A class action lawsuit that is being filed against Epic Games in regard to the supposed addictive nature of Fortnite has got the go ahead in Canada.
The lawsuit has been brought forward by three parents who claim their children became addicted to the Battle Royale game. They noted within the filing that the World Health Organisation now recognised video game addiction.
The parents also stated that their children had become so engrossed and hooked on the game that they would skip sleeping, eating, and showering. They also allege that Fortnite is deliberately made to be highly addictive and as a result this has caused their children to develop problems. All of the parents claim that their children had displayed behavioural issues after playing the game, and one parent explained that their child would get angry when they tried to limit his game time.
Court Battle (Royale)
Epic Games has stood its ground on the matter and believes that these claims do not hold enough weight. They commented that video game addiction is not recognised in Quebec and that other studies have also found there is currently not enough of a basis to classify gaming addiction as a mental health disorder.
It would seem Epic fully intends to battle this out in court and is sure to present arguments that highlight the ability for parents to invoke parental controls on their children’s gaming devices. Fortnite also has its own parental controls that can restrict children from playing the game at certain hours of the day, or limit the number of hours they have access to the game.
Whatever the outcome, an interesting precedent seems certain to be set.
Paige Cook is a writer with a multi-media background. She has experience covering video games and technology and also has freelance experience in video editing, graphic design, and photography. Paige is a massive fan of the movie industry and loves a good TV show, if she is not watching something interesting then she's probably playing video games or buried in a good book. Her latest addiction is virtual photography and currently spends far too much time taking pretty pictures in games rather than actually finishing them.
