The answer to that question is the main topic of a meeting to be held July 21 at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland. The International Olympic Committee and the Global Association of International Sports Federations are meeting (AP) next month to hear from eSports experts, sponsors, and athletes and to discuss the possibility of the phenomenon becoming a part of the Olympic schedule.
The committee has already confirmed that games featuring violence, killing, and explosions (i.e. PubG, Street Fighter, or Fortnite) are off the table. The focus will mostly be on sports games such as FIFA. Fantasy games could be a grey area, though, so it’s too soon to say what we could see, if any at all, at the 2024 Olympics.
What Parents Should Know
eSports is a big big deal. It’s a big money industry and there’s no way it will be fading out any time soon. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Any time we create a way to compete against each other we will find people who enjoy watching the best compete on a public stage.
Really, the next inevitable phase was for eSports to make it into the regular sporting world. These competitions boast large viewership online and very high sponsorship dollar totals. Of course, this is very appealing to any sporting organization including the Olympics. And there are many gamers now who make their living by playing their favorite games. Whether it be competitively or for entertainment or combination of the two.
Fortnite Player, Ninja was recently rumored to make approximately $500,000 per month from his streaming channel on Twitch. It’s no surprise many kids and teens now tell their parents they want to grow up to play video games for a living. With the attention eSports is getting from athletic organizations such as the Olympic Committee don’t expect them to change their minds anytime soon.
Available today, Instagram has added a way to chat with your friends while simultaneously creeping the app. Instagram is allowing users to chat with up to four friends over video as well as multitask within the app by minimizing the chat screen. You can call friends directly and they will be notified of the call they can then accept or if they go into your group chat feed and see the icon is blue that means you’re chatting with someone and they can just join.
Instagram has hit 1 billion users this month and they are doing their best to make it the app that people spend the most of your time in. This update allows users to meet the video chatting need that especially so many young people have and then doubles down with the ability to explore the app while you chat. This makes using Instagram an even more social experience.
Instagram has also added new camera effects and channels that you can explore that highlight different topics.
What Parents Should Know
Video chatting is available in many apps including Snapchat, Facebook, HouseParty, and FaceTime. This is becoming the most common way for our young people to spend time with each other. Retail stores and malls are closing movie theaters are adding features to attract an older audience all because our kids don’t have to go anywhere to spend time with each other.
Whether this is good or bad is up for you to decide. It is true that studies have been done showing that even video chatting does not meet the same social needs as being in the same room with somebody. So my advice is simply to monitor the amount of time your kids spend on their social media apps. Whether they are chatting with friends, just scrolling through images, or posting their own information. There’s a lot that needs to happen to keep them secure but all experts agree we have to be careful with how much time they spend on their devices.
Circle is one of my favorite parental control solutions to recommend to families. It’s easy to set up and the settings really work well. T-Mobile has caught on to this great service and is adding it to the offerings to their wireless customers. Verizon also added pressure controls recently and now T-Mobile is joining the club. The app is completely rebranded with T-Mobile is pink and black color scheme and the image of the Circle device itself even has a T-Mobile logo on it.
Circle allows you to build profiles for each family member and set parental controls and filters for their profile. This protects your home Wi-Fi and with CircleGo you’re able to protect them over data no matter where they are as well. Time limits, usage reports, and tons of other information are also available on the Circle app. T-Mobile has patched into these resources and is offering them to their customers.
What Parents Should Know.
If you’re a T-Mobile customer the $20 price point for the device plus $10 a month to take the safety with you is well worth it. We highly recommend circle and even use it ourselves. My advice is to take advantage of this deal and this great opportunity to protect your family on their devices.
There have been a few important updates in Facebook Messenger Kids lately. The first of which is a focus on kindness and digital citizenship. The app has added features to walk kids through kind online behavior and safety on social media. The app has kids agree to a pledge that asks them to be kind, respectful, safe, and have fun in the app. They’ve also added stickers and other creative content that will encourage sending kind messages.
Facebook has also added the ability for more than one parent to manage a kids app. This will allow both mom and dad to keep an eye on who is asking their kids to friend them on messenger. They recently removed the requirement for parents to be Facebook friends of each other in order to allow their kids to chat but this feature is a very parent-friendly addition. It is, in fact, a direct response to feedback from parents whose kids use the app.
Facebook also announced that they’ll be releasing something called “Appreciation Mission” which will introduce children to some ways they can show appreciation to friends and family on Facebook Messenger Kids.
