Canadian judge Sylvain Lussier has approved a lawsuit filed by parents who believe their children have become addicted to the online game Fortnite.
The Quebec judge made the decision after hearing arguments from three parents who described how their children developed symptoms of “severe addiction” after playing Fortnite, they said Swedish Radio’s Kulturnytt.
One of the children must have played at least three hours a day for two years and stopped sleeping and eating.
The manufacturer did not comment
The lawsuit is directed against game maker Epic Games, which has not yet commented on the matter, the news agency reported Canadian press.
The judge points out that the World Health Organization already ruled in 2018 that gambling addiction is a disease. Although American psychiatrists have requested further research and the WHO statement has not been officially recognized even in Quebec, the judge still believes there is a basis for the lawsuit.
Nor were the harmful effects of tobacco recognized overnight, Sylvain Lussier points out.
