Why Prince Harry Wants To Ban 'Irresponsible' Fortnite

Prince Harry - Good Morning America Interview

To some folks, Fortnite may seem relatively harmless. The popular online video game has earned hundreds of millions of players and it has proved enjoyable for gamers all around the world. However, there's one person who isn't a fan: Prince Harry. The Duke of Sussex has voiced his disdain for Fornite, calling it "irresponsible" and claiming that the game "shouldn't be allowed." If he had his way, in fact, he'd ban it altogether. Here's what Prince Harry had to say about the video game series:

That game shouldn't be allowed. Where is the benefit of having it in your household? It's created to addict, an addiction to keep you in front of a computer for as long as possible. It's so irresponsible. It's like waiting for the damage to be done and kids turning up on your doorsteps and families being broken down.

Prince Harry's strongly-held opinions about the matter were discussed during an event held at the YMCA in West London (via CBS News). While it is unusual to hear a member of British royalty's opinion about a video game, Fortnite is obviously not any ole game. It is a video game of astronomical, wide-spread prevalence in pop culture. Hell, there is even a Monopoly version of Fortnite out there. Prince Harry made it extremely clear that he considers Fortnite to be a bad influence on people around the world, believing that it creates "addicts" who are kept in front of their computers "for as long as possible." He is worried about the damaging effects this video game might cause on children, young adults and fully-grown adults alike.

Now that Prince Harry is soon set to be a father, he might be growing more critical about the potentially detrimental factors of Fortnite in our current society. If he believes there is a massive part of pop culture that creates severe damage to people's lives, he has the platform to voice his discontent. Whether he is right or wrong, he has the power to let his voice be heard, and that's exactly what The Duke of Sussex did. While that influence can be debatable when it comes to video games, he wants to let people know that he thinks the video game is not only harmful but something that should be outright banned before it creates more harm.

It's highly unlikely that Prince Harry's stern words about Fortnite and its humongous popularity are going to make much of a difference. The game is beloved by many, and while it might very well be super addictive, it doesn't sound like The Duke of Sussex is really persuading people to get off their computers and maybe stretch their legs and get some fresh air instead. Whether he likes it or not, Fortnite continues to be massively influential, and that is unlikely to change anytime soon. Still, Prince Harry made it very apparent that he isn't looking to join their ranks anytime soon.

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Will Ashton

Will is an entertainment writer based in Pittsburgh, PA. His writing can also be found in The Playlist, Cut Print Film, We Got This Covered, The Young Folks, Slate and other outlets. He also co-hosts the weekly film/TV podcast Cinemaholics with Jon Negroni and he likes to think he's a professional Garfield enthusiast.