Does a video game TOS agreement constitute a legal contract and can you be in legal trouble for breaking one?

Question

I am curious as to whether or not you can get in legal trouble for breaking a terms of service agreement (or nondiscolusure agreement). I am mostly talking about the agreements you agree to when you sign up for beta tests or play online video games.

For instance, could somebody using hacks in CounterStrike or Everquest have anything happen to them other than getting their account suspended? I'm almost sure that nobody has ever been brought to court over such a case mainly because it isn't worth the time or effort - but is it possible?

Answer 1

Most TOS's are 'defensive.' It means you can't go after them if you lose your home, family, car, etc. by using thier program. There is very little that then can do to come after you (other then pirating).

Edit: Unless you are hacking thier servers to cause harm to the company, I don't see them coming after you. Hacking your character to make them better really doesn't hurt the company (unless hacking is very widespread on a server).