Plaintiff Dismisses Raven Software From Video Game Addiction Liability Class Action

A woman who sued 15 videogame companies Dec. 6 on behalf of her 9-year-old son dismissed Raven Software from the negligence case without prejudice Tuesday, said a notice (docket 1:23-cv-16566) in U.S. District Court for Northern Illinois in Chicago. Jaclyn Angelilli alleged the defendants manufactured, published, marketed and sold gaming products “specifically developed and designed to cause the addiction" experienced by minors and other users. In January, the plaintiff voluntarily dismissed Grove Street Games without prejudice (see 2401090039). The complaint also names Activision Blizzard, Microsoft, Epic Games, Roblox, Rockstar Games, Take-Two Interactive Software, Sony, Nintendo, Google and Apple. Videogame addiction, also called “internet gaming disorder,” is characterized by “severely reduced control over gaming habits and increasing priority given to gaming over other activities, resulting in negative consequences in many aspects of a person’s life, including self-care, relationships, school, and work,” said the complaint.