Online Game Operator Sued in China

-- According to reports in Beijing from Yuyuexinbao reports, the mother of the the 13-year Tianjin juvenile sued the Chinese online game operator for Warcraft asking for 100,000 yuan punitive damage. Chaoyang District Court confirmed yesterday that the case had been formally accepted. It is the first lawsuit in it's kind with claims of damage caused by online gaming activities.

The late 13-year old teen reported had been a consumer of online game of Warcraft for over a year. He was diagonosed with "internet addiction syndrome" by medical expert. In late 2004, after playing continuously the online game of Warcraft for 36 hours, the teen jumped off a high rise building to death.

The plaintiff claimed that the "Warcraft" is the American entertainment game imported by Aomeisoft.com. The game series products containing bloody, violent content rated "T" in the US and only suitable for children and adults over the age of 13. But the Chinese firm has not operated in an appropriate manner with truthful disclosure of harmfulness to children under the age of 13. Therefore, it has promoted the game in China to widespread use among minors with different ages besides adults .