The court in Canada will soon consider a class action against Epic Games, the developer of the popular game Fortnite. According to three parents, the computer game is addictive, comparable to drugs.
The parents believe that Fortnite has led to physical and psychological symptoms in their children, including migraines, back pain and social problems. One of the children on whose behalf the lawsuit is being filed is said to have spent more than 7,700 hours on the game in less than two years, the BBC reports.
The game would also encourage participants to spend excessive amounts of money. The game itself is free, but gamers can make optional purchases. One of the children in the lawsuit is said to have spent more than 6,000 Canadian dollars (4,100 euros).
Damages
The parents demand compensation and a refund for the purchases the underage players made in Fortnite. Epic Games believes that there is insufficient evidence for the addictive effect. For example, there would be no expert report in the file, or a medical diagnosis of the addiction.
Sylvain Lussier, judge of the Supreme Court of Quebec, ruled that the lawsuit should not be taken “frivolously”. He compared the current understanding of video game addiction to how tobacco addiction was viewed in the past. “The harmful effect of tobacco was also not recognized or admitted overnight.”
Lussier emphasized that gamers living in Quebec who experience symptoms of addiction after playing the Battle Royale edition of Fortnite since September 1, 2017 can join the lawsuit.
In April, Epic Games in the US state of North Carolina agreed to a $ 26.5 million settlement over the purchases by minors.
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