An eight-year-old game ended up in hospital following a match in Epic Games’ Fortnite.
The young gamer reportedly refused to use the bathroom as he was too engrossed in the game, leading him to be rushed to the local emergency room as the situation worsened.
The child’s parent told FOX13 News: “My son is stuck on that Fortnite game and was holding himself from the bathroom to continue playing.”
Dr. Mark Corkins, a Chief Pediatric Gastroenterology told the news site: “We all have that kind of desire to win and then it becomes so focused on the game that they likely ignore the cues,
“Those kids can develop significant constipation that can lead to things like abdominal pain, and some of them develop problems that they actually leak stool because there’s such a backup and they’re so full.
“As a parent, you have to look at this and say what’s the balance here? Is my child doing some sort of activity? Are they doing something active and most parents have a sense of that, but they need to actually step in and say ok that’s enough.”
The news comes nearly 12 months after the World Health Organisation accepted that gaming addiction is a real disease.
On its website, the WHO writes: “Studies suggest that gaming disorder affects only a small proportion of people who engage in digital- or video-gaming activities.
“However, people who partake in gaming should be alert to the amount of time they spend on gaming activities, particularly when it is to the exclusion of other daily activities, as well as to any changes in their physical or psychological health and social functioning that could be attributed to their pattern of gaming behaviour.”
The parent of the eight-year-old has said that Fortnite is now banned in their home.
Though FOX13 News reached out to the games’ developer, Epic Games, they did not receive a response at the time of writing.
Featured Image Credit: Epic Games