Fortnite is the game of the moment right now. Chapter 2 of Fortnite: Battle Royale was rolled out in October 2019 and with over 250 million Fortnite players in total, it’s safe to say it’s a very popular game amongst young people and children.
Fortnite is a survival game where 100 players fight against each other in player versus player, which means in order to win, you must defeat the other 99 online players in the game. Set in a post-apocalyptic, zombie-infested world, players look for resources, weapons and build their own forts to survive.
At present, there are two games that fall under the Fortnite umbrella: a team-based survival shooter called Fortnite: Save the World and Fortnite Chapter 2: Battle Royale, which as the name suggests is a last-person-standing game.
Since it’s recent rollout out, Fortnite Chapter 2 has been highly anticipated amongst gamers with a whole host of new features including, a new map, water-based activities, weapons and more. Read more about what’s new on Fortnite here.
According to the creators – Epic games, it has been downloaded by more than 40 million players and has around 200,000 average viewers on online broadcasting platform Twitch, according to Twitch Metrics. Statistics show that 53% of Fortnite players are aged between 10-25 years’ old so it’s likely your child has played this game or at least heard of it.
With the game’s appeal and interactive nature, another reason for its popularity is the backing of celebrities such as footballers and popular rappers. Fortnite also has a huge online community across the web and social media and the current number of their Twitter and Instagram followers is a combined total of 30 million.
The game has also birthed a mass of ‘Pro Fortnite players’, such as Ninja who is one of the best players earning several of thousands of dollars and another pro player being the youngest at just 13. Epic regularly hosts competitive online battles per region or country, but also have a battle tournament called the Fortnite World Cup, where there is a $30 million prize pool, so it can be very lucrative for players.
The game has a PEGI rating of 12, but the age is not requested when creating an account. Gamers playing the online game can connect with others across the world of any age and can remain anonymous. So it’s important to be aware, as young children may be exposed to offensive language by other players.
There are also in-app purchases that can be expensive, however in Epic’s terms and conditions, they state children must have permission from a parent or they could be banned from the game.
If your child is a Fortnite gamer, it may be worthwhile setting up parental controls to ensure they enjoy a safer and happier experience.
Fortnite is free and available on PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and iOS and Android devices.
If your child loves Fortnite, it may be worthwhile setting up parental controls so they can enjoy a happier and safer Fortnite experience.
If you’d like to learn more about Fortnite or the setting parental controls on devices other than smartphones.
