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A lawsuit has been filed in Canada by parents who say their children are addicted to the video game Fortnite.
A Canadian Supreme Court judge authorized the Quebec parents’ filing against Epic Games from the maker of Fortnite.
Parents say that their children are so addicted that they do not take care of regular daily hygiene, such as taking a shower.
Some children are so dependent on Fortnite that they have stopped eating and sleeping, according to BBC News and reported by Insider.
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Players play the video game ‘fortnite’ developed by Epic Games on a Razer company laptop during ‘Paris Games Week. ((Photo by Chesnot/Getty Images) / Getty Images)
“The court concludes that there is a serious problem to argue, supported by sufficient and specific allegations about the existence of risks or even dangers arising from the use of Fortnite,” judge Sylvain Lussier ruled.
A lawyer from the firm brought the suit compared the game’s maker, Epic Games, to a tobacco manufacturer in an interview, saying the legal liability was “basically the same.”
Lussier echoed the comparison of video games and tobacco addictions. “The harmful effect of tobacco was not recognized or admitted overnight,” he stated.
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This illustrative image shows a person logging into Epic Games’ Fortnite on their smartphone in Los Angeles. ((Photo by CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images) / Getty Images)
However, the court disagreed with the parents’ claim that Epic Games deliberately made Fortnite addictive.
“The court finds that there is no evidence to support these allegations of deliberately creating an addictive game,” the judge wrote. “This does not exclude the possibility that the game is actually addictive and that its designer and distributor are presumed to be aware of it.”
A player plays the video game “Fortnite: Battle Royale” developed by People Can Fly and Epic Games in Paris, France. ((Photo by Chesnot/Getty Images) / Getty Images)
Epic Games denied the validity of the lawsuit in a statement obtained by the BBC.
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“Parents can receive playtime reports that track the amount of time their child plays each week and require parental permission before making purchases,” the company said.
“We plan to fight this in court. We believe the evidence will show that this case is without merit.”
