That or he's crazy. It could go either way.

Estavillo claims the company "continues to maintain a harmful virtual environment to many of its customers by forcing them to follow [World of Warcraft's] sneaky and deceitful practices".

And what could those "sneaky and deceitful practices" be? Walking is one of them, as he feels it takes too long to get from one point to the other in the game world. Because you can only speed up through extended play or buy purchasing an expansion pack, that qualifies as "deceitful".

He also believes that, because of a litany of health problems he suffers from (including OCD, agoraphobia, depression and Crohn's Disease), he's at risk of sharing the fate of Shawn Woolley, an Everquest player who committed suicide in 2001.

The best part follows: to back up his claims, Estavillo has subpoenaed Winona Ryder (who would presumably be able to "explain the significance of alienation in Catcher in the Rye") and Martin Lee Gore, of Depeche Mode ("he himself has been known to be sad, lonely, and alienated as can be seen in the songs he writes").

Best of luck, Erik.

Winona Ryder, Depeche Mode Factor in WOW Lawsuit [GamePolitics]

One console was broken upgrading to firmware 3.0, the other installing 3.1. Both claim that upon contacting Sony's customer support, they were told the machine failures were "coincidental", and that to fix the console they'd need to pony up a $150 repair charge.

The sexiest part of the suit reads:

Defendant's unlawful, unfair, and fraudulent business practices include, but are not limited to, misrepresentations regarding the fitness of the PS3 and software updates, failing to disclose defects in the system and software updates, and refusing to repair PS3 systems free of charge.

The pair have listed every PS3 owner in the US on the suit, and are seeking from Sony "unspecified damages and restitution".

Sony sued over PS3 firmware update problems [GameSpot]

He wasn't looking for a fist fight! The man is a senior citizen. Rather, he was hoping to get game developers to think deeply about the future of gaming. Tomino dished out nuggets like:

I think that video games are evil. [Gaming] is not a type of activity that provides any support to our daily lives, and all these consoles are just consuming electricity! Let's say we have about three billion people on this planet wasting their time, bringing no productivity at all. Add 10 billion more people, and what would happen to our planet? Video games are assisting the death of our planet!

And then only mecha could save us. The irony, as Gamasutra points out, is that Gundam appears on tons of video games. The irony of that is that we think Tomino was being ironic. We think. We hope.

"You have to find the median — that games are not evil, perhaps not necessarily good either, but something that can be considered a pastime. What would make people enjoy a game? How do you make them feel like it is not just a waste of time?

"If finding answers to these questions were easy," continued Tomino, "then something better would have been out by now. Has there been anything better than Tetris since it first came out? How many years has it been? This is what I want to tell you: I want you to create a game that does not negatively affect our daily lives and is something that is considered more productive." So fewer Gundam games, more...?!

More in the link below.

CEDEC 09: Keynote - Gundam Creator: "Video Games Are Evil" [Gamasutra]

Jeffery Scalf, who says his grandmother was Dillinger's half sister (I know, I know), has threatened EA with a lawsuit unless they pay him "millions of dollars" for the use of his alleged ancestor's name on the weapons.

He's made the threat under the assumption he has control over all aspects of the late Dillinger's estate, including any and all depictions of his likeness and/or name. Best of all, it's not the first time he's tried it; in 2007 he tried to stop a local festival in Arizona from calling itself "Dillinger Days".

To protect themselves from Scalf's tactics, EA have filed a request with a judge in San Francisco to dismiss the case, and to grant them permission to use the name "Dillinger" whenever and however they like, claiming the games' status as "works of artistic expression" cover them under the First Amendment.

EA vs Dillinger llc [US District Court of California, via GamePolitics]

At the heart of the lawsuit are three devices - the PS3, Wii and iPhone 3G - which Bandspeed allege violate their patents relating to "managing wireless communication channels using frequency hopping".

