The US state of Kentucky has banned the popular video game Fortnite from being played in public schools across the state citing concerns of encouraging violent tendencies among players.
The KHSAA – Kentucky High School Athletic Association in a unanimous decision issued a statement in this regard criticizing Fortnite’s depiction of gun violence claiming that shooter games had no place in state schools.
Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite had recently signed a partnership agreement with PlayVS group to organize Fortnite multiplayer events alongside other video games such as League of Legends, Smite and Rocket League.
A spokesperson for PlayVS questioned the KHSAA’s authority to ban a specific Esport from its tournament schedule calling it outside the jurisdiction of schools’ regulatory authority.
The KHSAA had earlier took issue with the portrayal of violence in League of Legends last year but did not ban the game and instead enforced mandatory parental approval for students taking part in these gaming events being organized in schools.
Fortnite is a popular online multiplayer video game developed by Epic games having more than 125 million active players across multiple platforms and is routinely featured in esports championships all over the globe.
Fans of the game took to social media criticizing the Kentucky School Board’s decision to ban Fortnite calling it a counterproductive and misguided move.
