Fornite has racked up millions of players, and billions of dollars of profit. That is thanks in large part to how devoted players are to the game. It turns out though that the friend you joked is addicted to it might actually be. The Boston Globe spoke to psychologists and other health professionals who explained that Fortnite addiction is a real thing.
Parents worrying about kids spending too much time playing video games isn’t new. But a few significant factors have combined to make today’s games harder to stop playing….More insidious, game makers have taken a lesson from slot-machine designers and started employing a variable reward schedule, according to Ofir Turel, a professor of Information Systems and Decision Sciences at California State University Fullerton. In the case of “Fortnite,” the psychological manipulation combines with the game’s flashy colors, its many potential plots, and the element of social interaction to stimulate the brain and train it to “crave” more, he e-mailed the Globe.
Check It Out: Addiction to Fortnite is a Real Thing
No it’s not.
Video game’s are fun, they are a way to pass the time, but not an addiction.
There was someone on the CBC a few weeks ago taking about how Loot Boxes were as addictive as Heroine. No. Video games are fun pastimes, but addictive? NO. No unless the kid tossing a ball through a hoop all Saturday afternoon is addicted. Not if the person obsessed with Harry Potter is addicted. Not if my wife who devours murder mysteries is addicted.
The whole debate is stupid. It’s right up there with those that argued that Rap music was destroying the youth, or that comic books would corrupt society.
The idea is just stupid.