Fortnite: Battle Royale (PC, PS4, Xbox One, Android, Switch, iOS) has made headlines again. In the USA, a man became so upset over a defeat in the game that he threatened an 11-year-old child with murder. This has serious consequences.
What happened? Michael Aliperti is a 45-year-old man who enjoys playing Fortnite. Among his known teammates on Xbox One was also an 11-year-old boy who lives in the same area (Long Island).
Murder threats via Xbox chat: After a match in Fortnite, Aliperti apparently got thoroughly beaten by the boy. This upset the 45-year-old so much that he started threatening the child severely afterward. He used Xbox voice chat and text messages on his smartphone to send the boy death threats.
In these, the man threatened among other things to shoot the child, harm his family, and even mentioned the boy’s school.
The police intervene
What happened then? The family of the threatened child, however, caught wind of the situation and immediately called the police. Therefore, Aliperti was soon visited at his home by the police at 1:30 AM local time on September 18, 2018, and taken into custody.
Defendant cites divorce as justification: Aliperti has been charged with aggravated harassment. He pleaded “not guilty” and stated through his lawyer that he is going through a tough time. He is actually in the middle of a divorce. The lawyer further stated that rude language in online games is just part of it.
Child placed under protection: The 11-year-old victim, on the other hand, was precautionarily placed under police protection, and heightened alertness is in effect at the boy’s school. After all, shootings in the USA – most recently during a mass shooting at a Madden eSports tournament – are not uncommon. On October 4, 2018, the case is set to continue.
In the case of games, judges in the USA have already made curious rulings. Once, a violent teenager was banned from playing all games except Mario Kart.
Fortnite is a great fun for many children, but it can also cause problems. Here is what concerned parents can do to better deal with their children’s favorite game:
