A girl played 10 hours Fortnite straight and probably forgot everything else. She wet herself and hit her father. Now she is in therapy to combat her Fortnite addiction. The girl’s mother is calling for a ban on Fortnite.
No time for the toilet: The British site Mirror reports on the case of a 9-year-old girl who was so fascinated by Fortnite that she would rather wet herself than go to the bathroom and interrupt the game. The girl reportedly played for ten hours a day – secretly and at night.
Girl wets herself and hits her father
Gradual development: The parents bought the girl an Xbox One in January. She was allowed to play for one hour during the week and two hours on weekends. In March, the parents noticed that their child was behaving differently:
- The girl’s teacher called and asked if everything was okay with her, as her grades had dropped and she had fallen asleep in class twice.
- When confronted, the girl denied everything. The parents thought it was just puberty. The hormones were to blame.
- Then the girl started doing less and less sports, canceled ballet classes, and also stopped going to church on Sundays because she was too tired for that.
- Additionally, there were smaller, but regular charges on the credit card from Microsoft, amounting to about €56 a month.
- The girl confessed that she was spending the money on Fortnite.
- After that, the girl was angrily deprived of her Xbox, during which she hit her father.
Caught at night: But the parents remained suspicious. One night, the girl’s father saw that light was still coming from her room. The girl was sitting there in a urine-soaked sheet playing Fortnite. The next morning, the girl tearfully admitted that she had been waiting until her parents fell asleep for two months to then play Fortnite until the early morning hours.
Mother horrified: Her shocked mother (36) says she had no idea what she was getting into when she let her daughter play Fortnite. The “addictive nature” of Fortnite had taken a toll on her daughter’s mental health.
Now in therapy: The girl is now in therapy to combat her addiction. She is on a good path to reintegrate into life.
Mother wants the state to intervene
Mother calls for a ban: The mother says this is a serious matter that is destroying her little girl’s life. Someone needs to intervene and ban Fortnite before the game turns into an epidemic.
Fortnite as a gateway to addiction and gambling
British tabloid media view Fortnite critically: The Mirror quotes a psychologist who supports these claims. He is aware of many such cases. According to him, it is partly due to soccer stars who celebrate with gestures from Fortnite, bringing the game into the public eye. Fortnite is a “perfect gateway drug into gambling and addiction.”
Psychologists recommend moderation
Psychologists urge self-regulation: We have often dealt with the topic here at Mein-MMO:
- Many psychologists advise parents to set clear limits for video games and engage with their children and what they play. They see something positive in Fortnite due to its social component.
- Other psychologists, on the other hand, support a clear ban on games like Fortnite, as they see them as violent games.
From what age are children allowed to play Fortnite? The USK in Germany has issued a recommendation of “from 12 years” for Fortnite. However, the recommendation was based on the PVE part “Save the World”. Games that are sold exclusively online, such as “Fortnite: Battle Royale,” do not need to be submitted for review.
