A man from Russia whose life fell apart is taking development studio Bethesda to court for releasing the game "Fallout 4."
According to the complainant, a 28-year-old gamer from Siberia, he became seriously addicted to the game which caused him to neglect certain important details in his life.
As reported by RT, the man, who was not identified, recently filed a lawsuit against Bethesda for 500,000 rubles or around $7,030. He is also suing the country's localization firm SoftClub for failing to warn gamers about the seemingly addicting effect of "Fallout 4."
According to him, shortly after the game's debut in Russia, he got into a three-week "Fallout 4" gaming spree. For almost a month, he was not able to attend to his job, talk to his friends, and spend time with his wife properly.
As a result, the man was fired from his job and his wife left him. He also said that his health has started deteriorating because he wasn't eating or sleeping properly during his "Fallout 4" marathon.
"If I knew that this game could have become so addictive, I would have become a lot more wary of it," he said in a statement according to the Escapist Magazine. "I would not have bought it, or would have left it until I was on holiday or until the New Year holidays."
RT noted that this is the first time that a lawsuit was filed in Russia against a video game development company for causing emotional distress. "Fallout 4" maker Bethesda, on the other hand, has not yet issued a statement regarding the man's complaints.
As pointed out by Engadget, although playing "Fallout 4" can be addicting, many gamers are still able to carry on with their social and professional lives properly. For the Russian man to emerge victorious in his legal battle with Bethesda, he has to prove in court that his addiction to the game was real and not just due to his lack of discipline and control.
Lawsuits against video games and their developers are not uncommon in the U.S. Last year, Manuel Noriega, the former dictator of Panama, sued publishing firm Activision Blizzard for using his image and likeness in the game "Call of Duty: Black Ops II." He also noted that the game tarnished his reputation and depicted him as a villain, CNN reported.
Actress Lindsay Lohan too, filed a lawsuit last year based on her claims that Rockstar Games based a character from "Grand Theft Auto 5" on her, according to Kotaku.
