A 45-year-old man has been arrested after allegedly threatening to shoot an 11-year-old child who beat him at the popular video game Fortnite. Michael Aliperti from New York was charged with second-degree aggravated harassment and acting in a manner to injure a child, according to local authorities, after sending text and voice messages to the boy. "Mr Aliperti did not directly threaten the school, but he did threaten the 11-year-old stating he knew where he went to school, so that was good enough for us," said Police Chief Stuart Cameron. According to court documents cited by NBC, Mr Aliperti threatened the life of his 11-year-old gaming rival, prompting police patrols of the child's school. "I am going to find you with a gun," he allegedly said.

Almost every video game is designed to make you want to play it. Fortnite, though, is especially good at keeping people coming back, week after week, match after match. This "stickiness", as game designers call it, is not down to some revolutionary new game design factor. Instead, Fornite has improved and repackaged ideas, creating an effective evolutionary step rather than a leap. While improving shooting skills and chasing a Victory Royale is satisfying, what keeps Fortnite players engaged second-to-second is loot, the items and weapons that can be found all around the map.

Fortnite fans are willing to pay well over the odds for physical copies of the hugely-successful video game, with some discs selling for as much as £750 ($999) on eBay and Amazon. The popular shooter is now available as a free download on a slew of devices, including Sony PS4, Windows PC, Xbox One, iOS and Nintendo Switch. Unlike the physical copy sold in stores, the digital download is free-to-play. The physical copies include a'Save the World' mode which can be downloaded onto digital versions for £30 ($40). A limited number of physical copies of the game were released worldwide last year, and surviving discs are now selling for hundreds online.

The World Health Organisation officially classifies gaming addiction as a disorder. The recent classification sought to address the growing use of digital technologies where people turn to electronic devices at the expense of other things such as work (or school), friendships and socializing. But evidence to support the idea that players are addicted to video games is lacking. Fortnite (pictured) has taken the world by storm. The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) strongly opposed the classification'as clearly prejudicial against gaming as a hobby and interest' and for a'broad' terminology.

The creators of the wildly popular video game Fortnite have issued a stark warning to players about scam websites. Epic Games, the developers of the hit game, have reportedly warned players about scam sites that offer free or heavily-discounted V-Bucks, the game's virtual currency. The scam sites are thought to primarily target unsuspecting younger players, drawing them in with the promise of V-Bucks for little to no cost before stealing their login credentials and money. Fortnite's stratospheric levels of popularity within just the past few months have made it a prime target for scammers looking to prey on children and unwary gamers, with players of the game reportedly spending a staggering $296 million (£221.7 million) on V-Bucks in April 2018 alone. In response to the rise of fraud websites designed to lure in hapless players and steal their money and login information, Epic Games sent an email to players urging them to be wary of potential scam websites.