Hello friends. there is some confusion of the terms being used. What the gentleman mentioned earlier in regards to "in an ideal world a company wouldn't cater to potentially lethal addictions" This is to misunderstand a common basic component of all business models. As the south park gnomes chime

STEP ONE: We steel underpants

STEP TWO: __________

STEP THREE: PROFIT

If an ideal market does not play on an addiction, you have a suicidal market,

CONSUMER=CONSUMPTION

You know how people talk about the economy like its a weather pattern. It is. If people want it, the market will deliver. To place moral obligations on the market, or economy, is like arresting a bottle of vodka on the charge that "it was soliciting to the ethanol challenged." Economy exists to provide wants and especially needs" A A game that encourages you to keep playing it is what people want. We all want that. Honestly, if you enjoy something you will keep doing it as long as it stays good for you....or bad...or killing, it's all up to you.

Se there is the rub. Addiction is simply a habit. There are good habits and bad habits, commercial enterprise meets the requirements of those needs, PERIOD. Thats how it is and how it will always be. Im not trying to make some cynical statement about the human condition, because that's not the human condition, thats the economic condition. The whole phenomena of addiction is a neurological, bio-chemical process that is just like having type 2 diabetes.

The will power of the individual was working just fine, I assure you. The economy was working just like it's supposed to. The problem is,"do we know what we want?"

but thats a different discussion entirely.

Of course everything I've said is not to endorse a company that does not care about it's customer OR it's employ. All GOOD companies do. THEY REALLY DO. If they are not a good companies then it will come out, we do have comparisons even toady."

Every generation thinks its a novel Idea to blame the evil businessman. There is no such thing. and so people throw away the free market thinking that now they wont be tempted, but what they are essentially saying is "IM NOT RESPONSIBLE." The economy is the dream machine ladies and gentleman. And you are in the pilot seat. People die all the time, from sports, video games, chemical substances, wal-mart black friday, Wiis, PS3's, CARS, PLANES, TRAINS,ROLLER COASTERS, shit any proper noun you speak with has a track record of being employed in very inappropriate ways. Hell the number one killer in America is heart disease, A.K.A. CHEESEBURGER. ;' You ate to your death. and Ol' Ronald Mcdonald just sold you the burger that you would have gotten some where else if he refused. If it hadn't been him it would be the King or Carl Junior, crying loudest at your wake. IF THE CUSTOMER STOPPED BUYING THINGS THAT DID THAT, THEY WOULDN'T SELL. HENCE THEY WOULD NOT BE. If you think you might be an addict. you need to stop reading this, look around you, and notice your not alone, the people without attachments and bad habits are probably feeling more lonely than you. Get help and Get it fast if you value your life. There are plenty of free, extremely helpful resources one can turn to, and addiction is a struggle that should not be taken lightly, but it also should not really be blamed on any one. That way we can finally optimize the recovery process for those people who have developed a neural-biochemical motive deviation. Which can happen to anyone and with anything, when your priorities are bamboozled, and you think life sucks so much that Diablo 3 is worth dying for. If you think that, your problem is not diablo 3, thats your corrupt solution. and that's ok, get help, don't fear any judgement.

I also just want to say that I'm a recovering alcoholic, and I love that boy who died, and feel nothing but compassion for him. Some of us don't make it out of ourselves alive.

Of course If he died of a blood clot then well, yeah he died of sitting, or it could have been completely random. People die from that all the time, most of the time its a freak thing. but 40 hours of non-stop play looks to me like someone was stuck in a deviated motive of self. A compassionate human being that was willing to make him suffer a little to tear him away from the video game would have been nice. But if there were none available, I don't expect blizzard to have provide that.

I found in my playing through Diablo 3 it was not necessary, because I just happened to play with compassionate human beings who would let me know when I might be getting in over my head.