Millions of people are thought to have tuned into a concert on Saturday night by DJ Marshmello in the popular online game Fortnite. My eldest son, 11 years old, was one of them, dancing away as an avatar in the middle of a computer game. Seems crazy but he loved it. But as parents what do we need to know about Fortnite.
Five Reasons Not to Fear Fortnite as a Parent
I have two boys, so this is written from that perspective. I have no doubt that girls also play Fortnite and enjoy it but online it’s always my boys’ male friends with whom they engage.
I have been one of those parents, horrified at the amount of time that my kids want to spend playing computer games. Then I think back to my childhood and fondly remember the hours spent bashing the enter key in our ZX Spectrum to make Daley Thompson run, jump and throw faster, higher and further. I loved Space Invaders Asteroids and Frogger.
The evenings I have spent playing Tetris and subsequent all-nighters playing and watching friends play anything and everything from Sonic and Toe Jam & Earl to Crash Bandicoot and Tony Hawkes (one of my best moves may have unconsciously influenced the name chosen for my firstborn).
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| Credit Epic Games |
Fortnite: Battle Royale
What is Fortnite: Battle Royale?
Fortnite: Battle Royale, is a free online video game released in 2017. It allows up to 100 characters to fight for survival on a dystopian island. Epic Games, its developer says it has more than 200 million registered users worldwide, which makes it the world’s most popular video game.
How old should you be to play Fortnite?
It has a rating of 12 due to 'frequent scenes of mild violence' however there are children much younger playing it frequently online. My eldest is nearly 12 but his younger brother also enjoys playing, but with careful supervision, and the game doesn't require players to interact - there is a choice of solo, duo and squad games to select.
I am not saying that there don’t need to be boundaries, rules, limits to excessive playing & spending and close monitoring of who they are interacting with online. But that is just modern parenting. We have all of those things in place and we are continually re-negotiating them.
I am not saying that there don’t need to be boundaries, rules, limits to excessive playing & spending and close monitoring of who they are interacting with online. But that is just modern parenting. We have all of those things in place and we are continually re-negotiating them.
Does Fortnite Cost Money?
Although the game is free to download, it makes money by charging players for costumes or ‘skins’ and other accessories in a virtual in-game currency.
I’m also wary about how much money via V Bucks the online digital ‘free’ game encourages young players to part with for new emotes and new ‘skins’ - an element of the game that for me is akin to dressing up dolls. I do though use it to try and teach financial skills, weighing up the value of packages and offers and the cost of making purchases.
But, Fortnite also has lots of positives. Apart from giving my boys something to talk about together and with me - one of the only topics they can’t stop talking about and giving them exercise - you should see their dance moves and how often they are found dancing - watching a dancefloor of young children dancing away on holiday to Fortnite emotes was a sight to see. But there is so much more too.
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| Credit Epic Games |
So here are 5 reasons why I think we, as parents, shouldn’t fear Fortnite...
1. Encourages Communication
When I meet up with my parent friends of daughters of similar age, I hear how they are on social media all the time, having sleepovers and spending time together talking. My experience with boys is different, they play lots, and often loudly, but don’t talk to each other that much. My eldest boy has a phone but rarely uses it. He’s not interested in social media except for watching gamers on YouTube - he watches Newsround and BBC Breakfast every morning for his daily fix of news (and that’s his choice I don’t have time to watch tv on a morning - it’s radio 5 in my kitchen at breakfast times).
Yes, there is violence in the game but I'd describe it as cartoon violence but also gives us the opportunity to discuss what is happening in the world in the context of Fortnite.
However, because of Fortnite, my boys are learning to communicate verbally with their friends, over their phones to arrange online meet-ups and over headphones during games. This can only be a good thing as they become teenagers.
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| Credit Epic Games |
2. Develop Strategic thinking and Problem Solving
And the Creative mode lets them build their own Fortnite landscapes and share them with the world. When online my boys and their friends create something together and work on an island project rather than just shoot each other – although they do enjoy that bit too.
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| Credit Epic Games |
3. Support Teamwork & Friendship
One of the best things about Fortnite is that it is a cross-platform game, which means the boys can play with their friends no matter what hardware they have - they play on a Nintendo Switch but can play in the same squad as someone with an Xbox One, on a PC, an iPad or even a phone.
It can take a while to get used to hearing your sons’ friends’ voices in your living room when they are in fact in their own house a couple of miles away, but to my kids, it’s now second nature. It would have blown my mind when I was a child. But when we rarely now live in the same street it even estate as our kids’ friends it’s also a great way for friendships to develop and for them to continue school relationships outside of the classroom.
Learning to work and communicate remotely, with colleagues you can’t just have a quick chat with, and out in the open in front of other teammates is a skill that I also think will be invaluable in the virtual workplaces of the future. Yes, we’ve had unfriending episodes, but again these have been valuable life lessons about how we treat people online as opposed to in the playground.
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| Credit Epic Games |
4. Gain Confidence
Conversing with strangers is something they are now getting used to. Although all players are carefully vetted before they are allowed to interact and 'friend' people, is something I wish I’d been able to do as a child. Speaking clearly and giving direct information through a headset and working together is something you can’t learn just watching TV.
The kids also know about internet safety from school, tv and us, and they look out for each other too informing parents of any suspicious approaches to any of their friendship group. As we increasingly live in an online world this must become second nature and a continuous process and not just a one-off activity.
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| Credit Epic Games |
5. Have Fun
This is the main thing. We all know that if kids don’t enjoy something, they don’t want to do it anymore. Mine still love Fortnite. I’m taking enough notice to know what is going on, but I don’t want to play and infiltrate their space - I do enough of that on Mario Kart. It’s about helping our kids grow and develop in a safe supported space.
Fortnite may not be perfect and I’ve had my moments wishing they didn’t want to play it, but I’ve also come to realise that with light touch supervision it can also help them develop the skills that will help them become well-rounded teenagers.
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| Credit Epic Games |
Now, where is that new emote ...
Deb x
All images from Epic Games.
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