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Playing video games is a huge hobby for many teenagers. With proper moderation and guidance, these games are usually pretty harmless, but there are times when an injury can occur. If you have a teenage child that was hurt while playing video games, then you may consider consulting with a personal injury attorney. During the initial consultation, the attorney will determine whether to move forward with a claim and eventual case. Before this can occur, it's important to break down the case into different elements. By going through the following checklist, you can help prepare for your attorney consultation. This will help prove the cause of the injury while showcasing possible guilty parties.

Game Logs

Proof of a gaming injury is an important part of any personal injury case. Luckily, a lot of modern systems and games feature gaming logs. These logs track the player use on individual games and systems as a whole. By providing this information, your personal injury attorney can figure out how long you've been playing the game and how these factors may affect the case. For example, if it appears that the teenager plays excessively, then an attorney will have to determine whether a gaming company is at fault or if the teenager should have limited the playing time more.

These types of logs are also ideal for any gaming glitches that may have caused an injury like a seizure or hand injury due to a vibrating controller. If a glitch occurred, the attorneys can use the logs to determine the exact point of the glitch and help match it with medical records or 9-1-1 calls.

Product Recalls

Sometimes a video game or accessory may have a manufacturing defect that is the result of an injury. When cases like this happen, video game companies usually issue recalls for the product. If the injury occurred before the product recall, then you may have a potential case to move forward with.

By researching recalled games, you can determine if there was ever a recall on a specific game or piece of hardware that injured the teen in your life. If there was a recall, you can find the exact date of the recall and how the recall information was sent to consumers. For example, if the game was registered to the user and they did not receive notice of the recall, then an attorney might try to find the company at fault for miscommunication. There may also be a class-action lawsuit where multiple parties have been injured by the same game. Through this method, you may join another case with your attorney.

Video Game Furniture

The games and console itself may not be the main source of an injury. The video game industry has a wide range of furniture that caters specifically to gamers. This includes chairs, bean bags, and media stations to play various video games in. The design of this furniture could be the cause of injury.

For example, a popular type of video game furniture is the rocker chair. These chairs sit on the ground and can be moved frontwards and backwards while playing. If the chair breaks apart or is unbalanced, a teen could suffer serious back injuries. An attorney can investigate the cause of the injury, the chair design, and help you move forward with a possible case. As long as the chair was used the way it was supposed to, the attorney can help build a strong case.

Chronic Problems

A video game injury does not have to be sudden. Over time, injuries and permanent damage may develop due to video game use. For example, if your teenager has small hands and uses a large controller, the hands could suffer from arthritis, stiffness, and possible pinched nerves.

The use of interactive video game equipment could cause problems including muscle pains, joint pains, or possible concussions due to falls during the game. In cases like these, an attorney will look at both the games played and the console. The case could move forward against both companies or a single company, depending on who is at fault.

Gather as many details for your case as possible. This includes any media evidence and medical evidence. This will help your attorney straighten out the facts and move forward with the case, if possible.