‘Fortnite’ addiction spurs parents to send their kids to video game rehab

Fortnite is so addicting for some players that it could seem like a drug, but for some parents, their kids’ experience with the game requires similar treatment. According to Bloomberg, there has been a large recent increase in parents taking their children to therapy to deal with their Fortnite obsessions, and some are even sending them to special camps where they can “detox” from technology and get a more well-rounded lifestyle. Michael Jacobus, who has counseled children at camps in California and North Carolina, told Bloomberg that more than half of the kids he dealt with were “playing Fortnite excessively.” “I’ve never seen a game that has such control over kids’ minds,” parent Debbie Vitany added. This is hardly the first time we’ve seen players struggle with video game addiction — if that is indeed the diagnosis for the majority of those being sent to counseling. Multiplayer game World of Warcraft has been nicknamed “World of Warcrack” for its ability to suck hours of time in what seems like an instant. With anything as popular as Fortnite, however, it’s likely that there will be some players who become addicted to it. In some cases, parents have actively encouraged their children to keep playing and improving with the help of special tutors. Ashland University in Ohio is even offering a scholarship for players, and with esports growing bigger and bigger, there is some possibility for kids to make a living playing the game, though we’d still suggest hitting the books as a first option. Fortnite‘s battle royale mode exploded in popularity in 2017, building on the previous success of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. Despite numerous competitors in the genre releasing each month, none of them have managed to come close to capturing the same player-count as Epic Games, and with the “Save the World” mode going free-to-play next year, there will be even more content for fans to enjoy. The Save the World mode was actually the original mode for Fortnite before it incorporated battle royale, but it’s substantially less popular. Fortnite is available now with cross-play support on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android, PC, and Mac. Fortnite skins are some of the most sought-after cosmetic items in any Battle Royale title, and thousands of skins have been released in the game to date. Among those, certain skins hold the mantle of being some of the rarest skins that the community hasn’t seen since they were first released. Some of these date as far back as 2019 and haven’t been brought back to the shop for over five years. However, Epic just changed that with two of the rarest Fortnite skins and has brought them back unexpectedly, which has caused a divide in the community. The skins are Aerial Assault Trooper and Renegade Raider, which are one again available in Fortnite for players to get after eight long years. Fortnite’s much-awaited holiday update has finally arrived as Winterfest 2024 kicked off with a mini live event on the Chapter 6 Season 1 Battle Royale map. The event consisted of popular singer Mariah Carey breaking through ice and spreading Christmas cheer on the island with her signature song All I Want For Christmas Is You. After the live event was concluded, the singer became an NPC that can now be found on the island and grants free presents to players when they emote with her to the Christmas track. Epic has also returned the Yule Log Cabin (also known as Winterfest Cabin) and players can claim some free cosmetic rewards by opening gifts. With the introduction of the new OG mode, Fortnite has brought back the traditional Battle Royale gameplay. This mode returns players to the island they were on during the first season of Chapter 1. Not only has the island been brought back but the original art style, loot pool, weapon sounds, and even some of the original techniques that players use to win the coveted Victory Royale battle also returned. One of the most well-known broken tricks that gave rise to a powerful meta in the early days of Fortnite was the Double Pump. Despite the fact that the game still allows you to Rocket Ride your buddies toward an adversary and perform one-shot sniper kills, the most popular option remains the OG Double Pump.