Children prefer virtual reality Fortnite to real life
CHILDREN obsessed with the popular online game Fortnite get more satisfaction from virtual reality than from real life, an expert has claimed.
The ‘vivid and thrilling’ alternatives to the everyday world that can be found playing violent games such as Fortnite are simply more appealing, according to researcher Andrew Reid.
The number of people joining the online gaming community will grow to 2.7billion by 2021, according to estimates.
Concerns are growing that Fortnite, a game of survival in which each player aims to be the last one standing, is leading to growing numbers of children glued to screens.
Earlier this month, it emerged that a nine- year-old girl was in rehab after becoming so addicted to Fortnite that she wet herself in order not to have to stop playing.
But Mr Reid, a doctoral researcher in game design at Glasgow Caledonian University, has disputed claims that online games are addictive.
He said: ‘In a world where terror haunts the streets of major cities, mental health problems are on the rise and international relations have become worryingly strained, people are increasingly seeking escape in the vivid and thrilling experiences of online gaming worlds.
‘Games like Fortnite provide gratification in a way that the real world is currently unable to satisfy.’
Mr Reid believes Fortnite players are ‘motivated’ by different reasons, including playing with others, winning or entertaining their fellow players, being part of a community and learning new skills.
He said these factors, and not addiction, is why they ‘persist in playing’ and that game-playing is simply satisfying ‘basic human desires’ He added: ‘Evidence to support the idea that players are addicted to video games is lacking.’
However, the World Health Organisation has recently announced moves officially to classify gaming addiction as a disorder.
It said: ‘Gaming disorder is a pattern of gaming behaviour characterised by impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes precedence and continuation despite negative consequences.’
Seven years in the making, the sudden rise of Fortnite, which is available across most console and mobile platforms, has found fans across the globe.
Players battle to survive on an island against other online participants, fighting and killing each other until only one person is left.
Primary schools across the UK have warned parents to keep their children away from the game, amid fears it is affecting their concentration at school and making them obsessed with guns and killing.