Over the past couple of months it has been more than obvious that Fortnite is by far the most popular game in the entire world. You can see the game being played anywhere and everywhere around the globe, from middle school classrooms, to frat houses, and even in retirement homes. Its rise to fame has been nothing short of amazing.
Fortnite, for those of you who have been living under a rock or simply don’t care, is a battle royale game developed and published by Epic Games that is free to play. The fact that is free to play gives it an edge that many games don’t have and it is obvious to see why so many demographics would want to play. As a battle royale game, Fortnite includes up to 100 players, alone, in pairs, or in squads of up to four players, clamoring to be the last player, squad, or duo alive by killing different players or avoiding them, while remaining inside a constantly shrinking safe zone to keep from having lethal harm inflicted onto them by the storm.
The popular culture aspect of Fortnite has been both positive and negative. It’s usually a running joke whenever someone exclaims to their group of friends, “Where we dropping, boys!” a nod to the fact that you have to choose a location on the map to drop down to in order to play. The most annoying thing about Fortnite is that whenever someone wins, they feel as if they have to brag about it on their Snapchat and Instagram stories. We get it, it’s exhilarating and fun when you win a game that you dedicated 15 minutes to, but it gets annoying when you are constantly bragging about how you took out a full squad with just a common pistol. But it’s always enjoyable watching a group of frat brothers celebrating because one of their pledges jumped off their base and shotgunned an unsuspecting enemy below to win the game.
Now this brings up the biggest question, why this game is so wildly popular and how did it become a cultural phenomenon for this generation? The answer is simple. It’s had a big impact on social media as a result of popular celebrities praising the game. Tyler Blevins, more commonly known by his alias Ninja, is a popular Twitch streamer who has over six million followers on Twitch and averages over 100,000 viewers per stream. On a recent stream he hosted a couple of months ago, he invited rap superstars Drake and Travis Scott, as well as Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster to play some Fortnite with him.
The only truly negative thing about Fortnite is that how it’s a “distraction” and how it prevents students from completing their work or focusing in class or at home. Since Fortnite ported over to the mobile platform, students have had an easy way to access the fun of Fortnite while on the go. This means that students could play the game while in school and not focus on necessary tasks such as projects or classwork. This also goes for those playing at home as well. Fortnite can be so addicting to a point where it numbs you from the outside world and responsibilities. Homework, chores, etc., can all be affected if you choose to “hop on Fort,” for even a couple of hours.
Recently for students at Falls Church, Fortnite has been a huge topic of conversation, so let’s see how some of our own F.C. students view the monumental game.
Mo Yousif (10) said, “I like Fortnite, I think it’s a fun game and it brings everyone together to co-operate and teach valuable lessons about teamwork. Of course, there are sometimes where I have to carry a group of randoms because they’re trash at the game and they ultimately bring me down.”
A.J. Williams (9) said, “It’s fun, it’s lit. I like the battle royale aspect, It really gets your adrenaline flowing. And I like the feeling when you win a game, it’s exhilarating.”
Many people are wondering when will Fortnite finally die out. It’s fair to say that unless Epic Games ruins the experience itself, or it just becomes flat out stale, then Fortnite will continue to live on for years to come.