Parents sue Epic Games, creator of Fortnite, because it's addictive.

Burlington Free Press: Fortnite as addictive as cocaine? Parents sue makers of popular game.

Epic Games, the maker of the third-person shooter game Fortnite, is being sued by parents who claim the game is as addictive and harmful as cocaine.

The Montreal-based law firm Calex Legal is representing parents of 10- and 15-year-old gamers. The parents allege the Fortnite makers did not warn players of the addictive nature of the game.

According to an article in USA Today, the legal action claims that when engaged in playing the game, the brain's pleasure center releases dopamine which creates addiction. It also claims psychologists and statisticians helped design the game over a four year period to "develop the most addictive game possible."

"Gaming Disorder" became a recognized health condition last year by the World Health Organization. It is "characterized by impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences."

Epic games has 30 days to respond to the legal action.

It's easier, and potentially more financially rewarding, to blame a third party because parenting is too hard.