It’s no secret that Fortnite is one of the most popular games on the planet. Since November of last year, the multiplayer battle royale has exploded from 20 million players to over 125 million worldwide. If it were a country, that would put it just behind Japan as the 11th most populous in the world. Unfortunately, for some of those players, Fortnite‘s addictive gameplay is starting to do damage beyond the battlefield: in their marriages.
According to divorce-online.co.uk, a U.K.-based site that provides services, advice, and an online community for people facing the end of their marriages, it has received 200 divorce petitions since the start of the year that identify an addiction to Fortnite as one of the causes for the split.
Marriages fail for myriad reasons, and there are likely other issues that go beyond a single video game. But other problems like lack of communication, lack of shared interests, and just plain lack of attention don’t get any easier to solve when you’re glued to a screen shooting at a bunch of cartoons day and night. Making matters worse, Fortnite (and other games like it) literally reward you for longer play, making it even tougher to stop.
Risking relationships isn’t the only reason to regulate your time spent playing video games. The World Health Organization added “gaming disorder” to its International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems this past June, citing the toll excessive gaming can take on a player’s physical and psychological health, such as damaged eyesight and sleep deprivation.
It’s also not to say all gaming is bad—WHO estimated only 2 to 3 percent of gamers have gaming disorder. Go ahead and have fun! But don’t wait until it’s too late to find out if those habits are hurting yourself or others around you. There’s always another match.
From: Esquire US
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