Increasing Number Of Couples Divorcing Over Video Game Fortnite

Video games can be a good time and an effective way to relieve tension, but they're also capable of ruining hundreds of marriages, apparently.

According to a new report from Divorce Online, over 200 U.K. couples in 2018 alone cited Fortnite and other video games as a reason for their nuptials' end. Partners are seemingly growing tired of getting the cold shoulder from their Fortnite-addicted significant other. They're also not too fond of the duo's bank account being drained for more video games, indicates the report.

A representative from Divorce Online explained that the "digital revolution" has welcomed video game, porn, and social media addictions to the mix of drug, alcohol, and gambling addictions typically cited in divorce filings.

"These now include online pornography, online gaming and social media, so it is no surprise to us that more and more people are having relationship problems because of our digital addictions," said the spokesperson.

"These numbers equate to roughly 5 percent of the 4,665 petitions we have handled since the beginning of the year and as one of the largest filers of divorce petitions in the U.K. is a pretty good indicator," added the Divorce Online representative.

This year, the World Health Organization recognized video game addiction, or "gaming disorder," as a "disease."

"Video game addiction might be a real thing," wrote psychologists Patrick M. Markey of Villanova University and Christopher J. Ferguson of Stetson University about a recent study concerning gaming disorder. "But it is not the epidemic that some have made it out to be," they added, noting that only a small percent of the population suffer from the addiction (about 1% of the general population).

People who already maintain psychiatric disorders are more at risk for video game addiction, reported The Washington Post.

"Rates of depression, anxiety, ADHD are very high among this population. If you can treat those, that might make it easier to treat the Internet gaming disorder," said Andrew Saxon, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral science and a chair of the APA’s Council on Addiction Psychiatry.