The video game Fornite has become so popular around the world and in the hockey scene to the extent that the Vancouver Canucks have officially banned the game while out on the road.
In an interview with TSN 1040 on Tuesday, Bo Horvat, who’s about to enter his fifth season in the NHL, confirmed that Canucks players are now restricted from playing the game because “Fortnite, is a waste of your time.”
The 23-year-old went on to further explain that Fortnite was limiting players from spending quality time with each other interacting with each other.
Later on in the interview, which can be heard here, Horvat added that “Hopefully a lot of parents and little kids are listening right now. I don’t play it. Nor will I ever.”
Over the summer, TSN’s Rick Westhead sent out a tweet regarding NHL teams asking players to shut down Fornite references on their social media accounts.
While there’s no denying that video games can impact a player’s time away from the game, the bigger question becomes: is video games really the problem? Or, is this the younger generations simply needing to learn how to properly manage their time away from the rink?
Video games can certainly be addictive, but so can smartphones and social media, binge-watching movies, spending copious amounts of time on a laptop, or pretty much any other hobby that doesn’t involve hockey.
In a long 82-game season that spans seven months, players will have plenty of downtime and surely need their space away from hockey. Not every player wants to go out to the bar and socialize with their teammates after spending hours at the rink, as players come from all different walks of life and have different interests.
An outright ban on one particular activity seems overboard and short-sided, as some will use video games as a way to escape to communicate with friends and family members in another city, or even a continent.
Like anything in life, moderation and time management is key, folks.
(h/t TSN 1040)
