Of all the Blizzard Entertainment games, World of Warcraft has garnered the greatest amount of lawsuits and controversy; an unrealistic majority of which are undeserved. The latest in this growing collection is World of Warcraft player Erik Estavillo, who is seeking a happy fee of 1,000,000 USD. Estavillo's case concerns, in his opinion, the slow pace of the game for running and leveling up- a tact that he sees as being "deceitful" and by his obvious estimates, worthy of relieving Activision Blizzard of a seven-figure salary.

Although Blizzard Entertainment lowered the requirements for mounts considerably in Patch 3.20.0, Estavillo argues that the default speeds available are insufficient. As cited in his lawsuit, the plaintiff argues that “to walk or run at a calculated slow pace, resulting in the player taking longer to get where he or she needs to go in the game.” In his case presented, Estavillo argues that the slow movement speeds and "high" level requirements for mounts is Blizzard tact for increasing their subscription revenue considerably.

Estavillo also cites World of Warcraft as the originator of his small list of verified health issues, (OCD, Agoraphobia, Panic Disorder, major depression and Crohn’s Disease). To back his worries, Estavillo names EverQuest victim Shawn Woolley, a suicidal addict who ended his life on November 22, 2001. “I don’t want to end up like Shawn did, as I rely on video games heavily for the little ongoing happiness I can achieve in this life,” Estavillo remarked.

Mr. Estavillo has subpeonaed Depeche Mode founder Martin Lee Gore and actress Winona Ryder to back his views on the situation and possibly pursuade the jury to favor his cause. Martin Lee Gore was subpeonaed because “he himself has been known to be sad, lonely, and alienated as can be seen in the songs he writes.” Winona Ryder, on the other hand, was recruited because she shares a passion for J.D. Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye. He remarked that Ryder could "explain the significance of alienation in Catcher in the Rye and will also testify to how alienation in the book can tie to alienation in real live/video games such as World of Warcraft.

A characteristic the plaintiff seems to fail to comprehend is that Blizzard brings in the same amount of income from a month of slow travel as a month of fast travel. In short, Mr. Estavillo should realize that a ton of bricks equals the same weight as a ton of feathers.

Source: GamePolitics