Arkansas family suing Epic Games, Nintendo & other video game companies over addictive behaviors they say their child has developed

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – An Arkansas family is suing several major video game companies, claiming their child has addictive behaviors due to playing their games.

In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs said the defendants specifically developed and designed features to cause addiction, as experienced by their 13-year-old.

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Tina Bullock is representing the family in the lawsuit.

“Once your child is addicted to something, they have physical symptoms and problems,” Bullock said.

The lawsuit was filed against major gaming companies including Activision Blizzard, Epic Games, Google, Nintendo, Infinity Ward, Treyarch, Sledgehammer Games, Microsoft, Electronic Arts and Ubisoft Divertissements Inc.

“It creates a system of operant conditioning in the kid where a stimulus is in the game with artificial intelligence,” Bullock said. “That stimulus creates a response with the kid.”

Bullock claims that features like timers keep children wanting to play more.

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However, Aubrey Quinn with the Entertainment Software Association, the trade association for some U.S. gaming companies, said artificial intelligence creates a positive user experience.

“Artificial intelligence is used to help monitor what people are seeing and what they’re typing in game platform,” Bullock said.

Bullock said the child who they’re claiming became addicted was able to create other accounts without parental knowledge.

“Many of the parental controls don’t work on the video games. Some games don’t track hours,” Bullock said.

Quinn said just about every device has parental controls.

“Including limiting the amount of time your kids spend playing,” Quinn said.

The defendants have filed a motion to dismiss, and the plaintiffs have responded.

“Our suits also aimed at trying to effect change, bring some awareness to some problems in the industry,” Bullock said.

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“Video game play is forcing you to think,” Quinn said. “You’re making choices, you’re working on strategy.”

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