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People are people, and sometimes they sue video game manufacturers for causing them alienation. GameSpot reports that a San Jose gamer named Erik Estavillo is suing Activision Blizzard, makers of the online multiplayer game World of Warcraft, for a whole mess of poorly thought-out reasons. Estavillo believes that the game's monthly subscription fee is too high and that its various other charges are too numerous, and he also believes that the game contributes to his sense of alienation. To that end, Estavillo has subpoenaed Depeche Mode multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Martin Gore, who, to hear Estavillo tell it, is an expert in alienation (via Slicing Up Eyeballs).Holy shit. I love this crazy bastard. Gore and Winona Ryder are experts in sadness? That's so stupid it's brilliant. I doubt any judge without a crippling heroin addiction would approve of this, but I hope someone does do I can hear their testimony on alienation. I also want to see the Cure's Robert Smith get utterly pissed that Depeche Mode's bassist was called to testify before he was.
Estavillo's reasoning: He's subpoenaing Gore "since he himself has been known to be sad, lonely, and alienated, as can be seen in the songs he writes." Which raises the question: When Gore wrote "Home", did he foresee a day when some chump would hear his eloquent evocation of longing and attempt to use him in a deeply questionable lawsuit against the people who make a fantasy video game? Maybe Gore should take this subpoena as a compliment.
Estavillo is also subpoenaing actress Winona Ryder, reasoning that her love of the book The Catcher in the Rye qualifies her to speak on "how alienation in the book can tie to alienation in real live [sic] / video games such as World of Warcraft." I'm actually surprised that Estavillo didn't also try to subpoena J.D. Salinger.
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