Fortnite makers shocked by Prince Harry’s call to ban ‘addictive’ game
TWO Epic Games bosses flatly denied the game had been designed to be compelling, would not reveal how many gamers play the game an "unhealthy" amount, and denied "making money from people playing the game".
The firm's marketing chief and head lawyer appeared in Parliament to defend Fortnite against claims it is addictive and they don't do enough to stop underage children playing it.
It was part of the immersive and addictive technologies inquiry which has been looking at the impact of modern games and other tech have on young people in the UK.
Epic's legal chief, Canon Pence, said he was "taken aback" by Prince Harry's outspoken attack on the game in April.
The royal called for the game to be banned when talking to youth charity workers, saying: "That game shouldn’t be allowed. Where is the benefit of having it in your household?
"It's created to addict, an addiction to keep you in front of a computer for as long as possible. It’s so irresponsible."
"The statements made could not be further from the truth in our designs and philosophy and multi-decade approach to developing a long-term and sustainable relationship with our audience," Pence said.
When challenged over the amount of money that players spend in the game, Pence bizarrely said “I don’t think it’s accurate to define Epic as making money from people playing the game.”
Fortnite made more money in a year than any computer game in history in 2018, with Epic trousering £1.9 billion from the game. It is estimated they have made around £3billion in total.
When challenged by Tory MP Damian Collins on how long frequent players spend playing the game Pence and Epic marketing chief Matthew Weissinger seemed evasive, leading to some terse exchanges.
“This sort of basic information is something that will be gathered and analysed all the time, so I don’t believe that you don’t know it," Collins said.
Epic does track this sort of information, and has used it to justify changes to the game that have been unpopular with more vocal parts of the community by revealing changes they are complaining about resulted in an increase in games played and time spent playing by other users.
There was confusion on both sides when age ratings were discussed, however.
How can I tell if I'm addicted?
THE WHO revealed nine criteria for gaming disorder - if five or more apply to you, you may be officially an addict.
- preoccupation with games
- withdrawal symptoms when gaming is taken away
- tolerance, resulting in the need to spend increasing amounts of time engaged in games
- unsuccessful attempts to control participation in games
- loss of interest in previous hobbies and entertainment as a result of, and with the exception of, games
- continued excessive use of games despite knowledge of psychosocial problems
- deceiving family members, therapists, or others regarding the amount of gaming
- use of games to escape or relieve negative moods
- jeopardizing or losing a significant relationship, job, or education or career opportunity because of participation in games.
As with movies, video game age ratings are enforced at the point of sale by whoever is selling the game, but Labour's Ian Lucas pressed the firm on why it did not attempt to verify the ages of users as they played.
When games are sold digitally, this information is checked by the platform holder - Sony on PlayStation, Microsoft for Xbox and Nintendo on Switch.
Epic said it did collect this information for those with Epic accounts, which are required if you buy the game directly from them on PC or for Android phones.
Talking to Sun Online recently, Microsoft's Dave McCarthy said he welcomed this sort of attention from legislators, and would even welcome new laws on the matter.
"I want to get more parents and kids aware of the tools that are there and I think it's good that that gets out in the social sphere," he said.
Recently, an international team of psychologists has written an online quiz, which takes about 20 minutes to complete, that tests you against the the criteria recently set by the World Health Organisation.
The WHO description of gaming disorder does make it clear that it's the potential negative impacts that define game addiction, and recognise that "spending copious amounts of time gaming" on its own isn't enough to define addiction.
The test doesn't provide a formal diagnosis, but it will flag if you are "meet the WHO criteria for gaming disorder" so that you can seek professional help, according to lead researcher Dr Bruno Schivinski.
The UK games industry has previously hit out at the WHO and the idea of gaming disorder, claiming there was "no evidence" linking playing games to addiction.
Screen time management - how to do it
To set screen time limits for your child on Xbox One and Windows 10 devices, use the online tool.
Go to and sign in with
your Microsoft account. Then:
- Find your child’s name and select Screen time.
- If you want to use the same schedule for all devices, switch Use one screen time schedule from Off to On. If you’d rather have separate schedules, scroll down and switch on screen time for PC and Xbox One individually.
- Set how much time your child is allowed to spend with their devices each day, and when they can use them. If you want to give them the full amount of time you’ve scheduled, select Max scheduled. (Example: If you’ve allowed screen time from 8 am to 8 pm, they could use their devices that entire time.)
You can read about all of the Xbox Parental Controls and how to apply them here.
MOST READ IN GAMING
Reports of "gaming disorder" have been coming from all quarters, with one professional footballer revealing to The Sun how he feared it might ruin his career.
Children as young as 11 are reportedly being taken into care as a result of the disorder, while other parents have reported the troubling effects of compulsive gaming on their own children.
Adults have reported problems too, with one revealing he wrecked his life after blowing £15,000 of wedding savings on video games.
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