Every few years, a video game gets so popular with children that someone decides there must be something wrong with it. When I was a kid, it was Pokémon; when my stepson was little, it was Minecraft; now, of course, it is Fortnite, a colourful, battle royal-style shooter that's currently so popular that pop star Drake and footballer Dele Alli are fans. When children get into things, they tend to do so quite intensely. There is nothing wrong with a kid getting so into Fortnite that she wants to play it all the time; it's just passion. Naturally we shouldn't let them play it all the time, in the same way as we'd probably step in to prevent a 10-year-old watching six episodes of Stranger Things in a row. But there is nothing sinister about the current obsession with Fortnite, or with the game itself.

The Culture Secretary has warned that addictive video games have a negative and damaging impact on children's lives. Minister Matt Hancock made the comments amid concerns from parents over the massively popular multiplayer game Fortnite. The game, which is a'survival shooter', has been downloaded more than 40 million times and has been endorsed by stars such as footballer Dele Alli and rapper Drake. Parents are concerned about the impact the multiplayer'survival shooter' game Fortnite (pictured) could have on their children The Culture Secretary said that excessive screen time is damaging the lives of young children. Fortnite sees up to 100 players play against each other in a variety of game modes and is free to play.