What Parents Should Know
Many experts are concerned about the amount of harassment and mistreatment on social media as well as the general overuse of our screens. A feature that helps kids understand the importance of kindness online is a very good idea. Thus far, Facebook Messenger for Kids is the best option out there to give your kids the freedom of a social media messenger within the boundaries you’ve decided are necessary to keep them safe. Be sure to follow the guidelines of the app and set some time limits to be sure your kids aren’t overusing their screens as video and photo messaging can make the time pass very quickly.
Instagram has joined the long form video club with the release of IGTV. You have probably already started seeing the organizations (Like Us) and companies you follow posting about their new longer content on Instagram. It’s pretty easy to get to and built into the base app. It’s also easy to make a “channel” and everyone can do it. This video content can be up to 1 hour long for approved accounts and a half hour for everyone else.
You should expect to see much of the same videos you would see on YouTube make their way to Instagram as well. There are already podcasts, tutorials, and news reports being uploaded and, since literally, anything else you can imagine will be available soon as well.
What Parents Should Know
With excessive screen time becoming an increasing problem, longer videos on the fastest growing social media app among most age groups could be cause for concern. Content is also, often a consideration since Instagram filters photos and videos through an algorithm. This means their software has to detect adult or dangerous content and if it fails the content has to be flagged enough times to be changed. Parents who are concerned about online content and screen time should be sure that their younger teens and children have time limits and content filters set. The other issue will be brands and entertainment companies creating content to market to our kids. They know that our kids and teenagers use Instagram and they will be targeting them with their videos. My advice is (as always) for parents to talk to their kids about the content they view online and try to help them keep an eye on how they spend their time and what they’re watching.
Snapchat’s new message delete feature, new video games going to mobile for free, and John Wilkerson joins me to discuss getting your kids started with screen time and when (or if) thet need their own phone.
A.R.K. Survival Evolved is a PC survival game that has come to iOS and Android for free. In the game, you are dropped onto a jungle island full of dinosaurs, plants, resources, and even other players. You have to explore, scavenge, craft, and hunt to survive. You can build shelters and even tame dinos and other animals to serve as your mighty steeds. The game was wildly popular when it released last year on computer and has climbed the charts on iOS to be in the top five in only four days since release.
What Parents Should Know
A.R.K. is rated 12 + for violence and “fear themes.” The violence in the game is mostly committed against animals and dinosaurs for self-defense or hunting. There is a vs multiplayer mode in which you can play against up to 60 players from all over the world. Remember that online multiplayer modes are never rated because the content changes depending on how the users behave.
This game also has ads and features in-app purchases. You can pay to have the ads removed or purchase resources to speed up your development in the game. This game is “free to play” but is considered a “freemium” game. If you haven’t turned off in-app purchases on your devices, this game is they type that will make you want to do so immediately. It doesn’t take long to realize that by spending a few bucks you can advance in the game much faster. It is easier for kids to spend those bucks when they belong to mom and dad.
A.R.K. isn’t a horrible game, I recommended it before your typical first-person shooter or battle royale game. The violence is mostly not committed against other humans and there are a real story and survival element involved in the game. There are even dinosaurs and animals that you can be kind to and tame instead of just killing everything in site. If your children meet the age recommendation for the game and you feel like you can manage the amount of time they spend playing (survival games have a way of making you spend a ton of time playing without realizing it) then A.R.K. is a pretty fun option.
At E3, today, Nintendo announced that the extremely popular battle royale game, Fortnite, is available to play on their latest console, the Switch. Fortnite is an online multiplayer battle royale game that rushed onto the scene several months ago and broke all kinds of records. The game is free to play on PS4, XBox, Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, and now on Nintendo Switch as well. There are some limitations, however, as PS4 won’t allow you to play online with players who use other consoles or computers to play. Also, Nintendo says they will be using a pay model for their online gaming platform beginning in September, whether or not Fortnite will fall into the pay to play category at that time remains to be seen.
What Parents Should Know
I wrote an extensive article about my thoughts on Fortnite. If your kids enjoy playing the game and have a Nintendo switch then they will likely ask to download it for their console very soon. Nintendo announced that it’s available now so be sure to keep an eye on what your kids are playing and installing and who they are playing with. Fortnite keeps pretty well with Nintendo’s seemingly family-friendly nature since the game is rating T for Teen and not M for Mature. While some Mature games are available on the Switch, most of the games produced for the console are rated T or below. Just keep in mind that multiplayer gaming is officially unrated and that Fortnite is famous because of the ability to play online with other players.
