00:00Fortnite may have captured the attention and obsession of nearly 250 million gamers,
00:05but there is one very prominent person who thinks the game has got to go.
00:08Prince Harry criticized the popular free-to-play video game during a recent visit to the YMCA
00:13in West London, as quoted by the BBC. The father-to-be in Six and Lion to the Throne
00:18called the game more addictive than drugs and alcohol and warned parents that it is
00:22irresponsible to let their children play it. He went on to say that the game shouldn't
00:26be allowed in the U.K.
00:27Unfortunately, it seems Harry has more chance of becoming king than seeing his wish for the
00:32game to be eradicated come to fruition. Fortnite is currently one of the most popular video
00:36games in the world and generated $2.4 billion in revenue just last year alone.
00:41Its profits are driven by a free-to-play business model which allows anyone to download
00:45the game for free, while optional in-game purchases called microtransactions are available
00:50often for minimal amounts. Prince Harry is certainly not the first person to raise
00:54concerns over the game. Last year, a change.org petition started in jest by two teenage girls
00:59to get rid of Fortnite quickly sparked a real conversation over video game usage. The petition,
01:04no longer active, attracted over 2,000 signatures. And the game is even being blamed for the
01:09dissolution of marriages with around 200 couples in the U.K. citing Fortnite addiction as the
01:14reason for their divorce in 2018. Kind of makes leaving the toilet seat up seem not so bad, huh?
01:19Meanwhile, violent video games have long been considered culpable by the media for the steady
01:24increase in real-world violence, especially given the lifelike imagery of popular games today.
01:29Last year, in the wake of the February 14 Parkland massacre, which left 17 dead, the Trump
01:33administration addressed the issue of violent video games and released a video condemning them.
01:38Said Trump at the time,
01:39Epic Games, the makers of Fortnite, declined to comment when contacted by The Hollywood Reporter.
01:54To read more on this story, head to THR.com. For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Lyndsey Rodrigues.
01:59Yes.
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