A new federal lawsuit targets Roblox, Epic Games, Microsoft, and Mojang over claims that their games deliberately addict young players.
A federal lawsuit alleges Roblox, Fortnite, and Minecraft were deliberately designed to addict children, marking the latest escalation in legal challenges targeting behavioral design across digital platforms.
The complaint, filed in the Northern District of California on March 27 on behalf of Jordan Duncan, an 18-year-old Michigan resident, alleges that Roblox, Fortnite, and Minecraft caused him to develop a debilitating video game addiction that began when he was just nine years old.
The case arrives at a time when the gaming industry faces mounting scrutiny over monetization practices that critics argue prioritize engagement and spending over child safety.
Lawsuit Alleges ‘Addiction by Design’
The case centers on a core allegation that the defendants deliberately incorporated psychological manipulation into their games. They include operant conditioning, personalized algorithms, and variable reward schedules.
The complaint argues these systems’ design maximizes time spent in-game and user spending, rather than improving gameplay.
The suit argues that the companies acted with full knowledge that minors whose brains are still developing are especially vulnerable to these techniques.
According to the complaint, Duncan started playing Roblox and Minecraft when he was 9, and Fortnite when he was 11. By his teens, he was reportedly spending up to 16 hours a day gaming, with attempts to interrupt play triggering withdrawal symptoms including anger and refusal to sleep.
The complaint states he has diagnoses of ADHD, Persistent Depressive Disorder, Oppositional Defiance Disorder, and a learning disability. The complaint states that these conditions make him especially susceptible to the kind of compulsive engagement the games were designed to create.
The lawsuit presents Duncan’s experience as a direct result of the defendants’ design choices. The complaint argues that the companies hired neuroscientists and behavioral psychologists specifically to make the games as sticky as possible.
Addiction as a Recognized Condition
The complaint argues that video game addiction is a clinically recognized condition, not a matter of weak willpower or parenting failure.
The American Psychiatric Association recognized Internet Gaming Disorder in 2013, and the World Health Organization formally classified Gaming Disorder in 2022, grouping it alongside substance use disorders and gambling addiction.
The complaint cites brain imaging research showing that excessive video game use causes structural changes in the brain, including in regions associated with memory, emotion, and impulse control.
It highlights that the prefrontal cortex, which governs judgment and decision making, does not fully develop until age 25 to 30. This makes adolescents less equipped to recognize or resist the manipulative dynamics built into certain games.
The suit further argues that these systems’ dysfunction triggers repeated dopamine responses that reinforce compulsive play.
Design Mechanics Under the Microscope
The complaint identifies several specific mechanisms across all three games. Variable reward schedules, which rely on the same psychological principle that makes slot machines addictive, keep players uncertain about when the next reward will arrive and encourage them to keep playing.
Season passes and battle passes require hours of gameplay to unlock time-limited rewards, while algorithms deliberately slow a player’s progress.
The lawsuit alleges that matchmaking systems pair inexperienced players with more skilled players who have desirable in-game items, pushing less experienced players to make purchases.
Specifically, the complaint singles out the Creator Hub, a resource portal for developers building games on the Roblox platform. It provides explicit guidance on monetization strategies, including season pass design and engagement-based payouts that reward developers for keeping premium users in-game as long as possible.
The complaint argues that Roblox not only implemented these mechanics but also incentivized third-party developers to adopt them, while taking a share of all transactions.
Safety Claims vs. Design Reality
The complaint repeatedly highlights the contrast between each company’s public-facing safety messaging and what it alleges actually occurred behind the scenes. Roblox claims it built a platform with safety at the foundation and spends hundreds of millions of dollars annually on safety, consulting child development experts in its design process.
Epic Games markets Fortnite as educational and has offered it to classroom teachers with free lesson plans. Microsoft and Mojang have promised to make Minecraft as safe as possible for everyone.
However, the complaint alleges that meaningful age verification and parental controls were either absent or only partially implemented until recently.
Roblox introduced such controls in 2024, almost two decades after launch. Fortnite sets a daily spending limit of $100 for users under 13. The complaint points out that it could allow a child to spend up to $36,500 per year without parental consent.
The lawsuit further alleges the companies failed to disclose these engagement-driven design choices, amounting to misrepresentation and fraud.
Similar Claims Surface Across Gaming and Gambling
The Duncan lawsuit comes just days after another high-profile gaming complaint. A class action filed on March 23 against Valve Corporation in the Western District of Washington alleges that Valve’s loot box system in Dota 2, Counter-Strike 2, and Team Fortress 2 constitutes illegal gambling under Washington law.
The case focuses less on addiction by design and more on arguing that Valve’s loot boxes, a randomized virtual item drops sold for $2.49 apiece, satisfy every element of the state’s definition of gambling. Users stake money on a contest of chance to receive items of real monetary value.
The complaint notes that about 96 percent of loot box openings result in items worth less than the key used to open them. It also states that the odds of winning the most valuable items can be as low as 1 in 146,000.
The suit further alleges that Valve deliberately designed loot box animations to mimic slot machines. That includes near-miss effects to encourage increased spending. The same legal theory is increasingly being tested in the gambling sector. Multiple lawsuits argue that sportsbooks use similar engagement mechanics to drive continuous betting.
Both lawsuits, despite their different legal theories, point to the same underlying concern that the gaming industry has built its most profitable revenue streams on psychological techniques that are particularly harmful to children, without adequate disclosure or safeguards.
The New York Attorney General filed a lawsuit against Valve in February over the same loot box system.
A Reckoning
The Roblox lawsuit arrives at a time when courts and regulators are beginning to take a harder look at how digital platforms use behavioral design to drive engagement and spending. Last week, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and YouTube liable in a case centered on social media addiction.
The jury concluded that both companies intentionally designed their platforms to be addictive and harmful to children. While Meta and Google plan to appeal, campaigners have called the ruling a turning point. They argue that it shows social media platforms are unsafe for children and must be held accountable.
At the same time, lawsuits against sportsbook operators claim that their apps deliberately encourage gambling addiction. A Massachusetts case argues that these platforms use hyper-personalized algorithms, constant access, and targeted promotions to drive compulsive betting.
The outcome of these cases could change how courts view digital products entirely.
If courts determine that addiction can be intentionally engineered, it could expand liability across gaming, gambling, and social media. That would force companies to reassess the mechanics underpinning their most profitable products.
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