The video game Fortnite responds before the Canadian Court accused of creating dependency

First modification: 09/12/2022 – 13:12Last modification: 09/12/2022 – 13:10

Three parents criticize Fortnite for a dependency equivalent to what “heroin or cocaine can create”, citing “physical and psychological” symptoms such as “migraines”, “back pain”, as well as “important social problems”.

According to the sentence given on Wednesday authorizing this appeal, of the three minors mentioned, one of them would have received a diagnosis of “cyberdependence”, while another, at that time 13 years old, would have played 7,781 games in two years, ” at least three hours a day”, sometimes until late at night.

The whistleblowers also claim that the survival shooter would “encourage excessive spending.”

While the game is free to download, users can purchase “V-Bucks,” a virtual currency to stock up on accessories such as costumes during gameplay.

One of the minors cited in the collective action would have spent more than 6,000 Canadian dollars (4,100 euros) and “would have gone so far as to say that he was the victim of fraud,” Jean-Philippe Caron, one of the two, told AFP. lawyers who filed the complaint.

The lawyer declared himself “satisfied” and “confident” when considering the “conclusive evidence” that supports the different cases in his charge.

The three parents and their lawyers claim for “moral and material damages, as well as the restitution of benefits”, especially the return of all purchases by minors.

For their part, the representatives of Epic Games allege that the test is “insufficient”, mentioning the absence of an “expert report”, of the “medical file that gives a diagnosis of ‘dependency'” and of a study on “the undesirable effects of a video game.”

In the coming months, the video game creator will have to defend itself in Quebec courts for having developed and marketed a “dangerous and harmful” product, for failing to disclose the risks and for harming minors with its personalized currency system.

In April, Epic Games had already concluded a US$26.5 million settlement in North Carolina (USA) related to purchases of virtual currency by minors.