I’ve done it, you’ve done it, everyone has sent that message you immediately regret. Snapchat’s new feature will allow you to message “regret free” by adding a delete feature. You can now delete a message after you’ve hit that send button. Maybe there’s just a dumb typo, perhaps what you said could come across differently than how you meant it, no matter the reason, they’ve got you covered.
To delete a message just long press it and select the delete option. Everyone will be alerted that you deleted the message but they won’t see the message itself. Previously, Snapchat only made messages disappear when everyone in the group had seen them but this will change that up quite a bit. Obviously, screenshots can be taken of your message if someone sees it before you’ve eliminated evidence, but you’ll be notified of that as well.
This is a small change for Snapchat but it speaks volumes about the nature of a messaging app like this one. The idea has always been to remove regret, apprehension, and maybe even responsibility for the messages you send online. Our kids should understand that there are consequences for what we do on the internet, even is some of our apps try to make us feel like there aren’t.
One of my biggest concerns about Snapchat is the disappearing messages. I have heard story after story of parents reporting their kids being victimized by bullies or predators on Snapchat only to be told by police that there is nothing they can do because there is no evidence of the messages that were sent. Snapchat has always been on my uninstall list and it most likely will never be taken off that list. If your kids are under 16, think long and hard before you allow them to use a disappearing messages app like Snapchat.
It’s one of the most popular questions at our Digital Boundaries Workshops and one of the most common messages I get on Facebook. Parents want to know what the deal is with Fortnite. Nothing since fidget spinners have had parents scratching their heads from such seemingly sudden popularity. I have mentioned it a few times in podcast episodes and articles about video games and addiction but I have yet to share my thoughts on the game itself. Since it was released on iOS a while back I finally downloaded it and played a few rounds. I must say, I’m not very good at it but that didn’t keep me from seeing what makes it so much fun.
Fortnite is a Battle Royale game. In this wildly popular game style, players drop onto a playing field empty handed and have to find weapons and take each-other out until only one player is left standing. The last man standing wins. This game-mode was made popular by Player Unknown’s Battleground and H1Z1. Both are battle royale games that have been around while in development for a while. Their popularity was increased by the competitive nature of the last man standing format and streamers who play online for a live viewing audience. Fortnite is the first Battle Royale game to get a T for Teen rating since the graphics are more cartoon-like and the violence isn’t bloody or gory at all. When a player is shot they dissolve into a blue current of some kind.
Fortnite is also free to play, unquestioningly contributing to its popularity as well. Since kids can download this game for free on their XBox, Playstation, Mac, PC, iPhone, or Android phone, it is basically available to anyone at all who would like to try it. In fact, this game has swept every category of every app store in the world.
The app became the best-selling app in 13 countries less than 12 hours after its release, coming in the top five in a further 12. It’s worth noting that that’s not for the games chart – Fortnite Mobile is the best-selling app in the world, currently beating out YouTube for the top spot. – PCGamesN.com
People Watching People Playing Fortnite
As absurd as it may seem to you, millions of viewers tune in every day to watch their favorite YouTube Creators and Streamers play their favorite video games. Some watch to learn to be better at playing themselves, others just like to watch someone else play because they can’t play as well, and sometimes a streamer or YouTuber is just very very entertaining to watch. The head of Gaming, VR, and AR on YouTube had this to say about Fortnite’s popularity on YouTube:
“How big is @FortniteGame on YouTube? Fortnite holds the record for the most videos related to a video game uploaded in a single month EVER. Yesterday, the Battle Royale tournament had over 42M live views, and set a record for biggest single live gaming stream @ 1.1M concurrent,” – Ryan Wyatt, YouTube
The impact this game is having on our kids’ culture is massive. Kids have been watching other people play video games for a long long time, i.e. Minecraft. Gamers are making a lot of money by building their communities of viewers and accepting sponsorships, subscriptions, and donation funds. It is actually a major industry and kids are noticing. I have had several parents recently tell me their kids want to play games for a living when they grow up. I tell these parents not to get too discouraged about this news since it is actually a career path that many have taken and have come to benefit from.
