Call of Duty Video Game Addiction Lawsuit

Call of Duty (COD) is a video game series that was originally released in 2003 and has become one of the most popular first-person shooter games. Call of Duty is published by Activision Blizzard, Inc., which is headquartered in Santa Monica, California. A new Call of Duty game comes out nearly every year. There are currently 22 mainline Call of Duty versions. Call of Duty is the fourth best-selling video game franchise of all time and is the most successful video game franchise ever created in the United States. Call of Duty has generated nearly half a billion sales of the video game. Call of Duty remains the most popular multiplayer shooter game on the market due to its particularly addictive features. Lawsuits allege that Call of Duty intentionally developed addictive gameplay loops and other tactics to keep kids addicted to and spending money on Call of Duty. Many families have spent a significant amount of out-of-pocket money to send their children to rehabilitation due to their severe Call of Duty addiction. Frequently, numerous stints in a video game rehabilitation center are needed before a child can overcome their Call of Duty addiction. The attorneys at Nigh Goldenberg Raso & Vaughn are now accepting cases for those who have become addicted to Call of Duty and have required rehab.

Call of Duty is Addictive

The Call of Duty games were designed with the help of psychologists and neuroscientists to discover and include the most addictive gaming aspects into Call of Duty. Several of the addictive technological features included in the Call of Duty games have been patented by its maker Activision. Furthermore, the Call of Duty addiction lawsuits allege that Activision also licensed patented addictive technology from other video game developers and publishers so that they could include additional addictive features in the Call of Duty games.

Operant Conditioning in Call of Duty

Operant conditioning is a learning process whereby voluntary behaviors are modified by association with the addition of reward. The frequency or duration of one’s behavior can increase through reinforcement. Operant conditioning is an addictive feedback loop, which Call of Duty intentionally includes in its video games to make them more addictive.

Every year a new, but essentially the same Call of Duty game comes out. Each new Call of Duty game involves unlocking progression, where each in-game kill, assist, or win unlocks new equipment as a player progresses. Every match of Call of Duty a player participates in gives a very small amount of progress to unlocking new attachments and skins for the guns they used in the match. There is an immediate and constant stream of progression when playing Call of Duty. It takes many hundreds or even thousands of hours to unlock everything in Call of Duty. And once a player has unlocked everything for a specific gun in Call of Duty, the player has the option to reset all progress for another small reward. This constant stream of rewards in Call of Duty allows players to feel they are making constant progress toward unlocking everything in the whole game, which is a form of operant conditioning. The combination of operant conditioning with the fast-paced play, sounds, high-fidelity graphics, and other dopamine triggers, make the Call of Duty franchise an extremely addictive video game. 

Microtransactions & Loot boxes (Advanced Supply Drops)

Newer versions of Call of Duty include loot box schemes and “battle passes” that allow Call of Duty players to unlock additional tiers of gameplay for additional money. The Call of Duty battle pass costs 1,000 Call of Duty Points, which are sold in-game for $9.99. Call of Duty also includes microtransactions known as “Advanced Supply Drops”, which can be purchased in-game or earned through gameplay. The Call of Duty addiction lawsuit alleges that Call of Duty targets players with Advanced Supply Drop microtransactions utilizing patented technology and undisclosed trackers embedded in Call of Duty. These Advanced Supply Drops help players further customize their character and weapons. Call of Duty targets minors with Advanced Supply Drops to get them to spend real-world money on Call of Duty Points, which are then used in microtransactions to purchase the Advanced Supply Drops.  Advanced Supply Drop in Call of Duty are essentially loot boxes – each includes three random loot items (with a guarantee of at least one weapon type loot and at least one “rare” item). 

Advanced Supply Drops are in Call of Duty to keep players engaged and spending money in the game for a long time. Furthermore, the creators of Call of Duty knew that the special prizes in Advanced Supply Drops would play on a youth’s psyche and mental stage of development.

Call of Duty App

The Call of Duty app was launched as a companion product for the Call of Duty game and is available to minors. Within the Call of Duty app, there are links to E-Sports betting sites. Furthermore, the Call of Duty app alerts its minor users to upcoming tournaments and other events, attempting to get the children to spend more real-world money on Call of Duty points to fund additional microtransactions. The Call of Duty app also tracks childrens’ game usage and other data. 

Call of Duty Video Game Addiction Lawsuit

The makers of Call of Duty intentionally made the video game highly addictive and then targeted children nationwide. The makers of Call of Duty do not warn its users that the game is intentionally addictive. If you are under 25 years of age and were addicted to Call of Duty and required rehabilitation, call our video game addiction attorneys at 1-800-610-4731. Call our video game addiction attorneys today for a free Call of Duty addiction lawsuit consultation.