Premier League stars treated for Fortnite video game addiction

At least a dozen professional footballers are under treatment for addiction to a video game that Prince Harry wants to ban.

More and more young players are seeking therapy for a detrimental obsession for Fortnite – which has been endorsed by big British stars such as Harry Kane and Dele Alli.

In one case, two footballers from the same club were healed after the survival match began to affect their performance on the field, revealed an addiction therapist.

And another young player tells us how Fortnite – who has already provoked a storm in the face of the growing addiction of teenage girls – almost ended his career by making him skip workouts and only sleep two hours per night.

That made him so messed up that many coaches asked him if he had problems at home.

"I was in pieces," he said. "I became addicted in two weeks. All these years of training and dedication. I was ready to throw everything away. "

Meanwhile, it is thought that more and more footballers are imposing fines on their clubs for their late participation in training because of the game in which you are one of the 100 players who face each other to be the last on a contraction island.

Steve Pope, a high-level substance abuse therapist who has worked as a psychologist at clubs such as Manchester United and Burnley for more than 20 years, warns today, "Prince Harry is right that Fortnite should be banned, but he should have said it months ago. "

He said the game was only the tip of an iceberg, while more addictive applications were coming to the market.

"There is a whole range of similar Battle Royale games ready to replace Fortnite," said Steve.

"I'm starting to see people addicted to PubG and Apex Legends – ban one, two will replace it."

The Fortnite threat is also developing in American sport. Concerns have been expressed about possible addiction among baseball players and the NFL.

"These games do not create addiction by chance," said Steve.

"Developers spend millions to create them. It's a very lucrative business for them, but lives are ruined.

"I am currently working with about 50 gaming enthusiasts. At least a quarter are footballers – all play at Fortnite. What is really worrisome is that gambling addiction has the highest rate of suicide attempts of any drug addict I see. "

He accepts that some stars can play the game and be at their best in the field.

The figures obtained by the Sunday Mirror show Kane, 25, has played 3,362 games of Fortnite since July 2017.

His friends Spi, Alli, 22, and Kieran Trippier, 28, played 4,437 and 3,760 respectively. But other younger professionals are at fault.

In one case, Steve was called to advise two players from the same championship.

He said: "Fortnite has been in football for over a year. I work with a North West team where two backs are fighting for the same position on the field and fighting against Fortnite.

"They played until 5am, some evenings, which had a positive impact on their performances in matches and training.

"While drinking, drugs and gambling are being watched in football, the game is under the radar."

A young pro – called Sam to protect his identity – told us how, after the heroes Alli and Kane, Fortnite lover, let his career hang from a thread.

At age 20, he is part of a team of the North West Football League. He started playing the game in November and said that he would soon be doing one night sessions every 10 hours and miss the workout.

Sam said, "My club m signed at 17 and everyone said I had the potential to be of high flying.

"Then my friends told me about this game, so I watched live streams and it looked like a safe pleasure."

Sam said that seeing his heroes play football made him even more attractive. In addition, players can play on a team to help a main survivor.

Sam said, "A friend played with Harry Kane, and I saw Dele Alli doing a fortified dance in a goal celebration. The whole world seemed to be about Fortnite. At Christmas, I had an alarm during 6 am to be able to play before the training.

"I'll play until 4 in the morning. Soon, I was late for training most days and outside of my sport. The coaches asked me if I had problems at home.

"I lied saying that Mom and Dad were fighting each other, which made me feel bad."

On the verge of losing his contract, Sam asked for help. "A month ago, I was late for a game and my coaches made waves," he said.

"They said they should call my parents. I panicked. I told everything to mom and dad. They had read the existence of Steve Pope and called him.

"He told me to reduce my playing time to two hours a day and keep a log of the situation of my football. As soon as I realized that I was regaining my old form, I decided to never play again.

Sam is in agreement with Prince Harry.

"He was right about Fortnite being created to create an addiction.

"Most parents will take a look at it, make sure it's a 12-year-old clbad and think it's good. It's worse than drinking and taking drugs. There is no health warning. "

Survivors games to watch

Fortnite is not the only game that parents need to know.

These games fall into the same category "shoot-em-up and surviv".

Battlefields of PlayerUnknown:

India is debating the desirability of banning this after a boy has committed suicide when his mother has reproached him for playing.

It is a survival game developed by a South Korean company in which players are dropped on an island and must be eliminated.

Apex Legends:

The rival of the Royal Battle, rival of Fortnite, boasts of having a more "realistic" atmosphere and atmosphere. EA's game has won 50 million registered players in the first month after its release.

Dying light: bad blood:

This new game on the rise is a demand from the players of an older version to make it more "brutal". A royal battle infested with zombies in the usual format of the last player standing

Z1 Battle Royale:

A first version of this Daybreak game offer was available before Fortnite. The developers are now trying to win back hundreds of thousands of players.

Planetside Arena:

With its solo games or three-player teams, Planetside Arena is a 150-player battle that came to the scene in January.