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Seriously: Attorney opens videogameseizures.com photo

Had a game seizure? Call this guy.

A few years back, a kid busted a seizure playing Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly. Syracuse attorney Michael P. Kenny was and still is on the case against Sony and Vivendi, which is just now hitting the discovery phase. I guess this makes Kenny the expert on game seizure cases, as he's now soliciting that kind of business on his webpage. The url? It's videogameseizures.com. Seriously.

This firm says that they've "developed a unique set of capabilities" to litigate game seizure cases. They sound like they're out to save families from the corrupt, seizure-causing game industry. From their webpage:

Until the industry remedies this problem, Kenny & Kenny will continue to work with parents to receive proper compensation for the damage the video game industry has caused their children.

Something tells me that this angle of his isn't going to drum up much business.

[via Game Politics]


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25 comments | showing # 1 to 25

free touch's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 09:05
free touch
dont... like all games have the warning either on the game or in the instruction manual stating if you had sei.. you know what, fuck it. Go sue. weeeeeee.
Jon B's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 09:06
Jon B
Clearly a scam, because if he reads the ToS of 99% of games and probably their consoles, he'd realise that the companies warn of the risks and will not be held liable if you take the risk and end up having a seizure. It's like suing a keyboard manufacturer because your fingers hurt after 20 hours on WoW.
Clarke's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 09:06
Clarke
If a video game ISN'T sezuire inducing then it's too casual.

Also this should be filed under #Flawsuit.
Jon B's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 09:11
Jon B
Oh and I'm fairly sure that about 60% of the internet will misinterpret that header image, haha.
matrixdude171's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 09:14
matrixdude171
ugh, more people tryin to make an easy buck by blaming videogames for their problems.
Fearzone's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 09:15
Fearzone
Can somebody bring in MythBusters on seizures and videogames? It's total bullshit.
Gazp's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 09:17
Gazp
I guess they haven't been playing much games lately. Since every single game I can recall has a disclaimer at the beginning. When did they start having those btw? 32/64 bit era?
phantomile's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 09:17
phantomile
*sigh*
socialnorms's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 09:21
socialnorms
@Gazp:
I remember them on NES game cartridges, and I always wondered if I'd have one. Wondered how cool that would be, that is.
Trevor McGee's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 09:23
Trevor McGee
@ Fearzone

It isn't. You can have seizures because of a video game, but then again almost anything can induce seizures. I have experience in this area since I have seizures and I've have had plenty while playing a video game. But like I said almost anything can induce a seizure if the conditions are right. Flashing lights, certain bright colors, etc. It's never a good idea to game while tired if you're an Epileptic either. If you're too tired and trying to play a video game at the same time it puts a strain on your brain that can cause a seizure.

In my cause I can have seizures simply by being frustrated, and not even to a huge degree. I've had seizures due to frustration caused by arguments, but believe it or not some as simple as an uncooperative router and annoying TV menu set up has caused me to seize as well despite not being nearly as frustrating as an argument. It's different for some people, but make no mistake one can be induced by a video game too. That is exactly why the video game industry is putting seizures warnings on games now.
free touch's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 09:29
free touch
So, the more angry and frustrated you get, the more seizureish you get? Are you like the Hulk of the seizure world?
Xzyliac's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 09:39
Xzyliac
What Trevor McGee says. I have the same disorder. Up side is I'm difficult to piss off.
fetusmilk's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 09:45
fetusmilk
ive only seen this happen in person once. my friends EX GF was prone to normal seizures. things like police sirens can even set it off. she had an episode while being pulled over for a traffic violation because of the police lights.

but one day while playing guitar hero she had an episode. and i can tell ya, everyone sobered up after that!
shit i feel weird after hours of GH or RB myself. when i look away from the TV everything stretches out or moves in an area shaped like a V no matter what i look at. kinda fun actually.
Brad Rice's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 09:55
Brad Rice
Way to go Syracuse! I'm so proud of you.
Stephanie Shih's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 10:02
Stephanie Shih
All games have a warning label about seizures and whatnot. Geezus, I've been playing video games since I was five-years old (Doom and Hexen, anyone?) and I never had anything close to a seizure. And almost anything with bright, flashing lights can induce a seizure, so might as well sue Edison's estate for inventing such a dangerously damaging object?
topcatyo's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 10:15
topcatyo
That guy is going to fail so hard. Every single game has a seizure warning on it somewhere, be it in the game or in the manual. The only cases he might win are cases against downloadable games since they don't come with manuals and a lot of them don't include that warning in the game.
Deny Everything's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 10:26
Deny Everything
warning labels are not a blank check, you can still incur liability.
-PL-'s Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 10:43
-PL-
Sorry to anybody who is seizure prone, but usually playing with fire eventually gets you burned. It's not the fire's fault.
Dexter345's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 11:49
Dexter345
"Until the industry remedies this problem"? As if there's anything game developers can do for a kid who is prone to epileptic seizures caused by visual/aural stimulus? Don't blame the games, blame the parents for letting their epileptic kids play games, or blame God for treating them to this affliction in the first place.
WhiteZombie's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 12:11
WhiteZombie
@ brad rice - you from the syracuse area? i am and im sure as hell sick of the Kenny and Kenny commercials on tv lol - i hope this stunt screws em over in the long run
DCDerekUSA's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 13:49
DCDerekUSA
This is complete bullshit just to let everyone know. I have had epilepsy for almost 10 years now and have never suffered a seizure while playing video games. Out of all the epileptic people I know none have ever had this issue. Seizures are usually cause by great stress, lack of sleep and dehydration. I find this bullsh*t lawsuit to be very offensive.
Gestault's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 13:57
Gestault
Woo! Hometown advantage. Yeah, this guy is a lawyer for all the wrong reasons, and if he's making these claims, he's not a very good one either.

BRING BACK JIM "THE HAMMER" SHAPIRO! (Actually, don't. Thank God that guy was disbarred, but boy was he entertaining on 4 a.m. commercials.)
WhiteZombie's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 14:08
WhiteZombie
@ gestault - I may be an SOB - but im YOUR SOB!!!!!
Mr Kite's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 21:54
Mr Kite
rtfm
jamBOT's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/06/2009 11:01
jamBOT
You know, there are long and tedious messages in from of every game you start. Here's and idea? How about monitoring what your kid does, and how many hours he plays games? What about that, or is that the logical thing to do?

Why is it NEVER the parent's fault? Why is the first response to get a damn lawyer? Just to get to court and have Sony's over paid lawyers announce to everyone within ear shot that you ARE a bad parent?
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