A Hawaii man is suing the makers of Lineage II, a product he says is so dangerously addictive that he played it for 20,000 hours over five years, forgetting to get dressed, bathe or call mom during that span.
Better yet, a federal judge is letting the lawsuit, a negligence claim, to proceed against NCsoft. Normally, publishers ask for dismissals of these sorts of claims, and normally, judges agree. But U.S. District Judge Alan Kay sees something in the case that indicates "plaintiff has stated a claim for both negligence and gross negligence."
That claim, by Craig Smallwood, says he became so addicted to Lineage II that he is "unable to function independently in usual daily activities such as getting up, getting dressed, bathing or communicating with family and friends." He says he played the game for 20,000 hours between 2004 and 2009. For reference, that five-year span amounted to 43,848 hours (two leap days boosted the total.)
Judge Kay's ruling came Aug. 4; on Tuesday, NCsoft again asked him to toss the claim.
