Time for regulation of video game makers? - Class action lawsuit against Fortnite

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Quebec judge has authorized a class-action lawsuit over 'addictive' Fortnite game. Would love to hear your thoughts on this.

montreal.ctvnews.ca/quebec-judge-authorizes-class-action-lawsuit-over-addictive-fortnite-game-1.6186022

Personally I think there is a need for some sort of regulation on video games, given the impact it’s having on young kids. And it seems like parents don’t know enough about the negative effects or how to effectively control video game use.

Cocaine is addictive. So it’s banned. It’s illegal for anyone to sell or consume cocaine.
Tobacco is addictive. It’s not banned. It’s illegal to sell tobacco to anyone under 18
Sugar is addictive. It’s not banned. It’s not illegal to sell sugar. There is more awareness about the impact of consuming foods and drinks that are high in sugar - For e.g., There is a tax on drinks with high sugar. Sugary drinks are not included in school meals etc
We already regulate some things depending on the extent and impact of addiction. So why not video games? What do you think?

Unreasonable - It’s parent’s responsibility to restrict the amount of time kids spend on video games. Can’t fault the companies that make video games

Not Unreasonable - We regulate other addictive substances. Why not video games?

If OP plays the game then she could be talking to or listening to primary school kids as she plays. I have a teen ds who used to play but found it a massive turn off when very young kids would be part of the match. He felt a bit like a weirdo playing and talking with very young kids. They would happily volunteer personal info like age too. The online chat element is a major concern with games like Fortnite but it's up to parents not courts to monitor this.

Op, what are these "dark patterns"? Tbh that statement makes your whole argument sound like a Satanic Panic style rant.

1. There were exactly the same arguments made about books in the late 1700s-early 1800s. Readers (many of them older children/teenagers) spent all their time reading instead of eating, washing or spending time with family. The books were even designed to deliver quick dopamine hits and make readers eager for more through cliffhangers and sensationalist content. Pretty much how all TV has been designed too really (speaking of which, when televisions became popular, the very same concerns surfaced again!).

1. Parents have to take responsibility for their children.

@PeekAtYou Oh, me neither. That rule is not surprising coming from the Chinese government though :) That’s not going to happen in UK or most other countries.

“It's not the developer's fault that the game is addictive” - I wouldn't call it the developer’s "fault" , but video games are specifically designed to be addictive. One of central principles when designing games is to build “hooks” with the intent of making the game “addictive”. There are several book, studies, courses etc dedicated to teaching how to build games that the users (/players) hooked/addicted to the game.

Just to be clear, I’m not accusing developers of malicious intent. Just like snack companies are looking to create that snack you can’t put down, or retailers obsessing over how to get shoppers to spend the most in their store, game developers are looking to build games that you just can’t stop playing.

Yes parents should take responsibility but many don't, and therefore it becomes a society issue when this aggression and bad attitude is generated and then released on the public. This is happening in our quiet little town now, just too much apathy these days. Try teaching children who've been plugged into Fortnite etc all weekend...hell on earth. But yes, keep your head in the sand...

game developers are looking to build games that you just can’t stop playing

Well obviously. Thats why parents may need to step in. Why can parents not be responsible?

My son plays it and he is 10 so still primary but he plays it whilst we are in the room with him so can hear/see everything, which is choresome enough to prevent us allowing him to play for seven hours 😂

If children are allowed to go without eating or showering, that’s a parenting problem. I would bet money, the houses where this is happening there’s more problems than a child who is addicted to Fortnite.

I actually don’t get how Fortnite Is anymore addictive than any other game.

I game. Always have. Even play Fortnite. Both me and ds are more a take it or leave it. One weekend we may spend hours gaming then not for a couple of weeks.

My brother was one of these kids who would do anything to game. So my parents removed the console from his bedroom at night. Fortnite didn’t exist. His teenage son is the same and doesn’t play Fortnite.

Not sure why Fortnite is the one often targeted. I remember when it came out, ds school tried to tell parents that kids attending their school were banned from playing it. In reality, they admitted they couldn’t enforce it and had no clue about Fortnite in general. Just some parents complained to the school that it was an awful game that was damaging their children. The school took their word for it. I remember it being all over social media. That kids were badly hurting eachother in the playground pretending to play. As though kids haven’t played ‘soldiers’ or (back many years ago) ‘cowboys and Indians’ in the school yard. Or even getting too rough playing tag or football. Or that there’s games kids play that are far more violent with higher age restrictions.

It really smacks of creating hysteria and targeting one thing and ignoring the actual issue.

@Baconsprouts - Definitely not in favour of banning sex :D Like I mentioned earlier, I wasn't saying that video games should be banned. There are many video games - for e.g, super mario that are fun and engaging, but not addictive like fortnite.

