WGN in Chicago had a news piece over the weekend that I heartily and snickeringly commend to the reader, “‘‘Addictive as cocaine’: Parents sue Fortnite creators.” Now we have the old saw and trope of a video game being addictive. Some parents in the Montreal Canada area, are now suing Epic Games with that assignation of guild in mind. (And I thought all Canadians were really polite!

I remember as the oldster in me likes to say, when very early games were judged addicting by the moralilsts, including Pong of all things. But back then in the early 1970’s that was basically all that was to be had and played with.

I supppose if you define gaming addiction by the amount of time its sucks out of the player, and how many real life tasks and roles it causes failure in, they can be addicting.

One of the comical things coming out of this story is that the law firm driving the suit, noted in a press release that the game released dopamine like cocaine does in the brains of players. As my son and all his friends, would say in mocking sarcasm, “Well YEAH!”So does watching pro football on tv, would say my spokesperson son of 19 years age and wisdom based on years of gaming. He noted that he does not gamble, do compulsive things, ignore his role in life, fall behind in his studies, waste away, etc.

He did have the final say on this latest tempest in a teacup. He and his friends over the weekend, decided the only way the game could be truly addictive like cocaine, was “if they sprinkled cocaine on the controller.”

Nuff’ said.

F