My 18 hour-a-day Fortnite addiction almost cost me everything – Tom Kershaw

I didn’t have to wait too long before I realised that I had a serious problem with my gaming.

The feelings – that longing urge to pick up my Xbox controller every day and night and play – I had were the same compulsive actions undertaken by people who drink one or two bottles of wine a night and can’t admit they’re alcoholics.

I became aggressive and agitated when I wasn’t playing games, particularly Fortnite – and it was a real problem in my personal life. When I went on holiday for a week last year I was subconsciously wanting to loot buildings to see if there were any chests inside.

I still didn’t think it was much of a problem, but it was deep underlying issue for me which started in October 2017. I wanted that controller in my hand whatever I was doing – I just loved playing it.

What is Fortnite?

The game Fortnite is essentially a free-to-play game, but it has spawned a lot of national headlines due to kids using its two button payment method to spend their parent’s cash on in-game buys.

Fortnite is very much an indulgence like no other game I had ever played before – even Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. It took me a few months to get into it, but once I paid £7.99 for the in-game battlepass, I became addicted to ranking up to level 100 and earning back the money I spent with rewards of in-game currency and characters (or skins as the cool kids call it).

Fortnite: Battle Royal is the main game mode which had everyone hooked from around January 2018. It essentially revolves around 100 players entering a map via a flying bus with nothing but a pick axe to forage for materials.

Within the world are buildings, guns and vehicles which are in need of searching for and utilise to your advantage. Gamers can also spend money to buy the in-game currency called V-bucks to purchase new characters.

Players then battle it out using building materials or gun power to eliminate their opponents so there is only one left standing. While all this is going on there is a designated area of the map which shrinks every couple of minutes so the players are fighting it out in close proximity.

I went through a stage over a couple of days of only getting five hours sleep before getting breakfast, dinner and tea, which accumulated to just under 18 hours on the Xbox.

I was so immersed, I had to rush to the toilet before the bus departed – and also get a glass of water…