Visually Impaired Gamer Sues Sony

Watch Penn & tellers BS on this subject, gets some good info.. and there is one MAJOR issue with this lawsuit


by any person who owns, leases (or leases to), or operates a place of public accommodation."
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a game is not an accommodation....lawsuit out the door!


the ACT the U.S implemented one guy says does nothing but makes people with disabilities look like less of a person and only degrades them.
 
Does this mean all of the left handed players can band together and sue all of the mouse manufacturers into making left handed ergonomic mice more readily available?
 
I didn't read the article but I read the 4 pages of replies.

- Do I try and sympathize with the persons situation in that they can not experience many things in the same ways fully visually capable people can? - Sure
- Do I think the world as a whole should try and make life as comfortable as possible for our disabled members of society? - Of Course

- Do I think disabled people will be able to always use the many luxuries in life that others do? - Probably Not

Unfortunately in this situation, it feels like a person is trying to get a hand out. I have a few disabled friends who have come to live with the fact that they simply can not enjoy some things that others can. They have grown to appreciate the things they still can do and don't dwell on what they can't do.

- Would it be amazing if a company went WAY out of its way to help out the very some % of less fortunate people? - Absolutely!
- Will I hold them accountable if they do not? - No more than I can really hold myself accountable for not going out of my way everyday to help those same people. Hope that doesn't make me a bad person. I do what I can in situations that present themselves, but not as much as a possibly could be doing.

Oh Well
 
I think there are already lawsuits that have come and gone on this subject. I remember someone about about movies / plays dealing with people who were death.

Careful, don't get too excited about this. The media excels at taking new old news and spinning it
 
People generally play games to have fun. If someone (regardless of circumstances or ability) didn't find an activity enjoyable for whatever reason, then they should find one that is. It seemed to me that this guy is suing because he's not having fun; until I read this paragraph anyway:

Beyond the denial of entertainment, the suit also contends that Sony's actions have caused visually impaired gamers a financial loss. Because Sony runs an official auction site where gamers can sell their in-game items for real money, the suit says Stern's inability to participate in that marketplace is costing him money.
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So the inability to peddle intangible goods is considered a "financial loss"? If you were playing the game for enjoyment, then you'd end up getting these items anyway so it's essentially bonus money. Sounds to me like this guy is investing time (to get those items) so he can sell them; he's treating this game like a job rather than a game.

So according to this "gamer", Sony is legally bound to make their games fun for everyone and ensure that any gamer can profit off the games too.

I don't have a problem with making things such as buildings accessible - by law if necessary since most businesses won't give a damn about accommodating disabled or ability-impaired persons. However, this suit sounds like rubbish.
 
Why is this kid suing Sony? It's not Sony's faMaybe the kid should invest in audio book versions of these games if he cares that much. I'm sorry to sound so insensitive but I'm really getting sick of my country and their sue-happiness. People like this need to go die
 
Croaker said:
When is a privately owned console a public place. It would kinda be like him filing suit over someones private house not having an elevator or ramp instead of stairs.

Sorry deep pocket lawsuits really p*** me off.
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It's an MMO. It's a place (albeit virtual) where people gather. That's a public place. A private home is not a public place.

However, speaking as a person that's legally blind, I think this is bunk. There comes a point where you have to accept your limitations.

I mean, should I sue every municipal in the country to get them to make road signs 3x bigger so I can drive? Should I sue auto manufacturers because they don't make the windows magnifiers so I can driver? Should I sue every single person in the country for not being super fat (ok, half the people in the country lol) so I can see them better so I won't run them over when I drive (after the first 2 lawsuits I mean)?

Hmmm... that crosshair in CS:S is awful hard to see... I think I'll write Valve a letter... :\
 
If you read the article, you'd see that he clearly did write Sony in particular about this several times so he may actually have a valid argument.
 
Hmmm... that crosshair in CS:S is awful hard to see... I think I'll write Valve a letter... :\


Btw there are mods to fix stuff like that. x.x That's why he's complaining.
 
Is gaming a right?

