Epic Games, the maker of Fortnite, which has 350 million users worldwide, and its Canadian representative are being sued by Canadian parents.
According to the manufacturer, gaming addiction is not a psychological disorder, but parents consider it an addiction according to the WHO decision of 2018 – writes a BBC.
While Fortnite is free to play, in-game currency called V-Bucks can be purchased for cash. The game has already brought in 9 billion to the development company.
One of the children, whose parents sued, spent more than 770 hours playing Fortnite in less than two years, which is more than 10 hours a day.
The parents argue in the lawsuit that the game was intentionally designed to be “highly addictive”.
Judge Sylvain Lussier ruled that the statement was not “frivolous” and compared current knowledge of video game addiction to early knowledge of tobacco addiction: “The harmful effects of tobacco have not been recognized or acknowledged since today till tomorrow”.
It has decided that players who live in Quebec and have exhibited symptoms of addiction since the release of Fortnite Battle Royale on September 1, 2017 can participate in the legal process.
