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Video games“Fortnite”, deemed too addictive, sued in Canada
Canadian justice will soon consider a class action accusing the creator of the “Fortnite” video game, Epic Games, of creating addiction among his followers.
There would be 350 million players of “Fortnite” worldwide according to its designer, Epic Games.
AFP extension
Three parents accuse “Fortnite” of causing a similar addiction “that can create heroin or cocaine”, citing “physical and psychological” symptoms such as “migraines”, “back pain” as well as “significant social unrest”.
According to the sentence, rendered on Wednesday and which authorizes the present appeal, of the three minors mentioned, one would have been diagnosed with cyberaddiction while another, 13 years old at the time, would have played 7,781 games in two years, “at least three hours a day”, sometimes late into the night.
The plaintiffs also allege that the shooter and survival game would “encourage overspending.” While it’s free to download, users can purchase V-Bucks, a virtual currency, to obtain in-game accessories, such as outfits or dances.
One of the children named in the class action allegedly spent more than CAD 6,000 (CHF 5,600) and “goed so far as to say he was the victim of a fraud,” Jean-Philippe told AFP. the two lawyers who filed the request. The lawyer said he was “satisfied” and “confident” for the future, given the “evidence” that supports the various causes he defends.
The three parents and their lawyers are asking for “compensation for moral and material damages as well as the return of benefits”, in particular the reimbursement of all purchases of underage players.
“Insufficient evidence,” pleads the game designer
For their part, representatives of Epic Games argue that the evidence is “insufficient”, citing the absence of “expert report”, of “medical file making a diagnosis of” addiction “and of study on” undesirable effects of a video game”.
In the coming months, the video game designer will have to defend himself before the Quebec courts for having developed and marketed a “dangerous and harmful” product, for not having disclosed its risks and for having harmed minors with his personalized monetary system.
In April, Epic Games had already reached a 26.5 million US dollar (24.8 million francs) settlement in North Carolina, linked to the purchases of its virtual currency by minors.
(AFP extension)
