Family Tech Blog

Tag: battle royale

  • Parents Guide: Apex Legends (Titanfall Battle Royale)

    Parents Guide: Apex Legends (Titanfall Battle Royale)

    Family Tech Blog Rating for Apex Legends: 
Violence - 2
Language - 3
Sexual Content - 5
Positive Message - 2

    Another Battle Royale game has been added to your kids’ wishlist this week. Apex Legends is a BR game that is set in the world of Titanfall, a first person shooter game with two previous installments. This game features fast paced, squad based combat with your typical battle royale tropes. You jump from a ship onto an island with fifteen other squads (60 players,) collect weapons and supplies, and battle to be the last squad standing.

    Much like Fortnite, this game has a bent toward science fiction and less realism. It does, however, have more bloody combat and some merciless kill animations at close range. It’s a far stretch from the blue ghost fade that results from an elimination in Fortnite. You are able to respawn if your squad members survive long enough after you are eliminated, which can make your rounds longer if you’re playing with someone who is pretty good.

    What Parents Should Know

    There isn’t much by way of profanity in Apex Legends and characters are dressed reasonably appropriate. The only real concern for parents is the intensity and voilence of the gunplay, the pace of which has been shown to increase some behavior and attention problems in younger children. Some reasearch has also shown a temporary increase in aggression in kids who play voilent video games. Online content isn’t rated, as usual, and Apex Legends is an online battle royale game so keep that in mind. There is pretty good squad based communication built in to the game (identifying locations and directions with game controls) so you don’t have to use the microphones as much but it’s still tough to win without being able to talk to your squad. If you don’t allow in game chat on your kids’ games then you may get some pushback from them when they play Apex Legends.

    To recap, Apex Legends is a bit more violent than Fortnite with bloody combat and the rag doll affect when characters are killed. The game is team or squad based and requires playing with friends. It is very easy to add people you’ve been randomly matched with to your friends list and play with them in the future. My advice is for parents to keep an eye on their kids bahavior when they play games like Fortnite, Call of Duty, or Apex Legends. More important than how much time they spend playing is what life outside of gaming looks like. Are they getting the grades they should be getting? Are they still participating in the activities they have loved? How are their relationships both in the family and with friends? Ask yourselves these questions and make adjustments to gaming time accordingly. As your kids get older, you’ll see that this works better than just an arbitrary number of hours you allow them to play.

  • Player Unknown’s Battleground is Temporarily Free on Xbox

    Player Unknown’s Battleground is Temporarily Free on Xbox

    This is just a brief notice to let parents know that PUBG, a battle royale game similar to Fortnite but more realistic and graphic, is free today and for a limited time on Xbox. The game usually costs $29.99 but has been marked down for the rest of the week and likely the weekend. The version for iOS and Android has been free since release.

    Check Out: 5 Kinds of Apps Parents Should Look Out For

    What Parents Should Know

    Player Unknown’s Battleground is similar to Fortnite in that you parachute onto an island and try to be the last player standing. That is about where the similarities end, though. The graphics, while not nearly as polished, are more realistic and the death animations are geared a bit more towards adults. This news is important for parents who keep their credit card number or csv from their kids as a way to force them to ask permission to download a game. Since PUBG is free right now, this method of monitoring may not be effective since a payment won’t be necessary.

    I always advise that parents know what their kids are playing on their game consoles and that you discuss with them that there is a healthy and safe way to play and that they should make those good choices. Avoiding strangers and keeping from sharing too much personal information is the best start for your multiplayer gaming safety conversation. Just remember that like Call of Duty’s Blackout, PUBG may seem like its “basically Fortnite,” but it is very different.

     

  • A Warning About Fortnite’s New NFL Themed Avatars

    A Warning About Fortnite’s New NFL Themed Avatars

    Coming November 9th, NFL fans will be able to represent their favorite teams with their Fortnite avatar. The uniform packs will be available for purchase ($12-$15) and will allow you to customize your uniform to select any of the NFL’s 32 teams and any jersey number you’d like. You will not see any names on the back of the jersey’s, though. Emotes (dances,) goal posts, and referees will also show up during your Battle Royale matches.

