Report: Russian Man Wants to Sue Bethesda Over Fallout 4 Addiction

[Johnny Novgorod]

He's only asking for 7K? Even Dr. Evil knows that's not much.

 

[Blood Brain Barrier]

Bethesda didn't make him buy the game. They didn't make him play it. They didn't make him neglect everything else for the sake of more gaming time. He bought the game and he made his own damn mistakes.

You could say the same thing about certain drugs. "[X drug dealer] didn't make him buy the drugs. [They] didn't make him take it or make me neglect everything else for the same of [more drugs]. He bought the drug and and made his own damn mistakes."

Obviously gaming and drugs are very different, but it's perhaps the closest point of reference. Now heroin absolutely can be said to take control of the will and I do not think that someone under its very strong influence can be held responsible for everything they do. I've never played Fallout 4 so I can't say how similar it is, but it's not outside the realm of possibility that a device or game can be so entertaining that it should contain a warning to those vulnerable to its effects.

At the very least we should consider that evolution has not prepared us for some of the things we are doing to the body. I've got in mind things like the Oculus Rift here.

 

[TotalerKrieger]

You really got to love how the actions of one idiot leads a bunch of know-it-alls to start theorising on the flawed nature of Russian culture and their tendency towards authoritarianism. The PC police on this board would eat these people alive if they made similar generalisations about a Middle Eastern, African or Asian culture. Besides the obvious geo-political rivalries, this double-standard is perhaps rooted in the fact that the majority of Russians look very similar to most Western European ethnicities (ie. they look white).

Be honest, if this man was from any nation in North America or Western Europe, we would have collectively shrugged and called him a moron, without giving a second thought about any possible cultural/societal implications. We really should be able to view this man as just another fool without assuming his behaviour is a reflection of all Russian society. If this was a fair position to take, the reputation of most Western nations, particularly the USA, should be driven into the dirt as well. The American town who rejected plans to build a solar power plant for fear of using up all the sun's energy in the area comes to mind as a recent example of isolated lunacy that is clearly not a reflection of the entire nation.

 

[Callate]

Tsk. And to think his addiction could have been avoided if he hadn't made Charisma his dump stat.

More seriously, I feel a certain pity for someone who's lost so much, but this is not the sane adult response to reaping unfortunate consequences for your own compulsive behavior.

 

[StormShaun]

In reaction to this, I can only say one simple thing.
"Lol, what?"

You can't simply dump your terrible responsibility onto the developers.
Basically, that guy is this guy.

Spoiler

 

[Strazdas]

In 2010 a Hawaiian man, Craig Smallwood, demanded damages from NCsoft after spending 20,000 hours playing Lineage II.

Wait WHAT? That's literally two and a half years of continuous playing. I'm in my early 20s and a fair gamer and I don't think I've played that many hours in my life.

Its worth noting that Lineage 2 was released in 2003 so that averages to around 8 hours per day average for 7 years.

I had over 10.000 hours in Tibia back when i was a kid (though no counters back then)and probably at least 3.000 in SAMP. Im 26 and currently im probably closer to 25.000 hours total. Its really not that unbelievable. i even quit gaming for some time when i was 18.

 

[Zontar]

Its worth noting that Lineage 2 was released in 2003 so that averages to around 8 hours per day average for 7 years.

I looked into it, the period was from 2004 to 2009, which averages 9.13 hours per DAY.

 

[Strazdas]

Its worth noting that Lineage 2 was released in 2003 so that averages to around 8 hours per day average for 7 years.

I looked into it, the period was from 2004 to 2009, which averages 9.13 hours per DAY.

Clearly no job/school to go to. I can do that hours during vacations but not much else. there are some weekends when i go 14 hours a day gaming, but certainly not every weekend.

 

[SteewpidZombie]

This is why we should encourage natural selection and just dump his ass in a pit and fill it in...