Angered parents in Canada have united to launch a massive lawsuit against Epic Games, the corporation behind Fortnite. This popular video game has become so habit-forming for kids that they are skipping meals and showers just to keep playing — a concerning behavior for any parent! Despite Epic Games’ “believe the evidence will show that this case is meritless” and that “we plan to fight this in court.”, Canada’s Supreme Court has permitted the case to continue.
Families from Quebec have launched a lawsuit against the video game, Fortnite, claiming that their children are so engrossed by it that they can barely complete everyday tasks. These parents state that not only are their offspring unable to care for themselves properly (such as showering and eating healthy meals), but they also fail to gain sufficient rest each night – inhibiting them from growing and learning in school effectively.
During the month of July, three parents expressed their grievances to Justice Sylvain Lussier about how their children had become so enraptured with Fortnite that they were neglecting basic needs such as showering, sleeping, and eating. These families shared that all their kids desired was to play this game nonstop in order for them to reach higher levels within its virtual world.
On Wednesday, Justice Lussier determined that the class-action lawsuit against Epic Games is not “frivolous or manifestly ill-founded,” and can continue through court proceedings to determine if parents of affected children are able to seek financial compensation for the negative impact of this game.
“The court concludes that there is a serious issue to be argued, supported by sufficient and specific allegations as to the existence of risks or even dangers arising from the use of Fortnite,” Lussier said.
The lawyer who argued the case in court likened Epic Games to a tobacco manufacturer, pointing out that both companies create products with alarming levels of addictive potential for children. He stated that the legal obligations are essentially equivalent given how desperately kids crave their product—no matter how long they devote playing it.
“Our motion was heavily inspired by the tobacco motion just in terms of what we were alleging,” lawyer Alessandra Esposito Chartrand stated.
Lussier suggests that video games and tobacco could have a few similarities, thus concluding: “The harmful effect of tobacco was not recognized or admitted overnight.”
Despite the fact that Fortnite can be addictive, the judge disagreed with parents who argued that Epic Games deliberately crafted their product to be as habit-forming as possible.
“The court finds that there is no evidence for these allegations of the deliberate creation of an addictive game,” the judge said. “This does not exclude the possibility that the game is, in fact, addictive and that its designer and distributor are presumed to know it.”
Epic Games vehemently denies any culpability on their part.
“Parents can receive playtime reports that track the amount of time their child plays each week and require parental permission before purchases are made,” the company stated. “We plan to fight this in court. We believe the evidence will show that this case is meritless.”
