Fortnite gaming crisis sees children becoming hooked and turning violent when parents intervene
EXPERTS have warned of a growing gaming crisis as more children become hooked on the Fortnite game, with one saying: “It's made Beatlemania look like a passing whim."
The free last-player-standing game has rapidly become one of the most popular video games of 2018 - with fans including England football star Dele Alli.
It sees 100 players dropped on to an island, where they have to gather materials and weapons and try to kill each other off. The last player standing wins.
Experts have said the highly addictive game has seen kids staying up through the night and even turning violent when their parents intervene.
Randy Kulman, a child psychologist in New York, said: “It’s quite the phenomenon among kids in my practice.”
Another psychologist Dr Leonard Sax told Live Science: “'Parents tell me, 'My kid is learning to collaborate, isn't this a useful skill?' The short answer is, 'No, it is not.’”
“Collaboration in the real world is about listening to your colleague, making eye contact, understanding what they are trying to say and working creatively together.
“Killing people is not fundamentally a social skill”.
Dr Richard Graham, who set up the UK’s first internet addiction clinic at the private Nightingale hospital in London, told the Telegraph: “In six months, it has made Beatlemania look like a passing whim. You are dealing with something akin to the massive Diana effect that swept up everyone.
The multi-player format, where, in the Battle Royale version up to 100 players fight each other until one is left standing, engendered a “crowd mentality”.
“You have a mass crowd effect where you have engagement that sweeps you along,” said Dr Graham.
“The fear of missing out is also part of what drives it. It’s something you can’t almost not be a part of.”
The game has also been slammed by primary school teachers who warned parents it was harming their children's ability to concentrate in school.
Jemma Garside, head of school at Greenways Primary Academy in Stoke-on-Trent, wrote to parents in an email, saying: “Unfortunately discussions around this game are being brought into the classroom which is distracting children from their learning.”
Another school in Bristol reported children as young as seven playing the game.
A post on its website said: “We’ve heard some of our children, including in Year 3, are playing a game online called Fortnite... if your child is playing this game talk to them and make sure you know what they are doing.”
Meanwhile a nine-year-old girl is in rehab after becoming so hooked on the video game she wet herself to avoid moving and hit her father when he tried to stop her playing.
She would secretly play the survival shooter game during the night and didn't even get up to use the toilet because she couldn't prise herself away from the screen.
Her parents eventually put her into therapy — two months after buying her the Xbox — to help wean her off the fight-to-death scenarios.
Addictions counsellor Steve Pope has been treating the girl.
He said dozens of parents had contacted him in the past two months over their kids being addicted to Fortnite, played by 40million. He said: "I've never seen anything like it."
Concerned parents have taken to forums such as Mumsnet to voice their fears.
One mother wrote of her primary school age son: “Yesterday he saw a poster with a man and child in a swimming pool...and commented that it would be a perfect shot to blow their heads off.”
Another added that her son, aged nine, had become addicted and she had imposed a ban on the game after his “behaviour deteriorated massively”.
She wrote: “It was awful to see how angry he was becoming... I seriously wish I’d never let him on it.”
What is Fortnite?
Fortnite is an online video game set in a dystopian world based around a battle for survival.
Fortnite offers two distinct modes: player versus environment, 'Save the World' and the more recent player versus player game Battle Royale.
The game starts with 100 players leaping out of a plane on to a small island, fighting each other until no one is left.
Fortnite has proved a massive hit with millions of kids.
The game is free and kids can team up with a friend, a group of friends or compete as a duo or squad.
Matches can last up to 20 minutes.
Though it's a multiplayer shooter, no graphic violence is depicted.
The now hugely popular game was revealed in 2011 but only released last year.
Since its release it’s been available to play on gaming platforms such as PlayStation 4, Xbox One, as well as PC and Mac.
At the beginning of March developers announced they would be rolling out a mobile-friendly version for iOS and Android phones.
There are also fears kids are at risk from sexual predators because voice and text features allow them to be contacted by other players.
Last month the NSPCC warned parents over the dangers of the game.
Laura Randall, the NSPCC's associate head of child safety online, said: "In light of emerging concerns about the risks children could be exposed to, we are urging parents to be aware of Fortnite's features."
The National Crime Agency has also issued a warning over paedophiles grooming children on the game.
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Culture Secretary Matt Hancock’s Parliamentary Private Secretary Nigel Huddleston said he was "horrified" to hear stories of children becoming addicted to the game.
He said: "The Government is going to be making it increasingly difficult for children to see inappropriate content."
The Sun Online have repeatedly approached Epic, the North Carolina-based developer of the game, for a comment.
SAFETY ADVICE FOR PARENTS
According to CEOP, parents should:
- Have an open and honest conversation with your child. CEOP says: 'It’s important to involve yourself in your child’s online life and a simple and effective way to this is by talking to them about their life online. Asking your child about how they play Fortnite and what they like about it is a great way to start a conversation. Our can help you to have this conversation.'
- Play with them. 'It may seem daunting, but one of the best things that you can do is to engage with the gaming environment and begin to understand what makes Fortnite so attractive to young people, as well as giving yourself an idea of the reporting tools available within the game.'
- Know how to make a report. 'On Fortnite you can report players who are behaving inappropriately by using the in-game feedback tool located in the game Main Menu, '
- See what other people think of Fortnite. 'Common Sense Media allow parents and young people to give their reviews of games that they have played. They have created a very useful
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