One of the most popular video games is now being challenged by a class-action lawsuit based on gaming addiction. A Montreal-based legal firm stands behind a mother and father of two children, aged 10 and 15, who they claim are addicted to the widely popular battle royale game, Fortnite. Gaming addiction is a real and present concern for some, and may even require professional medical intervention of the compulsion becomes too consuming. Calex Legal's 38-page class-action suit has been filed and is undergoing authorization, though the parents are looking for others to join their cause.
Attorney for Calex Legal, Alessandra Esposito Chartrand, told CBC the following:
"In our case, the two parents that came forward and told, 'If we knew it was so addictive it would ruin our child's life, we would never have let them start playing Fortnite or we would have monitored it a lot more closely."
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This isn't the first time Epic Games has been attacked in such a way, what with stealing dance moves and even their titular game mode as only small glimpses into their courtroom battles. Only just recently, Fortnite was sued for a personal data breach, one of the lesser-known legal issues that Epic regularly deals with. Aside from being sued, Epic also deals with malicious third-party vendors that pretend to sell players codes,but instead steal their account information and effectively hack their game.
Public perception seems to be in favor of Epic in this case. As one Redditor denotes in a comment under a post on the subject, "This lawsuit is so stupid, can people just be responsible for their action? If this goes through it would set a dangerous precedent, not only for the games industry." They're absolutely right, as even gaming addiction as a whole could lead to some negative consequences in the health industry. As usual, it all drives back to money and monetary gain. As Fortnite mines Reddit for memes and players aim to be the top streamer, parents seem to target the game itself for a victory in other ways.
Some have suggested that the parents should be taking responsibility for their childrens' well being, not Epic. As another Redditor explains:
"I’ve never played Fortnite, and have no opinion on the game itself. But what happens if a game is too fun and they get sued next? Let’s hit Roblox or Destiny, or Minecraft next? The article says it’s on behalf of two parents with addicted children. Maybe shut off the game once in awhile instead of relying on distractions to keep your kids occupied?"
It's easy for those who haven't experienced addiction firsthand to blurt out, "Just stop it," the "it" being the vice, in this case, gaming. On the contrary, it's not as easily said as done, but there are far better avenues to take when it pertains to an addiction to gaming, especially in light of more Epic Games lawsuits. At what point does it become an addiction and, more importantly, how exactly does one cure themselves of it (that is if it's even curable).
Fortnite and Epic have seen their fair share of suits in the past, so it isn't likely to be too hard of a hit.