*By Max Godnick*
Some child psychologists are starting to see young patients struggling with the effects of playing too much Fortnite, the apocalyptic survival video game played by more than 125 million people since it launched last summer.
"They are seeing kids who are coming in, their parents are concerned, they're having a lot of trouble putting the game down," Sara Miller, the health editor at Live Science, said in an interview with Cheddar about some anecdotal reports from mental health professionals.
Miller said some of the child psychologists who spoke to Live Science [described](https://www.livescience.com/62796-fortnite-addiction-therapy.html) children developing an addiction to the battle royale-style game from Epic Games. One psychologist told Live Science that parents should cap their children's Fortnite gameplay at no more than six hours a week.
Children obsessively playing video games is not a new phenomenon, but there may be some aspects of Fortnite that have a particularly strong pull on young gamers. The game's colorful cartoonish aesthetic obscures its violent goal ー kill everyone. It's relatively short rounds (about 20 minutes) keep gamers coming back for more. "It's like pulling a slot machine," said Miller.
Fortnite's popularity can also be attributed to its accessibility: It is available on XBox One, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, iOS, and Nintendo's Switch. It's also free.
"That makes the barrier of entry really, really low," said Miller.
Some Fortnite proponents said the game is potentially beneficial to young gamers' development by helping them figure out how to construct solutions to unexpected problems. Users can build walls and other structures for cover during firefights. Microsoft leveraged similar world-building tactics for learning purposes when it launched Minecraft: Education Edition in 2016.
Miller says constructing barriers to protect from grenade launchers is no substitute for actual social interaction.
"Nothing really beats going out and making eye contact with people and interacting with them in person," she said.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/is-fortnite-sending-kids-to-therapy).
Recent internal documents obtained by the New York Times reveal how exactly TikTok's algorithm works. The report highlights how the app is mainly focused on retaining two metrics which are retention and time spent. In addition, the document titled, "TikTok Algo 101" details how the algorithm understands human nature from when we get bored to our sensitivity and culture ques. It means the app monitors will kind of videos you like. Professor of Computer Science at the University of California in San Diego Julian McCauley, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Carlo and Baker discuss the sweeping new vaccine mandate in NYC that will target all private businesses. Plus, Trump's media venture gets its CEO and more.
The UK-based augmented reality startup, Dent Reality, raised the equivalent of $3.4 million USD in its most recent funding round. Dent Reality has created an AR app for smartphones that helps shoppers navigate retail locations by providing a layout of a store's aisles, while showing where to find specific items. The company works mainly with grocery stores but aims to integrate its tech with all types of physical spaces. Dent Reality CEO Andrew Hart joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
The world is amidst a skyscraper boom. In 2018, 146 buildings over 650 feet were constructed. That’s more than the total amount of skyscrapers constructed between 1979 and 1999. And all this construction is transforming our cities.
It’s no secret that America’s infrastructure is aging. The average American bridge is 43 years old. 49% of our streets and highways are in poor condition. That’s why rebuilding our roads is near the top of President Biden’s to-do list. But repaving is just surface level, some suggest we need to rethink the structures themselves.
Throughout history, humans have tried their best to predict what the future will look like. Today, it’s fun to look back and laugh at some of the wacky conceptual drawings of “cities of the future”. While the majority of these ideas look silly today, some concepts almost became our reality, if not for a few key shortcoming.
The streaming wars could be peaking as platforms vie for a shrinking pool of new subscribers and services like Disney+ recalibrate their outlooks as the rate of new memberships slows. Jana Arbanas, the U.S. telecom, media, and technology sector leader at Deloitte, joined Cheddar to discuss the 2022 outlook for streaming platforms, expecting more than 150 million people to cancel subscriptions adding to the global churn trend. "People are signing up for a service for a very specific piece of original, compelling content, watching that, perhaps, season of content, dropping that service, and then re-upping the service again when the next season comes out," Arbanas noted.
