How we ‘lost’ our 9-year-old son to Fortnite

TWO months ago my wife and I made the worst decision of our life.

After being pestered for weeks to install Fortnite on the PS4 by our eldest son, 9, we finally relented.

Oh how we wish we could turn the clock back.

Simply, it was the day we lost our son.

A once happy, outgoing kid who would spend hours kicking a soccer ball around the backyard has turned into a virtual recluse.

Our son now spends all his spare time shut off in the movie room with the doors closed in a black hole we are unable to penetrate.

Meal times come and go without our eldest son – if we are lucky he might dart out and take two or three bites of food before bolting back into the darkness.

For those not in the know or a ‘Noob’ (a person who is inexperienced in a particular sphere or activity, especially computing or the use of the Internet) as my son now calls me, Fortnite is a shoot ’em up strategy game and a combination of Minecraft and Call of Duty.

It involves firearms but is free of blood, so provides less reason – on the surface – to be considered dangerous.

But then there’s the addictive aspect to the game.

Because kids are playing in groups and teams, it requires them to use strategy and to communicate with each other in real-time. It’s like Facebook for kids.

The only time we hear our son’s voice now is when he is telling his army of friends to descend on Tilted Towers or they need to escape the approaching storm.

Where gaming in my day used to be a solo activity, it has now become a social activity amongst children. One of our son’s new team-mates is from the US – and he’s even started talking to him in an American accent.

He is also playing with his school friends, old neighbours, and more worryingly adults.

Recently one adult warned our son not to play with a certain character as he was a ‘pedo’.

As they stay in constant touch on their headsets, they are often creating stronger bonds with kids they rarely see than their friends and family who they see all the time.

Most weekends for us now start the same.

Our son has long pulled out of all weekend sport because it would be time away from his valuable game time.

Now, he sets his alarm before he goes to bed so he can wake at 6am on Saturday morning to get online.

For the next 18 hours…