The devastating real effects of the virtual game Fortnite, as well as warned pediatricians and psychologists

Pediatrician Lynne Karlson of Tufts Medical Center in Boston began to notice that some patients were demonstrating adult problems, such as carpal tunnel syndrome or obesity due to sedentary lifestyleor And Michael Rich, director of the clinic about Interactive Media and Internet Disordersat the Children's Hospital of that city, observed an increase in school absences and the abandonment of social and sports activities.

Most of the people affected are little males who have a pbadion in common: the game online Fortnite.

"It interferes with the dream," Karlson told WSB TV. "They often play late at night or get up early and do not sleep enough".

"We have the case of a child who destroys the family car because he thought his parents had kept his camera inside, "added Rich in a dialogue with The globe of Boston. "He broke the windshield with a hammer."

Y Epic Games, the company that developed the popular game -A platform in which they participate More than 200 million users, many of them between six and 10 hours a week- have a forum on their site to take care of who suffer from hypertension to play.

Although the upset video game -He called him World Health Organization (WHO) recognizing that it is a mental health problem, cases like that of Fortnite have something special. "A handful of important factors combine to make it is more difficult to stop the games today."explained the Boston newspaper.

"Better technology has made games more more interactive, more participative, more artistic, "said Douglas Gentile, professor of psychology at Iowa State University and author of the book Violent video game effects on children and adolescents (The effects of violent video games on children and adolescents). "And, what is more insidious, the designers have learned a lesson from the creators of slot machines and they started using a variable reward program, according to Ofir Turel, professor of computer systems at California State University in Fullerton. "

The expert explained to World this psychological manipulation is combined with variety of possible arguments at Fortnite and with his social interaction. "Children are particularly vulnerable to this variable reward mechanism because they have almost completely developed the brain's reward processing systems, but their self-monitoring systems are not fully deployed"he said.

Psychologist Kate Roberts told WSB TV that she had noticed a increase in the number of children treated for Fortnite abuse. "They are starting to want it," he said. "If they play more than two hours, they enter this state of dependence. Dopamine in their brain starts to react to the game and, when they leave, they suffer crisis due to lower dopamine levels. They get angry, irritable or close. "

Technology, however, is not all the problem. Rich said that all patients with Fortnite abuse they also have another underlying problem. "In fact, we currently use the expression of Problematic use of interactive media (PIMU), not as a diagnosis but as a syndrome: a group of symptoms diagnoses ranging from attention deficit disorder to distress and depression, or mood disorders that manifest themselves in the interactive media environment"

A year and a half after the launch of the game that has become a global phenomenon, pediatricians and psychologists describe paintings in which "the stress of the family is so intense that parents go into couples therapy, discussing the responsibility of allowing Fortnite to enter the house, "the newspaper said.

Sometimes, the demonstrations are confusing. Children from the Boston Children's Hospital described cases of Miners with such a weight loss that pediatricians have ordered many laboratory tests to find a physical cause I will explain it. Tara McCarthy, a nutritionist at the institution, said that it was in fact, children who refused to stop playing to eat.

Samuel Roth, a psychologist, explained why it may be more difficult than expected to limit the game. "The parents make an agreement with the children:" You can play for an infinite time. "The kids say yes because they're anxious to start playing. Everyone feels good until they leave the game and children can not comply with the agreement. Parents feel immensely hurt. It destroys the fabric of family trust. "

In very extreme cases, like Rich's patient who broke the windshield of his parents' car, the therapy can be difficult. This child spent 11 days in boarding school and had to stop playing abruptly.

Karlson recommended a early intervention, for example by always limiting video games to a maximum of two hours and be aware of manifestations of isolation or depression, which are usually the first signs of trouble.