And even given it's addictive nature, I don't think fortnite should be banned either. If it's currently rated 12yrs/13 yrs, maybe it's age rating should be higher ? As teens are clearly struggling to self regulate how often they play it

Exactly.

You can just stop playing Fortnite.

It’s short-ish rounds. Each game lasting around 20 mins.they do have levels that when you reach you get prizes such as new skins.

But in each season you can do that without playing hours and hours a day.

Yes it is! Is precisely the developer’s fault! Theg very deliberately make games addictive when they don’t have to be.

Wonderful news I hope Fortnite lose and that there are more lawsuits like this.

Or because the politically influential alcoholic beverage makers don't want more competition....

Of course developers are trying to build immersive and addictive games. Consumers want value for money and a game that is enjoyed for many hours as possible is naturally the goal.

There are lots of addictive screen based content out there and while I am not a perfect parent who didn't allow my child to watch a favorite film hundreds of times, if they were behaving like the children in the article and having panic attacks or staying up until 3am, I would have taken action. Fortnite is not unique in its popularity among children who are often allowed to be on social media too which is designed to keep eyeballs glued to the screen too. At the end of the day, they are businesses so perfecting the algorithms that keep people hooked will inevitably be their goal.

From the article “children developed severe addictions to Fortnite , spending almost all of their free time in the virtual world and in some cases not eating, showering, or socializing. They became withdrawn from their families and one of them had panic attacks due to the pressure of the game”

More fool the parents for allowing things to get to that stage - though I suppose the charm of a lawsuit is that it enables some to pretend it's all someone else's fault

@Butitsnotfunnyisititsserious True. Parents definitely need to take better responsibility. There probably needs to be more done in terms of creating awareness about the impact and educating parents about the options they have - parental controls on the game etc.

However, just like whether kids use cigarettes and alcochol is not completely left to the parents, there needs to be more regulation around video games. If certain video games are known to be addictive for teenagers, they shouldn't be allowed to market it to teenagers?

*Yes it is! Is precisely the developer’s fault! Theg very deliberately make games addictive when they don’t have to be.

Wonderful news I hope Fortnite lose and that there are more lawsuits like this.*

So basically you're just admitting you would be a shit parent who couldn't properly parent her kid and say no to the game when it becomes too much?

I'm sure there were people ranting about TV when I was a kid and the damage it would do. I wonder what the next big thing will be

Should be regulating lazy parents and teaching them the word no.

I've no strong opinion on this lawsuit, other than it'll be interesting to see how it plays out.

We know video games, social media, news outlets, and many other things that get money from our attention use current understanding of how to increase addictive behaviours as part of it. It's why news outlets tend to ignore most research on how to prevent copycat behaviour unless it's actually put into legislation - as long as they benefit, we have to deal with the risks.

Anything can be addictive. The legal situation with various substances and activities has little to do with how addictive it is or it's effect on health or other risks involved. There are a lot more factors at play. It's actually frustrating how much some of those bans often excused as because of risks get in the way of researching potential benefits.

People who want to act like the issues in schools is all about video games, and yes there were kids decades ago who would get obsessed and have parents happy to leave them to it or many other far worse things, and not because legislation has changed what is done with children who used to be able to more easily removed from the books without really the resources to handle that change - I find that looking for a scapegoat.

You are naive if you think the developers have not made the game purposefully addictive. There has been lots of studies into the psychology of keeping people in a game, games like fortnight exploit this. I would put it akin to gambling on fruit machines and we regulate that above just an age limit. It’s not the same as an addiction to sex because it’s much easier to play a video game then find a willing participant or paying for sex. It’s not the same as drink/drugs because you are not going to get to a point your body gives out. I have seen first hand adult video game addiction. It’s really awful.

YABU, the American and Canadian legal systems are a joke.

Claiming software is addictive and comparing it to psychoactive drugs such as cocaine is ridiculous.

Get a grip OP.

I play call of duty warzone, and yes it's excellent, but I get bored after a bit. However I can understand how some people want to game 24/7.

different individuals will take to different hobbies,

it's all down to the individual,

I would say a more dangerous factor that should be limited is the amount of fictional television programmes that people binge watch ect.

It's not the developer's fault that the game is addictive

Of course it is! They design games to be as addictive as possible. Social media is also designed to be as addictive as possible. A LOT of money goes into paying people who are experts in working out exactly what gets people hooked and keeps them coming back for more.

So what are you suggesting, that game companies should be banned from making games that could be addictive? How exactly?

I admit DS played it before he was 12. I played it first to check it out. Sometimes he plays a fair bit, sometimes not for weeks- currently much prefers FIFA. He gets v v limited in game spending and I think that is key to limiting addictiveness. He never plays it for hours on end as I just don’t allow it. I do think it’s the parents’ responsibility to limit screen time and to make sure their DC balance it with other offline interests and friendships.