Heck, I am going to sue Hollywood because it is not accessible to ugly folk, people with mullets (I might be wrong there!), people who cannot act (ok, definitely wrong on that count) and engages in nepotism.

Maybe I should sue some sports team because they don't have equal opportunity and access to folks of differing ability? Could I be deemed disabled because I do not weigh 300lb? (Thank God!)

Everyone has unique abilities and desires! In my opinion the inability to do something, like gaming, is an opportunity to do something else. My inability to play soccer well, due to having two left feet, precludes my ability to play for Man Utd., my lack of mass means I don't play rugby for the All Black's!

So I find something else to do that I do well.

Should this lawsuit actually make ground, it will have severe repercussions throughout the gaming industry. Not least, it will set a president by which anyone with any disability will be able to sue for inaccessibility. We could see games bombed into the C64 & Sinclair Spectrum age!
 
Forgot to add, my first reaction was a long drawn out ...

G ----O-----LLY (followed by several expletives)

Just wreaks of entitlement.
 
Riftgarde said:
Does this mean all of the left handed players can band together and sue all of the mouse manufacturers into making left handed ergonomic mice more readily available?
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I'd kill to swap my Logitech mouse (only one on on the market) with a microsoft model.
 
As much as I find this lawsuit totally stupid, I have to ask myself, should you blame the kid or the lawyers backing up this lawsuit and hoping to cash in big ?
 
JFL1969 said:
As much as I find this lawsuit totally stupid, I have to ask myself, should you blame the kid or the lawyers backing up this lawsuit and hoping to cash in big ?
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The kid of course. You can't blame lawyers for acting like lawyers :D:D
 
Thund3rb1rd said:
we need a stupid law

if you fail in a lawsuit deemed 'frivolous' by a selection of your 'peers' (aka jury), you get prison time.
felony criminal offense

and the lawyer who represented you / your party gets disbarred

by now I'm even sick of seeing headlines of this sort of crap
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I could have not said it any better!
 
CopyCat said:
- Do I think the world as a whole should try and make life as comfortable as possible for our disabled members of society? - Of Course
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The whole problem with this is that the term "disabled" is too damn broad and as a result useless of a term. A person with one leg, do they really expect the world to chance to make it easier for them? Shouldn't they be expected to strive to live in the world like everyone else? Should someone who's not as bright be able to sue a school because they can't get good grades? Should someone who's fat (the handifat is a term I recently heard that I love) be able to park in the handicap spots?

To me the world is the way it is, let that be, and let the "disabled" adjust to it, as long as people aren't purposefully putting up barriers such that it excludes those "disabled" they should have to adjust to what everyone else deals with. Hell I don't make as much money as some people, doesn't exactly mean places should lower their prices to assist me.
 
sfsuphysics said:
The whole problem with this is that the term "disabled" is too damn broad and as a result useless of a term. A person with one leg, do they really expect the world to chance to make it easier for them? Shouldn't they be expected to strive to live in the world like everyone else? Should someone who's not as bright be able to sue a school because they can't get good grades? Should someone who's fat (the handifat is a term I recently heard that I love) be able to park in the handicap spots?

To me the world is the way it is, let that be, and let the "disabled" adjust to it, as long as people aren't purposefully putting up barriers such that it excludes those "disabled" they should have to adjust to what everyone else deals with. Hell I don't make as much money as some people, doesn't exactly mean places should lower their prices to assist me.
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I agree, good post. Just because you're accelerationally challenged in your Prius doesn't mean everyone else should slow down to your speed. You have to adjust... ;)
 
So shouldnt said person be sueing the auto makers for making a car you cant drive while being visually impaired?
 
we need a stupid law

if you fail in a lawsuit deemed 'frivolous' by a selection of your 'peers' (aka jury), you get prison time.
felony criminal offense

and the lawyer who represented you / your party gets disbarred

by now I'm even sick of seeing headlines of this sort of crap
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Thank goodness people who propose BS like this don't run the country.

What's "frivolous" to you is a legitimate claim to someone else. Also, we already have quite a few protections against truly frivolous lawsuits.

First, you can countersue for abuse of process if someone files a frivolous claim.

