The British royals have a problem with battle royale.
Prince Harry, speaking at a YMCA in West London, addressed the controversial topic of video game addiction, coming down hard on the most popular video game of the moment—Fortnite—reports the Daily Express.
“The game shouldn’t be allowed,” he said. “It’s created to addict. An addiction to keep you in front of a computer for as long as possible. It’s so irresponsible.”
Prince Harry also reportedly took social media to task, calling it “more addictive than drugs and alcohol” on the same day Prince Henry and Meghan, duchess of Sussex, set an Instagram record, gathering 1 million followers for their new account in five hours and 45 minutes.
Game addiction has been an increased focus of scientists lately and an intense topic of debate. The World Health Organization has classified “gaming disorder” as an “addictive behavior,” but some mental health professionals said that neither necessary nor accurate.
Regardless of its medical status, Fortnite has certainly been blamed for lots of problems. Major League Baseball players and pro hockey teams have cited the game as hurting their sports. And the game has even been cited in divorce cases.
In his talk with mental health experts, Prince Harry urged parents to have their kids interact more with the outside world and take away their controllers and tablets. while acknowledging that many parents don’t know how to handle the situation.
Fortnite, last year, became the latest game to generate more than $1 billion in revenue, largely through the purchase of in-game content like season passes and dance emotes. The game has 200 million registered users.
