However, with so many gamers picking up their console controllers, clicking at their mouse or tapping away at their screens, Fortnite has been under fire in recent months regarding the potential of addiction for young people and how ‘bad’ it is getting. There have been reports of violence from children simply because they were no longer allowed to play, stories of self-neglect and even scepticism around the real-money aspect of the game.
In terms of real money, there have been a number of reports stating that parents were receiving unexpected bills from their children spending real money on this fictional game. Within Fortnite, it’s possible to purchase a virtual currency by the name of ‘V-bucks’ to buy a range of different add-ons, skins, characters and more. While seemingly innocent enough, this isn’t necessarily the case.
Fortnite’s loot crate system found within the “save the world†aspect of the game has been criticised for the way it presents an element of the unknown while handling money, which is. some would argue, very similar to gambling. This could potentially be harmful for children. By offering a ‘chance’ at winning rare items with the purchase of these virtual packs draws more and more children into spending and as the addiction to the game begins to grow, this can significantly add up. With no concept of money management, kids playing Fortnite could easily spend hundreds on these boxes if given the chance which, as we all know, can be a harmful activity.
However, the infamous battle royale aspect of the game works on a season pass basis encouraging children to purchase a battle pass and unlock items as they level up in game. This is helping to aid the addition by leading children to spend excessive amounts of time in front of their monitors just to earn more and more content.
In addition to the threat of spending, children have been reported to be reacting in extremely violent manners against parents who are trying to take away the game for any period of time. While not every child is likely to react in any kind of extreme manner, the risk alone is enough to cause a level of concern in parents and gamers alike.
A prime example of this is a girl of just 9 years old who was reportedly admitted to rehab after failing to care for herself when playing Fortnite. We’ve all gotten into a game to the point where we might forget it’s lunchtime, but this 9-year-old was gaming for 10+ hours a day between being at school and was so ‘into’ the game that she even went on to wet herself simply to keep playing.
Other stories have also been reported of children having smashed up iPads, threatened to or actually hurt their parents when told to stop playing and their screen time hours have been preventing them from leaving the house or focusing on school. While adults have the control to make these decisions for themselves, is Fortnite addiction getting far too much for younger children?
With ‘gaming disorder’ having been officially recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO), it’s time we started taking these kinds of situations seriously. While there is a fair percentage of the millions of players currently online who have a healthy relationship with the game, the percentage who don’t, regardless of their age, undoubtedly need help to step away. Whether they’re as young as 9, or into their teenage years and seemingly failing college, it’s about time we started paying more attention to addiction to this game or, in reality, any game on the market.
