The plaintiffs say they created the game to be as addictive as possible. They ask for a clearly visible warning to alert parents and players.
Fortnite is once again an easy target for lawyers, and this time it is being targeted by a Montreal law firm that requested an authorization to create a class action lawsuit on behalf of the parents of two children who are allegedly addicted to gambling. Calex Légal says that he was contacted by one parents who claim that their children had generated a dependency on gambling, and that they would not have allowed them to play if they knew at the time that there was a risk.
Fortnite is too addictive not to carry warnings
The firm compared Fortnite with cocaine and tobacco, claiming that Epic Games acts with conscience and put on the market a game with a high addictive factor being especially focused on the youngest. The law firm believes the case has the same legal basis as a 2015 class action lawsuit against tobacco companies for failing to inform clients of the danger to their health.
At the beginning of this year, the World Health Organization officially recognized video game addiction as a disease, a fact that is mentioned in the authorization request. It is also alleged that Epic Games hired psychologists to develop the game to make it as addictive as possible. Even before the WHO decision, Fortnite was a magnet for lawsuits, particularly for its use of existing dance moves for its emotes in the case of people who created dances like Alfoso Riveriro.
While the game includes in its terms of use an exemption to prevent people who play it from being part of a class action lawsuit, Calex Légal states that, in Quebec, it would be annulled by the Consumer Protection Act, which requires companies that warn customers of potential risks, such as gambling addiction.
La fortnite addiction it is not a new topic. There are many stories of children who play for more hours than their parents allow them, who do not go to school or do not sleep just to play it, or even those who make fun of other players for not having paid skins. Being such a popular game and so played by children, its mechanics have to be watched and if necessary, parental warnings or limitations should be put in place to avoid these cases of addiction.
Source: PC Gamer
