Why parents are suing Fortnite for their children's addiction to the game, explained

Fortnite is being sued (Image via Epic Games)
Fortnite is being sued (Image via Epic Games)

Fortnite is currently one of the most popular free-to-play Battle Royale games, but could some of that popularity stem from young gamers' addiction? Some parents certainly think so. In fact, they have put together a class action suit and are suing the company.

Some parents allege that Epic Games has purposefully designed the game to be addictive in nature. The suit also alleges that Epic failed to appropriately warn players of the addiction risks they feel are prevalent.

Ordinarily, this case could be somewhat complicated. While that is true, they did manage to clear one legal challenge — a judge is willing to let the case move forward rather than trash it.

The suit was filed on behalf of parents based in Canada.

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One mother, Deanna Greenstein, feels that her kids, aged 12 and 13, were addicted almost immediately, according to 6ABC:

"It really consumes their lives, that they were coming home from school and they didn't want to go outside to play basketball. They didn't want to go and physically hang out with their friends. I didn't like how angry it made them. I would say it's definitely addictive."

To her credit, video game addiction is real, as classified by the World Health Organization, or WHO. Dr Andrew Newberg, an American neuroscientist, said:

"They actually, just like with a drug or alcohol, actually experience withdrawal. Symptoms they might feel kind of down or upset or irritable when they're not able to play their games."

According to an attorney and former psychologist David Glass, however, there's not much hope for the parents:

"The people filing it would have to convince the court not to go with the DSM. At this point, it's unlikely. There are no U.S. courts that have gone with WHO versus going with the DSM."

Epic Games doesn't believe this lawsuit has any merit, stating:

"We have industry-leading parental controls that empower parents to supervise their child's digital experience."

The video game publisher and developer added that it will fight these claims in court because it doesn't believe them to be true.


Has Epic Games or Fortnite been sued before?

This is not the first time Epic Games and/or Fortnite has been involved in a lawsuit. They most notably went to war with Apple over the iOS mobile version of the game.

In the lawsuit, Apple fought over Epic Games' in-app purchase methods and didn't want them to offer purchases for V-bucks. Subsequently, this caused Apple to remove the game from the App Store.

Eventually, the judge sided with Apple on all but one count, as Fortnite was handed a resounding defeat. However, there is a possibility that the game may return to Apple devices in the future.

The Epic Games-Apple trial lasted for over a year (Image via Epic Games)
The Epic Games-Apple trial lasted for over a year (Image via Epic Games)

Additionally, they have been in court for suing cheaters along with other issues. Fortnite has only been prominent for about five years but has already been to court a few times.

The lawsuit, though unlikely to do any harm to Fortnite or the developers legally, is the latest in what could ultimately be a long line of legal disputes.

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