From slicingupeyeballs.com: Depeche Mode songwriter Martin L. Gore reportedly has been subpoenaed by a litigious video gamer who's suing the makers of the online behemoth World of Warcraft and wants the famously downbeat musician to testify about being "sad, lonely and alienated."
According to gamespot.com, Erik Estavillo filed the lawsuit against Activision Blizzard on Tuesday in Santa Clara County, Calif., alleging, among other claims regarding pricing and gameplay, that the massively multiplayer online role-playing game alienates players and contributes to mental health problems.
Estavillo - who after being banned from the Playstation Network, among other game-related lawsuits - also references the 2001 suicide of an EverQuest player, according to Game Spot, "attributing it to a sense of alienation related to the game and mental health problems."
Game Spot also says: "The suit goes on to say the plaintiff has suffered from similar problems including major depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, and Crohn's disease, and he 'doesn’t want to end up like (the EverQuest player) did as he relies on video games heavily for the little ongoing happiness he can achieve in this life, via the gaming medium.'"
And that’s where Gore comes in. Estavillo doesn’t claim the Depeche Mode member plays "WoW," but, rather, he tells Escapist Magazine in an e-mail that he’s subpoenaing Gore in his $1 million lawsuit to "be a witness on 'alienation' and the ties it has to 'World of Warcraft,' since he himself has been known to be sad, lonely and alienated, as can be seen in the songs he writes."
Estavillo also is subpoenaing mopey actress Winona Ryder because of her appreciation of Catcher in the Rye.
The subpoena, which lists Daniel Miller (EMI/Mute/Sire Records) as Gore's agent, reveals that a court date has been set for Apr. 20, 2010 in San Jose, California.
Photo: Roger Cullman via blogTO
