Splatoon 2 may be fun to play, but Nintendo’s hit multiplayer game is causing a real crisis in some Japanese families. According to a report from Yahoo News Japan (translated by NintendoSoup), many are now dealing with Splatoon 2 addictions. It’s bad enough that it’s pushing families apart. The title may be among the best-selling Nintendo Switch games to date in Japan, but I bet these families dealing with kids who are severely addicted wish it never existed.

However, according to the report, it’s not just kids who are hooked on Splatoon 2. Gamers of all ages and genders are getting in on the Splatoon 2 craze. Yahoo News Japan also included real-life cases such as a husband who is so obsessed with the game, he plays for about eight hours straight daily from the time he gets home from work. The funny thing to note here is that Splatoon 2 wasn’t even bought for him to play – it was a Christmas gift for their eldest daughter. Looks like she didn’t take to the game and the father instead picked it up. The man’s wife told Yahoo News Japan that while playing Splatoon 2, he shouts and gets really into it, basically upsetting the otherwise calm environment.

He also has become an insomniac thanks to Splatoon 2 and his poor daughter has to block out the noise when trying to sleep. When she asks him to move to another room (he plays in the family living room), the husband does not take kindly to being asked to leave.

I am the breadwinner of this house! Please let me play my games!

Sadly the wife says she has lost all hope of resolving the situation.

Splatoon 2 addiction in kids

The second example was a school-age child who has been addicted to Splatoon since it first debuted on the Wii U. He never takes a break from the game, not even for mealtimes, according to his family. After an unpleasant physical argument erupted as a result of being so engrossed in one Splatoon match, his father resorted to banning the game.

It makes you wonder if people in North America are dealing with similar issues related to Splatoon 2, and if so, why we haven’t heard any reports. As we have covered countless times when reporting on Fortnite addictions, there are many free resources online to help a parent or anyone cope with video game addictions. Hopefully, we don’t hear of Smash Bros. addictions anytime soon.