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.
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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.
https://becausefamily.org/podcast-parents-guide-to-the-entertainment-software-ratings-system/
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.