Ellie Gibson
11:38 (BST)
21/11/2005
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Parents set to sue Blizzard after World of Warcraft player dies
MMO developer blamed after 13 year-old Chinese boy falls to his death
The parents of a 13 year-old boy who died falling from a building are suing World of Warcraft developer Blizzard, claiming that the massively-multiplayer online game is to blame for their son's death.
According to Chinese news agency Xinhua, the parents, who reside in the city of Tianjin, claim the boy jumped to his death whilst re-enacting a scene from the game. They are supported by Zhang Chunliang, a well-known activist whose campaign seeks to highlight the dangers of Internet addiction.
Chunliang, who says he has talked to more than 60 parents whose children have become addicted to online gaming, is now set to file suit against Blizzard over the boy's death.
There are more than 1.5 million World of Warcraft players in China - making up more than a third of the game's worldwide subscriber base, even though the game only went on sale there in June. The9 acts as Blizzard's partner in the region, providing localisation and support services for the game.
Neither Blizzard nor The9 were available for comment.
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