Video Game Addiction in Youths

Parents are turning to the help of trained professionals as popular free too play game Fortnite is taking over the life of their children. The game is currently being actively played by a shocking 200 million users. The game is presented as a free to play childish shooter game with no signs of blood and gore but instead it approaches the battle royale genre in a comical style that is able to hook a younger audience into its grudges. Fortnite is described as "cuddly on the outside" by online news source Polygon as the game invites the player to its realm free of charge but in reality the game has made over $1.2 billion on the sale of in-game currency V-Bucks allows the player to purchase customisation features for their characters through micro transactions. The game manages to brainwash youths into getting their friends into the game as one can play both solo and in groups. Even if the player decides to drop the game they will still end up hear their friends talking about it as the game has become this year's craze.

While the game is free, Epic has created opportunities to sell hundreds of dollars of add-ons -- including exotic weapons and “skins,” such as Dark Voyager, a black space suit with reflective striping -- on credit cards. The company recently partnered with the National Football League to sell jerseys based on players’ favorite teams.

“Parents have lost substantial amounts of money by notpaying attention to whether their credit card is tied to the game console,”said Marer, the behavioral specialist.

Many schools are concerned for their students as the game is it taking over both of their social and academic life. In fact several Australian schools have issued advice to parents about potential for bullying or abuse as many teachers have noticed changes in their student's behaviour as many are putting Fortnite as their number one priority instead of focusing on homework and school. This is especially concerning for younger generations; despite not everyone being the same at this age children are easily influenced by the media. 

“If kids are letting other responsibilities slide because they’re playing Fortnite every night, if they’re not getting homework done, that’s a problem. But I don’t know if it  changes their behaviour, I’m sceptical of that. It depends on the child.”

In my personal opinion this whole idea around addiction is up to the parent's actions on how they approach the matter. One should be mature enough to do his research and monitor what their children are exposing themselves to. In reality this is a hard task to do as this generation is growing with technology in their hands from an early age. The whole hype around the game will eventually die out and a new game will emerge as the top dog, as a parent one has to be able to assess the content their children are accessing and set boundaries for their kids. The concept of violence in games is something common but as a parent one should do his best and follow the age restrictions set on the market for video games while also being able to explain that it's just a game that should not reflect reality. Children are easily influenced by violent games as many studies have shown that aggression in games results in destructive behaviour; this is why parents should be more concerned before it is too late.

One of the many social aspects the game offers is the option to purchase dances and moves that have become popular with people even in everyday life. Football player Dele Alli showed just how big of a deal it has become by doing one of the dances as his goal celebration after he scored the opener against Man United in the FA Cup semi-final. As one can see the game has reached out to many so called influencers and got them to play the game at some point or another even if the content they produce on their YouTube channel has nothing to do with the game. As a method of exposure to youth's the game's designers Epic Games invited various celebrities and streamers to showcase their game in a competitive tournament environment in which professionals teamed up with actors and sport athletes to show them to ropes of the game. 

At the end of the day gaming addiction has become a reality but it can be highly debated on control from both parents and the individual himself. In serious cases children have been reported to log into the game up to 12 hours a day; in the case of 

          Michigan mom Debbie Vitany said in the article that her son Carson, 17, has   been logging into play Fortnite up to 12 hours a day. 

 His grades have nose-dived. And teachers have complained he's fallen asleep in class. 

"We’d made some progress in getting him to cut down his Fortnite hours and get better sleep, but he’s slipped back into his old habits,” Vitany said. "I've never seen a game that has such control over kids’ minds."

Confronting new crazes is inevitable in such an intertwined society. One way or another being a parent, student or an adult that simply has no care for such things will eventually hear the news and formulate their own opinion on the game. Is it a waste of time? Is it a way of making new friends and socialising? Do the positives outweigh the negatives? These are all questions one has to answer when discussing any game; in the end one has to realise that they are in control of what they decide to view. People have to be able to realise when a game is taking over their own life goals and priorities as the achievements one can achieve in game do not translate into the real world.