The suit was filed last week, so there's not really much more to it than that, but you've got to wonder, why just the Wii and PS3? What about the PSP and DS? Their Wi-fi not good enough for a lawsuit, huh?

Wi-Fi Oh No! Bandspeed Sues Sony, Nintendo and Apple [patent arcade]

The resident said he was screaming because he was playing video games. According to MyCentralJersey.com, the man became "irrational" and more police back-up was called in.

After the additional officers arrived, the man refused to let police into his house, going as far as threatening them and slamming the door. The police were forced to communicate with the man through the house's open windows. A SWAT team even arrived on the scene — the man eventually came out of his house incident free 4:41pm.

Since the investigation is still ongoing, the man's identity has not yet been released. He has been taken to the Somerset Medical Center in Somerville, New Jersey for psychological evaluation. Why you ask? 'Cause this shit is crazytown.

UPDATE: Bound Brook man's reaction to video games prompts SWAT response [MyCentralJersey via TheBBPS]

On Monday morning, the boy said in-game that he "was going to board a plane at 7:30 to Chicago and that (he) was going to try and kill as many Americans as possible". He then left several other, similar messages, which caused Blizzard to notify the authorities, believing they were "very serious".

After initially claiming his account had been hacked, the kid later owned up, saying it was all a joke stemming from his belief that the cops wouldn't really turn up to your house if you made serious terrorist threats.

Hey, kid, they do. They did. You're an idiot.

Johnson Co. gamer investigated for threat [Indystar, via Dtoid]

Retailers in Europe do not have to give refunds on bug-killing games, and currently, licensed software is exempt from EU legislation that requires companies to offer "a minimum 2-year guarantee on tangible movable consumer goods". The new proposal would encompass game software.

The concern is that this proposal could "stifle" creativity and video games and make developers overly cautious. According to the Business Software Alliance, which represents software companies like Apple and Microsoft, "Digital content is not a tangible good and should not be subject to the same liability rules as toasters." And patches, don't forget about the post launch game patches — buttery toast, too, don't forget that!

EU proposal could 'stifle' games [BBC Thanks, Lyndon]

It's supposed to be to a game company, but many of these lines echo online chatter. Unfortunately.

To the folks at [GAME COMPANY], let me first say I’ve [-ED VERB] all your previous games. For years, I’ve pre-ordered every new [ORIGINAL GAME CO.] title from [GAME SHOP], and I’ve appreciated the accompanying swag, particularly the [-ED VERB] edition [GAME CHARACTER] key chain. Unfortunately, the recent changes you’ve made to the [GAME] franchise have lost you a [NOUN].

I know, I know, [THOUGHT TERMINATING CLICHÉ]. But how can you provide us with so many brilliantly localized [NATIONALITY] [GENRE] games, titles with plenty of [ADJECTIVE] Menus and [ADJECTIVE] Inventory Systems, then 180 your lineup for a [CONSOLE] title featuring an adorable [ANIMAL] protagonist` and [NUMBER] mini-games?

[INTERJECTION], I understand that [ORIGINAL GAME CO.]’s CEO, [CELEBTRITY GAME EXEC] hopes to [VERB] the casual market, but what about the [NOUN]-gamer? Why must you suddenly ape [MAINSTREAM GAME], when your fans demand more titles like my favorite RPG [MEDIVAL TORTUER DEVICE] Dungeon [NUMBER], or even the much demanded sequel to [COMIC] Vs. [OBSCURE FIGHTER]?

[EXCLAMATION]!

I hope everyone who works for you [-S VERB]. I hope your parents, your friends and your [HYPOCRISTIC] hate you forever. You’re all [PLURAL PEJORATIVE].

Pull your [BODY PART] out of your [BODY PART]. [VERB] you, you [-ING VERB] [VERB]. May you rot in [PLACE]

[SNOWCLONE].
[SCREENNAME]

P.S. I’ve enclosed [CHEMICAL]. Die twice.

