If you are the parent of a minor child or you began playing Minecraft before turning 18, you may be eligible for a claim under federal and state laws for harms to physical, mental, emotional, educational, or financial well-being and privacy violations. You may also be entitled to monetary damages for pain and suffering, treatment costs, lost income, and other compensable harm.
There is a growing body of scientific research linking excessive video-game use to mental-health harms, particularly among adolescents and young adults. Brain-imaging studies have shown structural changes in the brain associated with gaming disorder, including reduction in white-matter density and grey-matter volume.
This claim asserts that the game developer behind Minecraft, Mojang Studios:
- Employed addictive design techniques intended to maximize engagement and retention (e.g., variable-reward loops, Minecraft Marketplace, Minecoins microtransactions, achievement challenges, limited-time items, and social features), even while aware of addiction risks;
- Used dark patterns to deceive players into making unintended purchases through confusing button configurations and interface designs;
- Failed to obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting personal information from children under 13 in violation of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”); and
- Enabled default live text and voice communications that exposed children to bullying, harassment, and dangerous interactions.
Across multiple lawsuits and claims nationwide, plaintiffs are asserting that Minecraft constitutes an unsafe product due to its addictive design, manipulative monetization, and unlawful data collection practices, which caused addiction, psychological and physical harm, academic decline, financial losses, privacy violations, and other damages.
We are representing clients in individual arbitration and litigation against Microsoft and Mojang Studios for violating federal and state product-liability, consumer-protection, privacy, and negligence laws.
