It’s taken over the gaming industry, social media, and millions of people’s sleep schedule. Even more interesting is the fact that this game is free. Almost overnight, it seems everyone is playing—yes you guessed it—Fortnite.
With a gaming world crowded with many popular shooting games like Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, Farcry, etc. Fortnite seems like the place where all the smoking bullets and raging 13 year olds are. Almost everyone, player or not, has some exposure to Fortnite. Whether it’s a late night Snapchat Story victory or a livestream of Drake, the game’s exposure is widespread. The co-op sandbox survival game has already reached landmark levels despite its recent release on July 25, 2017. Competing alone, co-op, or with a squad of up to four, the game’s assorted modes keep players interested.
Local Fortnite player Jordan Ladson says, “It’s unlike any game out there. It’s fun to talk to your friends every night.” I’ve seen this to be common among players. “Are you getting on tonight?” is a question I often overhear among friends— “getting on” of course referring to getting online via PlayStation or Xbox. Jaxson Schmaltz added, “I’ve played with guys I normally wouldn’t converse with outside of Fortnite and now I’m good friends with them.” Jaxson went on to explain that it makes creating new friendships easier. The game sparks relationships but it is also a basis of bonding by always being a topic of discussion.
Unlike other games, there’s no blood, gore, or lude content. It was developed by People Can Fly and published by Epic Games. Epic Games claims it to be a mix between Minecraft and Left For Dead—a Hunger Games type experience. A standalone mode called “Fortnite Battle Royale” is a battle royale game infused with core Fortnite gameplay, which was released in September.
Photo: Fortnite – 193210 by pressakey.com on Flickr