Class Action Against Epic Games Over Fortnite Authorized

lowvisioncomputing writes: The CBC is reporting that a class action lawsuit against Epic Games over Fortnite being addictive to children will go ahead.

The suit was first brought to the courts in 2019 by three Quebec parents who claimed that Fortnite was designed to addict its users, many of them children, to the game.

According to the original filing, the plaintiffs say their children exhibited troubling behaviours, including not sleeping, not eating, not showering and no longer socializing with their peers.

According to the filing, one of the children was diagnosed with an addiction by an on-call doctor at a Quebec clinic, or CLSC, in the Lower St. Lawrence region. It also notes that the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized addictive gaming disorder as a disease in 2018.

Jean-Philippe Caron, one of the CaLex Legal lawyers working on the suit, said the case isn't unlike a 2015 Quebec Superior Court ruling that found tobacco companies didn't warn their customers about the dangers of smoking.

"[The game] has design patterns that make sure to always encourage player engagement. You have to understand that children's prefrontal cortices are still developing so that could be part of the explanation for why this game is particularly harmful," he said.

The class action will also discuss in-game purchases, namely cosmetic items — known as skins — and the game's Battle Pass system, which offers expanded rewards as players level up.