[Infowarrior] - Blizzard sued for WoW player's suicide in China

[Richard Forno]

Parents sue game firm in China after son's suicide
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/11/AR2006051100
350_pf.html

Reuters
Thursday, May 11, 2006; 7:14 AM

BEIJING (Reuters) - The parents of a 13-year-old boy who killed himself
after playing a computer game for 36 hours are suing the game's licensed
Chinese distributor for 100,000 yuan ($12,500), a Chinese newspaper reported
on Thursday.

In 2004, Zhang Xiaoyi, from the northern Chinese city of Tianjin, jumped out
of a window of his family's 24th floor apartment after playing Warcraft at
an internet cafe.

His parents said in a legal writ that China Cyber Port Co. Ltd.'s failure to
clearly warn of the inherent "dangers" of Warcraft -- a game produced by
American company Blizzard Entertainment -- was responsible for their son's
death, the Beijing Times reported.

"In America, Warcraft has a 'T' rating, where it's only suitable for
children over 13... but we weren't aware," the paper quoted the parents as
saying.

The parents said that China Cyber Port clearly knew that the "violent" and
"bloody" content of Warcraft was unsuitable for minors.

They should have warned people about the risks of addiction and "taken
measures to prevent players' from over-indulging themselves," they said.

Apart from seeking damages, the parents demanded that packaging and
materials for all Warcraft games distributed in China refer to the game's
"level of violence" and have clear, written health warnings.

"This is a public interest case," said Zhang Chunliang, an online addiction
activist, in support of the parents.

"We are appealing to the country to build a healthy and complete game
regulation system."

Computer and online gaming has exploded in China in recent years, with an
estimated 13.8 million people taking part.

Amid growing concern that more and more young people are becoming hooked,
China has issued a raft of regulations aimed at curbing excessive game
playing at internet cafes and heavily fining owners that admit minors.

($1=8.003 Yuan)
© 2006 Reuters