Skip to main content

No Fault or Not, Fortnite Is Apparently to Blame for 200 Divorces

By Lisa M. Schaffer, Esq. on September 20, 2018 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Fortnite has become a real epidemic. Not only has it been instrumental in the World Health Organization's declaration that "gaming disorder" is a mental health condition, now it has been linked as the cause for 200 divorces in the United Kingdom.

Fortnite -- by the Numbers

To put the Fortnite craze into some perspective, there are over 125 million registered Fortnite players around the world. One third of the Forniters play six to 10 hours per week, and over a third play the game more than 11 hours per week, about 90 minutes per day. That's quite a hobby dedication, and definitely not a couple's activity. With roughly 72% of Fortnite players identifying as male, even in no-fault states, it's apparent who's at Fortnite Fault.

What's Up With the Fortnite Addiction?

Fortnite has been called a marriage of Minecraft and Hunger Games. Good to know one marriage came out of it! A player begins the game dropped into an online environment that has 100 players. It quickly becomes a blend of gaming and social media, which we all understand to be two highly addictive mediums. Blended together in a high-quality graphic interface with a headset, its easy to see how immersive the game can be.

Epic Games, Fortnite's developer, is no fool. The company has been around for over 25 years, which is quite a stretch in the gaming world. It's Unreal Engine, a developer tool used to make Fortnite, is widely viewed as the best engine in the industry. In addition to powerful social media tools such as humor, the game also uses "stealth habit-forming features" such as luck and "near-misses", which are two known win-related mechanisms in brain-circuitry. Every gambler knows it's hard to walk away, thinking something good may be right around the corner, especially when you've just clenched victory from the jaws of defeat. Perhaps mortal marriages don't stand a chance in the Battle Royale.

If your significant other has a Fortnite addiction, evidently you have two choices: call a therapist or a divorce attorney. Regardless of which you choose, evidently you won't be the first such client, and probably not the last.

Related Resources:

Copied to clipboard