Lawsuit Blames Oblivion For Pilot's Seizure

[CharrHearted]

doesn't he read the game manual which states if you suffer from epilepsy due to flashing light, consult our doctor before etc.

 

[Canid117]

i don't rememberer strobe lighting effects in oblivion.

Never downloaded the nightclub mod then?

Which would make it even less the fault of Bethesda and Oblivion. Yay! Rock solid case for video games! Or at least it should be. I also would like to point out that video games can not give you epilepsy and he should not have been flying in the first case if he had that condition. Oblivion may have saved his life if it was the cause of this seizure in a safe environment rather than fifteen thousand feet in the air with a $20 million plane that hurtles nicely into the ocean when its pilot seizes violently.

 

[ZombieGenesis]

Fuck that pilot.
Oblivion never hurt anyone. Except Emperor Uriel Septim.... spoilers.

 

[Omnific One]

If the plaintiff actually wins this, Obsidian will be punished for complying to the letter with industry standards.
This cannot stand.

Obsidian?

 

[jakefongloo]

Games should use bloom respectfully. However i don't think the Navy pilot should get jack shit, I'm tired of either baring it and squinting till I get to someplace darker or going through all the options on my TV and changing the brightness every time the game changes locals.

See Twilight Princess for example.

Oblivion on the other hand is not Twilight Princess, I thought the lighting was just fine.

 

[UnravThreads]

OT: it's a shame but do they really need to strip him of his flying credentials?

Look at who he worked for, and look what he did. He is in no shape to fly a military (Whether Navy or otherwise) helicopter after that sort of injury due to the damage he's done, plus the fact he had a seizure implies he has some sort of condition which could make him a liability. If he has a seizure flying, who knows how many people could die?

Here's to hoping it gets thrown out of court, but on the other hand it also needs to come up in court. What if he'd bought a disc-only pre-owned copy and the game didn't have a warning at the start (PC games tend not to, I believe)? It's a case to watch at any rate.

 

[jakefongloo]

doesn't he read the game manual which states if you suffer from epilepsy due to flashing light, consult our doctor before etc.

Be honest do you read the manual in every game you buy? Even though it's pretty much a 95% guarentee it's going to include a tutorial anyway.

 

[Sixcess]

The guy just needs to chill out with a fun game. I'd recommend Wipeout Fusion

Spoiler: warning - watch at your own risk

Well, on second thoughts...

 

[Tony2077]

there is a whole page for this on the back of the front cover so he'll most likely lose and if he wins the legal system is in dire need of a overhaul

 

[Zay-el]

This is stated immediately on the very first page of the manual, or better yet, sometimes the game box itself. While you could argue about a lot of things, if you're simply too stupid to read, it's your damn problem.

Also, if he got a seizure from the lighting effects in Oblivion, he'd get seizures from SUNLIGHT.

Altogether, not buying it. Even if Oblivion DID trigger his seizure, it's his fault for not bothering to read the manual. If a game has extreme lighting effects, they will even state that before the game begins, like Beat Hazard.

"defective and dangerous" this should be in every bethesda game specially new vegas

Thank you Mr. Troll, you may now return to your cave. Your concern has been noted.

 

[SNIPERFOX ft. Harry P.Ness]

there's a magical menu called the options menu, and another magical page called brightness

 

[Woodsey]

Warnings come with the games, and I can't remember anything flashing in Oblivion anyway.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Normally this sort of lawsuit would be met by rolling eyes and audible scoffs -- have a look at the comments if you don't believe me -- but I think this case might actually serve an important purpose, regardless of its eventual outcome. Game packaging has specifically warned consumers about the danger of seizures as far back as I can remember, and while you'd think that would sink McLaughlin's case by itself, it's entirely possible that the court would rule in his favor simply by virtue of the fact that no one actually reads those warnings.

Wait a minute, if the warning is present and people just chose to ignore it then wouldn't the fault lie with those who chose to disregard the warning then?

Also, I don't remember there being any flashy strobe-like effects in Oblivion. The closest thing I could think of would be the lightning spell effect, but I highly doubt you'd get a seizure from that.

 

[Sonicron]

If the plaintiff actually wins this, Obsidian will be punished for complying to the letter with industry standards.
This cannot stand.

Obsidian?

Oops. Sorry, got mixed up there. Whenever I read Bethesda, my mind unconsciously switches to Obsidian, because I have New Vegas standing on my shelf.

 

[Saviordd1]

i don't rememberer strobe lighting effects in oblivion.

Yeah same, unless you count spells as "lights" but even then no.

OT: "No one reads it" is not an excuse, you could say "no one reads the FBI warnings before movies anyway" in your defense and you would just be laughed at. If this case isn't almost immediately dismissed I will rage

 

[EHKOS]

*Settles in for serious discussion*

McLaughlin

*Falls out of chair with laughter*

 

[II2]

I think there were a few Shivering Isles screenshots used in this video at about 0:30-35, but at least it came with a warning:


Beyond all the flashing lights, I'm fairly certain this video is also cursed; just for you consideration.

 

[Dogstile]

*reads up on grand mal seizure*

Yep, here it says that you're going to get it from low blood sugar or epilepsy.

Now, something strikes me as odd here. I thought you couldn't be a pilot and an epileptic, considering that you kinda don't want your pilot suffering a grand mal seizure on a plane?