A Canadian judge has approved a class-action lawsuit brought by three parents who claim their children become addicted to the computer game Fortnite. The maker of the game, Epic Games, and its Canadian subsidiary are the targets of the case. The plaintiffs claim that the children’s addiction was so severe that they were unable to even take a bath, eat, or sleep.
The lawsuit makes reference to a 2018 World Health Organization decision that acknowledged video game addiction. According to the lawsuit, the game’s creators intended for it to be ‘extremely addictive.’ According to reports, one of the kids played the game for more than 7,700 hours in less than two years.
With more than 350 million active users, Fortnite is one of the most played online games. Epic Games has countered the suit saying that video-game addiction is not a recognised psychological disorder.
Justice Sylvain Lussier of Quebec Superior Court determined that the lawsuit was not ‘frivolous’ after considering its arguments.
He made a comparison between early cigarette addiction awareness and game addiction. He claimed that ‘the detrimental effect of tobacco was not recognised or admitted overnight.’
The legal action is open to other Quebec residents whose kids began experiencing symptoms of addiction after playing Fortnite Battle Royale starting on September 1, 2017.
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