The developers of the popular online video game Fortnite were accused Friday of designing it to be addictive, in a Canadian class-action lawsuit likening playing to taking cocaine.
Fortnite, an online video gaming sensation is released by US-based Epic Games in 2017. This interesting game has an intense 100 player PvP mode that allows up to a hundred players to fight individually or as a team to be the last standing on a virtual battlefield.
It has become the top-rated online video game in the world, played by 250 million and more people. It is also included in online gaming and other tournaments with high cash prizes.
Why the case filed against the company?
Two children, who are addicted to the game like taking cocaine, filed a legal notice in Quebec (Canada). They say the game triggers the release of “reward” neurotransmitter dopamine that affects the brain and motor nerves.
The game designed and developed in such a way that people get dependent on playing, said the lawsuit, likening the technique to that used to get gamblers hooked on slot machines.
Fortnite game has seriously affected the lives of players; they don’t eat, play, shower and not even involve in social activities. However, the players are forced to take treatment to come out of this addiction.
The lawyer heading the lawsuit, Jean Philippe Caron, told Montreal (AFP) the game developer enlisted the help of “psychologists to help make the game addictive”.
He said the company didn’t aware of the people about the consequences or the dangers inherent in their product.
The Quebec Superior Court could spend up to a year ponders on whether the class action can proceed, he added.
If they found guilty or if the action is successful then the creators of Fortnite, an online game could be forced to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in damage, Caron estimated.
