Quebec - A Canadian judge approved a class-action lawsuit brought by three parents who said their children were addicted to video game Fortnite.

The plaintiffs said their children gave up sleeping, eating and showering because they were tied upto the game.

Fortnite has become one of the most lucrative game franchises in the world by selling character "skins". The popular online game has amassed more than 350 million players online which for a few led to addiction.

While the game is free to play, players pay to use in-game money called "V Bucks". The game reportedly made more than $9bn worldwide.

In court filings, the plaintiffs said that the World Health Organization recognised video-game addiction in 2018.

The lawsuit is against the game's maker, Epic Games, and its Canadian subsidiary.

Epic Games argued that video-game addiction is not a recognised psychological disorder.

One of the children cited in the lawsuit played over 7,700 hours of the game in less than two years.

The legal action claims the game was deliberately developed to be "highly addictive".

Quebec Superior Court Justice Sylvain Lussier ruling that the lawsuit was not "frivolous", likened current understanding of video-game addiction to early awareness of tobacco addiction: "The harmful effect of tobacco was not recognised or admitted overnight."

He ruled that players who live in Quebec and experienced symptoms of addiction after playing the Battle Royale edition of Fortnite since 1 September 2017 can join the legal action.
-BBC