Israel's power company has asked the makers of Fortnite to no longer allow avatars to scale electric poles in the popular online video game, saying it risked encouraging dangerous copycat behavior among children.
Launched in 2017 by North Carolina-based Epic Games, Fortnite is a survival-themed battle game that pits dozens of online players against each other. It signed up tens of millions of users for its "battle royale" format, which allows dozens of players to fight each other to the death until the last survivor remains.
In a June 10 letter to Epic Games, Israel Electric Corp said Fortnite characters can "climb up electricity poles freely and without restriction" – a real-life stunt done by some Israeli youths that the power company said it had been trying for years to stem through an educational campaign.
"We recently learned about a disturbing and worrying phenomenon that was brought to our attention by people who know and are exposed to your company's Fortnight game," said the letter, shared with Israel Hayom.
"This game allows players to climb up electricity poles freely and without restriction. … As a leading international gaming company, you are responsible for the personal safety of your consumers. We, therefore, ask you to take action to remove dangerous content that encourages life-risking situations related to the use of electricity, such as climbing poles and public lighting facilities."
Epic Games did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In April, Iraq's parliament voted to ban Fortnite and another popular online video game, citing their "negative" influence – especially on the young – in a country long plagued by real-life bloodshed. Fortnite has also been banned in the Indian state of Gujarat.
