It is one thing to lose a weekend or two binge-playing epic games like Bethesda Game Studio’s Fallout 4, but one man lost a little more than that thanks to his addiction to the studio’s hugely successful post-apocalyptic shooter. A 28-year-old man from Siberia says he lost both his wife and his job after a three-week binge of Fallout 4, during which he barely ate or slept.

“If I knew that this game could have become so addictive, I would have become a lot more wary of it,” the man said in a statement (via RT). “I would not have bought it, or I would have left it until I was on holiday or until the New Year holidays,” a statement from the man read.”

The self-proclaimed addict has filed a lawsuit against Fallout 4 creator Bethesda, and he is seeking 500,000 roubles (a little over $7,000 USD) in compensation from the Maryland-based studio.

It seems unlikely that the lawsuit will end in the man’s favor, but it does highlight a growing concern in gaming.

The dangers of game addiction

While video game addiction is not a new phenomenon, it has become an increasingly worrying trend over the last decade, and there have been multiple deaths attributed to video game addiction, most often due to a combination of starvation, dehydration, and exhaustion when addicted gamers spend all of their time playing without any breaks for food or sleep.

Earlier this year, a man died at a Taiwanese internet cafe after apparently having played a game for roughly three days straight. He had frequently been seen sleeping at his desk at the cafe, so it was some time before the other patrons even realized what had happened.

Obviously, there is no physical addiction caused by video games the same way as narcotics or similar drugs, but it can be as real as addictions to things like gambling or shopping.

A number of games have an option to offer reminders to take breaks after extended playing sessions, and in China, there have even been regulations requiring MMO games to utilize a fatigue system that prevents users from playing beyond a certain length of time.

Image courtesy of Bethesda Softworks LLC