It isn’t going away, esports is very popular. The Luxor in Las Vegas built the city’s first ever esports (electronic sports) arena and has already held some majorly successful events there. One of those events was a record-breaking event featuring Ninja, a professional streamer, and Fortnite player. The event featured Fortnite players from all over the world competing against Ninja and the competitors won $2500 if they killed Ninja in a match and another $2500 for winning a match. Twitch.tv streams of this event reached as many as 667,000 viewers at one time during the event. The most online viewers of any gaming event at any one time. Lots of people enjoy watching other people play video games and it’s big business.
Ninja streams a round of Fortnite on Twitch.tv
Well, I played it and here’s what I learned.
Fortnite Battle Royale is wildly popular for several reasons. First of all, it’s very approachable. You can jump into the game for free and start playing as often as you’d like. You will get destroyed over and over again as you learn the game but if you’re any good at first-person shooters, it won’t take you too long to get the hang of it.
Secondly, it is fast-paced. The action is immediate and it’s non-stop. You don’t really get any downtime with Fortnite Battle Royale once the battle starts. You have to immediately begin running around and finding resources to craft defenses and weapons and ammo to fight with. While you’re battling a relentless “storm” is approaching that drives all players to the middle. If you get caught in the storm your health slowly ticks away until you either get out of the storm or die. You’re also drawn to resource drops that seem to collect enemies to battle against as well while rewarding your bravery with better weapons and gear. These features are common to all Battle Royale games but the cartoon-like graphics and silly dance moves and costumes set Fortnite apart.
The third reason I think this game is so popular is the social aspect. Squad mode is one of the most popular versions of the game in which you can connect with your friends and win as a team. Being able to sign on and fight with their friends in squad mode gives Fortnite major appeal with younger gamers. You can also connect with random people in squad mode, opening up the ability to voice chat with them.
What Parents Should Know
First person shooters are a tricky thing to discuss with parents. While I DO NOT believe that playing shooter games desensitizes all kids enough to cause them to be violent. I do think that there are those who shouldn’t get involved in the first person shooter genre for a variety of reasons. FPS play can increase the symptoms of ADHD and other Hyperactivity disorders. Too much screen time has been cited to slow educational development and decrease creativity among kids ten and under. Games like Fortnite increase the likelihood of “lost time” on screens. Lost time is that feeling when you sit down to play a game and before you know it you’ve been playing for hours. Our kids experience this phenomenon for a lot of reasons but gaming seems to be the most common cause. It contributes to more wasted time and a decrease in productivity, exercise, and “green time.” (Time outside.)
Parents should be aware that while not gory, Fortnite is rated T for Teen because of violence. In a society where the topic of guns and shootings are more heated than ever, the first person shooter genre always enters the conversation. Like I said, I haven’t found evidence to support the claim that shooting games create murderers but I do know that if our kids are younger than the recommended age for the video games they are playing, they can suffer negative consequences. If nothing else these games increase interest in the topics of guns and shooting. Some may see that as positive, some may not. Either way, parents should be aware of these possibilities.
Finally, parents should understand that Fortnite is played online with millions of other people. “Matchmaking” for rounds of the game is random and you can be connected with anyone of any age from anywhere. The game is played by people of all ages and once you have someone’s “Gamertag” or “username” you can be friends and invite them to your squad. There is no rating for online multiplayer games because the experience is impacted so much by the people you’re playing with. Just be aware that your child is playing a video game with strangers from all over the world.
Overall Fortnite is a low impact shooter game that keeps it animated enough to keep it from being a problem for most kids. Just watch for obsessive and addictive behavior and be sure to be firm on your time limits. Use something like UnGlue to help keep track of how much time your kids are spending online and talk to them often about their time playing Fortnite. Learn about their multiplayer experience and teach them what to do if they feel worried or creeped out by anyone’s behavior while they’re playing.They shouldn’t join squads with people they don’t know in real life (you can voice chat within your squad) and just be generally aware of what they do when they play. You can’t be clueless about the things your kids like to do and who they do those things with. I wrote this article to take away your excuse. Don’t forget to comment or send us an email from the contact page if you have any questions about Fortnite or games like it.
A.R.K. is rated 12 + for violence and “fear themes.” The violence in the game is mostly committed against animals and dinosaurs for self-defense or hunting. There is a vs multiplayer mode in which you can play against up to 60 players from all over the world. Remember that online multiplayer modes are never rated because the content changes depending on how the users behave. 
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