    The partnership between the NFL and Epic Games (developer of Fortnite) is no surprise as the video game phenomenon has taken the world by storm. We’ve already seen many of the NFL’s end zone celebrations feature some of the dance moves showcased in Fortnite’s emotes and heard many players discussing their love of the game. Blending the video game world with the NFL team culture is great marketing for both Epic Games and the NFL. The NFL will especially benefit since gaming is such a major market for younger generations whom the league is wanting to attract for obvious future-proofing reasons.

    Check this out: Ok, Fine. Here’s What I Think About Fortnite

    What Parents Should Know

    A major frustration for many parents is the constant nagging from their children to allow them to buy skins for their avatars on Fortnite. It’s possible it will get a lot worse. The biggest difference, though, is that some parents may actually see the benefit of allowing their kid to get an NFL Themed skin. If parents are major supporters of an NFL team, it’s possible they would approve of such a purchase because of their desire to see their child express their fanaticism as well.

    All of this is well and good. Just know, if you are the type of parent who doesn’t want your kid spending actual money in a game like Fortnite, this could be one of the first major areas of conflict between you and your child. If you’re ok with Fortnite and even making purchases in the game, remember to keep track of the amount of time your child is spending playing the Battle Royale game.  Be aware that advertising your favorite NFL team in a massively online game could broadcast a little bit (obviously not always) about where you live. i.e. Chiefs fans are in Kansas or Missouri, and Broncos fans are likely in, or at least from, Colorado.

    There have been instances of predators grooming kids in Fortnite and any detailed interest about your child that is proclaimed through their profile or avatar can give a predator more information to use for grooming purposes. Talk to your child about who they are playing with in-game and remind them to avoid lengthy conversations or “squadding up” with strangers. I don’t say any of this to scare you, only to remind you to be vigilant in monitoring the amount of time your child spends on the game, and to maintain an ongoing conversation with them about their time in the game, who they play with, who they talk to, and what their experience is like.

  • Call of Duty’s Battle Royale is NOT like Fortnite

    Call of Duty’s Battle Royale is NOT like Fortnite

    The game that you could say “started it all” when it comes to multiplayer first person shooter games is joining the Battle Royale fray. Call of Duty Blackout will be released next month with the newest installment of the franchise, Black Ops 4. Blackout will follow all of the typical Battle Royale tropes and include parachuting onto an island, finding weapons, and killing everyone there to be the last man standing, and thus, the victor!

    The most significant difference between Blackout and Fortnite is going to be realism. The Call of Duty games are known for their realism and more intense warfare simulation. Where Fortnite is silly and feels a bit like a cartoon, Call of Duty is made to feel more like combat. The blood spray when a character is shot, the flailing of bodies when killed, and the sounds of vehicles, explosions, and weapons are likened to more realistic battle simulation than an entertaining game. 

    What Parents Should Know

    I won’t tell you what to do as a parent. I will, however, caution you to be suspicious when your child asks you for Call of Duty because it’s “Basically like Fortnite.” It is not like Fortnite, it is very different and it is rated M for Mature. Mature games are intended for those over the age of 17 and usually obtain that rating for violence and language or nudity and sexual content. In the case of Call of Duty games it is nearly always because of the blood, gore, violence, and language.

    Most kids won’t be able to get past the $60 price tag (Fortnite is free to play with premium in app purchases) and the fact that it has to be purchased through a console or PC. Not being on mobile devices and tablets will also deter many children from getting ahold of Call of Duty Black Ops 4. My overall advice is simple: if you wouldn’t buy a Call of Duty Black Ops game for your child under the age of 17 before Blackout was released, I don’t recommend you buy it for them afterward either. 

  • Fortnite is Available to Play Now on Nintendo Switch

    Fortnite is Available to Play Now on Nintendo Switch

    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.