India, April 7 -- A man in China has filed a lawsuit against a gaming company, claiming he suffered from depression after being virtually slapped over 4,800 times in a popular online game, reported the South China Morning Post.

The man, using the pseudonym Qiaoben, has been an avid player of Three Kingdoms Kill Online for the past 15 years and currently holds the game's highest rank. The game, developed by a company based in Hangzhou, was launched in 2009 and is set during China's historic Three Kingdoms period. It allows four to eight players to battle it out in matches that last between 10 to 30 minutes.

Qiaoben said that after each match he won, opponents would throw virtual items like eggs and straw sandals at his character. These i...