RubyPorto wrote:The fact that any video game disagreement will get laughed out of court is beside the point.
Oral contracts do have the contractual force. Although, depending on jurisdiction their scope may be limited and it's pretty stupid to trust someone you don't know to uphold their end of an oral contract with no persistant method of recording the details of the contract.
So written or oral, a contract dealing with issues arising from the gameplay of a videogame will be laughed out of court, but it won't be because "OOooh, Nobody SIGNED anything"
Firstly, this is my favourite thread of the year.
Secondly, there seem to be a lot of misconceptions which could potentially disadvantage people later in life. The key issue being the requirements that must be satisfied to form a contract; while this may vary dependent on jurisdictions, the following generally hold true for the creation of a valid contract:-
1. All parties must have capacity to enter the contract.
2. An offer must be made.
3. Consideration must be exchanged.
4. The parties must be in mutual agreement.
5. The contract's object and purpose must be legal.
6. The form of the contract must meet the legal requirements.
Note that oral contracts are often considered legally binding, and the threshold is not always very high (under Scottish law, a promise may be legally binding, and thus enforceable by the Courts, while it is not under English law)
Based on the Goon website, the only real issues are at items 1. and 6.
Dependent on jurisdiction, capacity to contract at Item 1 normally excludes minors or the mentally impaired (insert Goon joke here). Dependent on the ages of the parties, there many not be a Contract.
For Item 6, it is dependent on jurisdictional requirements.
Providing the above 6 criteria are met, then the OP would be able to file civil (rather than criminal) proceeding under tort law. Such proceedings would probably require:-
1. Specific performance of the contract by the defaulting party (Goon); and
2. Damages
Separately, criminal proceedings could also result as a matter of 'public interest' by the Authorities having jurisdiction. However, this would be unlikely unless there is some pressing reason to set a precedent or establish case law.
Given the circumstances, the US "No Electronic Theft Act" (NET Act) appears to make for some scary reading.
Finally, if you're ever in Scotland, try to avoid making any promises!

Please note that none of the above constitutes legal advice.