So to clarifiy some miss information in the comments:

1. Yes, Silicon Knights has a patent on the use of a Sanity Meter. Google it. I studied it at a job I had where we were attempting to find a way around it so we could use something similar in an idea we were working on.
2. This patent however only applies to video games. So for all the CoC books, board games (Arkham Horror which is an excellent game), and pen and paper games, it doesn't apply.
3. Blizzard could have paid the licensing fee to use it.
4. Or they didn't and a legal battle could be in the future.
5. Or Silicon Knights can ignore it.

Although, the patent specifically calls out the use of a variable to change the in game effects based on a character's sanity as part of the patent, meaning Blizzard has wandered into that territory. I hope they didn't license it, SK forces the issue, and I hope Blizzard fights them and wins, the way they did with Glider, because it is a frivolous patent due to the wealth of non-video game sources that do the same thing (like the board games and books, but also movies).

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