdrawal when he doesn't play the games he's addicted to. He describes withdrawal symptoms as "anger, property destruction, compulsive and antisocial behavior," in addition to insomnia. The lawsuit alleges that "the plaintiff's addiction to video games has had a continuous and substantial impact on his life and safety." Breiden is seeking compensation for pain and suffering, mental distress, medical expenses, attorney's fees, and damages for "the mild injuries he sustained as a result of using the defendants' video games." Lawsuits against video game developers over practices allegedly designed to trap players in a cycle of addiction have become increasingly common in recent years, with lawsuits focusing on features like loot boxes and other mechanisms designed to reward players for repetitive and continuous play. The lawsuit was filed in the Southern District of New York Court on January 23.
