New Popular Video Game 'Fortnite: Battle Royale' Has Become an Obsession and Addiction for Teens

The highly addictive video game is driving parents crazy as they try to find a way to get their kids away from the screen.

By Cintia Feliz March 16, 2018

The “Hunger Games”- style survival game Fortnite is driving kids and parents crazy, but for different reasons.

Fortnite, which gathers 100 players at a time to fight against each other until one person or team is left standing, has attracted 40 million players since it first came out last fall. Within the first two weeks of its debut, 10 million players had already joined, according to nypost.com.

“I am obsessed,” 13-year-old Kips Bay resident Harris Benyacar admitted to nypost.com. “Fortnite is special. I never wanted to play so much in my life.”

The video game is free to play, but players need to pay for in-game costumes and animations to customize their character. Benyacar says he’s spent about $45 on extras using his mom’s credit card.

“You’re only cool if you play Fortnite,” Benyacar’s 11-year-old sister Dara told nypost.com.

Parents have been looking for ways to get their kids unhooked.

Benyacar’s mother has instituted an electronic cutoff of 9:30 p.m. However, Benyacar has admitted to trying to pull an all-nighter and remotely playing his friend until after 2 a.m.

“I’ve hidden the remote controls and the headset a bunch of times,” Upper East Side parent Lisa Spector told nypost.com. Dylan Reiner, her 14-year-old son, has become so obsessed that he will not stop to eat dinner.

Accessibility for Fortnite users is continuing to grow as the game has launched a list where iOS users can sign up for invitations to eventually play on their phones. Fornite has even found its way into schools, as teens are downloading it onto their computers to play during class, according to nypost.com.

Fortnite. It has become an obsession for teens and a nightmare for parents.