Top 3 Video Games That Accidentally Caused Harm to Players
Mario Party for N64
Mario Party debuted on the Nintendo 64 on December 18, 1998, in Japan, followed by a February 8, 1999 release in the US. The game ultimately spawned a long-running franchise of Mario Party titles, and the first entry is now a prized collectible. Although it was very popular, it also left quite a few fans with hand injuries. Some of the mini-games within the series required very fast rotation of the N64 controller’s analog stick. Multiple complaints of injuries were filed with the New York’s attorney general’s office, leading to Nintendo issuing gloves to players. This was thought to cost Nintendo millions of dollars.
Pokemon Go
Pokemon Go is another popular game that led to a few enthusiastic players ending up in dangerous situations. The game involves using augmented reality to find Pokemon in your surrounding area. It was praised for getting gamers outside but some users took it too far and remained glued to their phones while playing. In 2018, one Pokemon Go player was so fixated on his phone screen that he fell onto a train track and ended up having his leg amputated. The gamer fell onto an electrified section of the track and his leg was so badly burned it had to be removed. According to The Mirror, a doctor working on the case warned of an increase in people dying due to being fixated on their phones while walking around.
Wii Sports Tennis
Wii Sports was released in 2006 and quickly became a very popular sports simulation game. Players could choose from a range of sports to play at home but one in particular was said to cause the most injuries. According to the National Library of Medicine, the Wii Tennis game had the reported injuries. “We found that of 39 reported Wii-related injuries over a two-year span, 46% occurred while playing the Wii Sports Tennis software. Further, we identified 14 distinct injury patterns sustained during gameplay. Of these injuries, hand lacerations were the most common, accounting for 44% of the total number of reported cases,” wrote the National Library of Medicine after an investigation. It’s important to remember that if you play safely and follow the gaming instructions, these games are harmless fun.