World of Warcraft And World Of Lawsuit

Chinese parents, claiming the game led to the death of their 13-year-old son, are suing Blizzard Entertainment, makers of the game “World of Warcraft.” They claim the boy was re-enacting a stunt from the game and fell from a 24-story building .

The event happened nearly a year ago, in December 2004 in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin. At this point, 63 other families have joined the suit.

This is the latest in a seemingly large movement in China that sees internet gaming as a legitimate addiction, no different than drugs like morphine or crack. As a matter of fact, in some places, gaming addictions are referred to as “e-heroin.”

Back in the summer, Chinese authorities put rules in place to restrict online game time to about 5 hours a day, citing studies they had done regarding internet gaming and addiction.

The tough point for China is the amount of revenues generated by Internet gaming. With sales projected at half a billion for 2005, the market is only expected to grow. Some researchers predict the market to hit nearly $2 billion by the end of the decade.

John Stith is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business.