AD LIB LETTER FROM A FANBOY [Hardcasual]

Meningslösa skadegörelser i blomsterlådorna [NSD Thanks, John!]

JT: May I move the podium?
JUDGE: No. Just everybody leave it in one spot. That's the way we usually do it in the courtroom.
JT: Can we change that one spot? No?
JUDGE: I'd prefer that you leave it right there.
JT: Nice. Can I pivot it?
JUDGE: Is that what you'd like, sir?
JT: I'm asking you.
JUDGE: Okay. That's fine.

Jack Thompson: GTA hater, podium pivoter.

Read JT Transcript [GamePolitics]

I think that Sony is disappointed with sales and it's unsure as to which way to take it.

Sony needs to show us a bit more about what its plans are to convince the publisher to invest lots more money into it. Especially when you've got the DS selling at such a tremendous pace.

I suppose it's almost too technical for the casual person, those that are buying the DS at the moment, who want a few buttons and not a lot more. It's so simple what [Nintendo] has done. That's where I think Sony has gone a little bit too complicated, they've over-specced it, the price is too high and they need to go back to the drawing board and start again.

Uh, whuh? Rob, meet Japan. Japan, Rob. Don't think you've met. Japan, what he means is, making real games is hard, so why isn't the PSP more like the DS, where they can just dump any old shit on it and make some money?

Ubisoft urges Sony to act on 'directionless' PSP [GI.biz]

Peter Thiel Makes Down Payment on Libertarian Ocean Colonies [Wired]

The Bar trial judge, Dava Tunis, found the violent video game activist guilty of misconduct such as "Engaging in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation." The state Supreme Court will have to make a ruling based on those recommendations, with a disciplinary hearing planned for the first week of June.

Jack Thompson Guilty on 27 of 31 Misconduct Charges, Says Bar Trial Judge... FL Supreme Court Must Now Rule [GamePolitics]

LaBeouf kept following the calls until he got to the director’s office. And there was the master himself: shoes off, socks on, dressed in shooting gear, but sitting behind a computer, stuck on the fifteenth level of a first-person shooter called BioShock.

“This is like months to get to this level, and he can’t get past this one little mysterious spider god, and he’s losing his mind. He’s like, ‘I can’t do it, Shia! I can’t do it.’ ”

LaBeouf, who got into acting at age 12 partly because he wanted to make enough money to buy himself a Sega Genesis, had found himself a soul mate.

Bwah? The 15th level of BioShock? There are 15 levels in BioShock? And mysterious spider gods? Guess Spielberg really is losing his mind!
LaBeouf Article [GQ Thanks, Brendan!]

Dobson laments "the new video that's out, supposedly for kids" that features "every form of evil and violence, from killing to raping to drugs to foul language to political corruption and racism." Kids exposed to this sort of thing, Dobson says, "some of them, especially those that come from dysfunctional families, go out and do things that are reprehensible." Beck, who has previously called us "losers" (no u are, lol), points out that Dobson is talking about GTA IV, adding "they say it isn't being sold for kids, but it is, kids are buying it."

We're emailing both Beck and Dobson, begging for the rape codes. We simply must try these heretofore unknown feature and readjust our moral compass accordingly.

Wither the American family? [CNN - thanks, Jeremy!]

I hate video games, on or offline. I hate the way they suck real people into fake worlds and hold on to them for decades at a time. I hate being made to feel hateful for saying so, and I hate being told to immerse myself in them before passing judgment, because it feels like being told to immerse myself in smack and teenage pregnancy before passing judgment on them.

This is not because of anything wrong or bad about video games or heroin or teenage parents. It's not even because of game-induced homicide or web-grooming of little girls by perverts - serious problems, but statistically low-risk. It's because, compared with everything else on offer in a kid's life, video games and heroin and teenage pregnancy are a colossal waste of time.

I'll Never Buy One [Times via videogaming247]