Second, any attorney who deliberately files a frivolous claim already *Can* be disbarred or subject to cash penalties.

Third, the devices of the 12(b)(6) motion and summary judgment motions mean that 99% of frivolous cases get thrown out before they go anywhere.

The *last* thing we need is another contribution to our overcrowded prisons.
 
We need to get some huge needles connected to an electrical output signal from the game and stick them as far into his brain as possible. Neural inputs will solve his problem.
 
nealric said:
Thank goodness people who propose BS like this don't run the country.

What's "frivolous" to you is a legitimate claim to someone else. Also, we already have quite a few protections against truly frivolous lawsuits.

First, you can countersue for abuse of process if someone files a frivolous claim.

Second, any attorney who deliberately files a frivolous claim already *Can* be disbarred or subject to cash penalties.

Third, the devices of the 12(b)(6) motion and summary judgment motions mean that 99% of frivolous cases get thrown out before they go anywhere.

The *last* thing we need is another contribution to our overcrowded prisons.
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And you must work in the legal profession.

Any attorney who brings a lawsuit like this should have their case heard immediately, so they can be DISBARRED FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIFE THE SAME DAY.
Countersue? Are you kidding? You do know that all this crap costs Sony money don't you? The attorneys get to pocket big money while everyone knows that nothing will come of this in the end. Do you want your PS3 to cost even more because of ******** like this? Tort reform. Nothing is going to change without it.
 
gtg465x said:
I agree, good post. Just because you're accelerationally challenged in your Prius doesn't mean everyone else should slow down to your speed. You have to adjust... ;)
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Or I could just blame the floor mats.... (see story about virii & kiddy porn :D)
 
soon fat kids will be suing video game makers because the lack of exercise playing WOW all day made them fat!
 
Suing is stupid. If he has trouble with a particular game then don't play it. I have problems with most games because I cant see the cursor due to retinopathy. I fucking hate tiny gold or yellow colored cursors in games.
 
So, we everyone who is blind should sue painters or sculptors? Or perhaps deaf people should sue bands and orchestras? Lets not neglect the deaf, who should sue everyone around them for not understanding what they are trying to say.

Give me a fucking break.
 
sfsuphysics said:
The whole problem with this is that the term "disabled" is too damn broad and as a result useless of a term. A person with one leg, do they really expect the world to chance to make it easier for them? Shouldn't they be expected to strive to live in the world like everyone else? Should someone who's not as bright be able to sue a school because they can't get good grades? Should someone who's fat (the handifat is a term I recently heard that I love) be able to park in the handicap spots?

To me the world is the way it is, let that be, and let the "disabled" adjust to it, as long as people aren't purposefully putting up barriers such that it excludes those "disabled" they should have to adjust to what everyone else deals with. Hell I don't make as much money as some people, doesn't exactly mean places should lower their prices to assist me.
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I beleive on the website for the disability act, Penn & teller pointed out that being disabled can go as vague as not being able to properly read or some mediocore thing like that
 
I am a visually impaired gamer, I'm blind in one eye.

But I disagree with the basis for this. Sony, and its gaming systems are not public representations. Public is very specifically defined.

Therefore I see this going nowhere. Does he have complaints? Maybe so, does he feel cheated by life, probably more than he feels cheated by Sony.

I can say with 100% relative agreement, that gaming with 1 eye is different. But if he really wants to complain, sue the car companies, the city, and everyone else, because it really makes driving and merging a bitch.

Gaming, just feels, somewhat 2D always, you never see the full depth because of monovision. But thats not the fault of the mfg. If Sony had MADE him blind, then yeah he has a suit IMO, or directly discrimated against him because of it. But this one, no legs.
 
DeathFromBelow said:
You have a god given right to be able to play a video game? :rolleyes:

As I said earlier, I'm all for things like disability-friendly building codes and such to make the world more accessible, but this is ridiculous. Its an abuse of the ADA.
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He just wants at least the ability to MOD a game to include accessibility options, the ability to mod games is something we all love anyways, why not also love it for a good cause?
 
Next thing we know, people without arms, feet, or teeth will be suing Nintendo over the Wii.
 
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