Who’s to blame for video game addiction?

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Lineage II

A Hawaii man says he is unable to wake up, bathe or get dressed due to “phenomena of psychological dependence and addiction” brought on by a video game, and he’s proceeding with a lawsuit against its South Korean developer after a federal judge granted a motion by the company to dismiss half of the eight charges against it.

Craig Smallwood, 51, says the 2003 game Lineage II caused him “extreme and serious emotional distress and depression.” He says he was hospitalized for three weeks and now requires therapy three times a week.

Which begs the question: Who is responsible for video game addiction?

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About the author

Jayson Peters

Jayson Peters

Born and raised in Phoenix, Jayson Peters is a southern Colorado-based newspaper copy editor and website designer. He has taught online media at Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication and now teaches at Pueblo Community College. A versatile digital storyteller, he has led online operations at the East Valley Tribune in Mesa, Arizona, followed by the Pueblo Chieftain, Colorado Springs Independent, Colorado Springs Business Journal and Pueblo Star Journal. He is a former Southern Colorado Press Club president and founder and curator of Nerdvana.