Fortnite is a free-to-download online game that can be played on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and on computers and most cell phones alike. It has an age limit of 12+, but kids as young as 3 are reported of playing the game. It was launched in 2018 and it took the world by storm. It was raked to be worth 3 billion dollars for the developer Epic Games in 2018. The game is said to have about 250 million users worldwide.
In October 2019 the makers of Fortnite have been taken to court in Canada, accused of designing the game to be addictive, likening the game to taking cocaine.
A nine-year-old girl living in the UK has been reported as to have being checked into rehab because of the game and other players are said as not to eat, shower, or socialize because of the game addiction they have developed. But why is this? What is so special about Fortnite in comparison to other games?
Image source: Fortnite official site, epicgames.com
What makes Fortnite so special?
Fortnite’s has different game modes, and the most popular one is “Battle Royale”, where 100 players fight it out until only one person or one team is left standing. Most people play the game in groups and fight alongside (or against) their friends. If you play in this kind of a squad with your friends, then teamwork is definitely needed in killing the enemies and staying in the game as long as possible. The game usually lasts about 20 minutes, but there is no way to pause in the middle of the game. If you quit in the middle, you are leaving your friends in trouble, and there is a chance they will be angry with you. Of course, you don’t also want to disappoint your friends.
In Fortnite the “constant reinforcement” consists of upgrades in your character (so called skins), and weapons and dances. Even if the game itself is free to play, these upgrades are not. The game is also different each time you play it, making it exciting and fun to return to it, and it will make it fun to share stories about it. Getting one of these upgrades can make you return to the game even after being killed.
In the violent video games, your body responds just like in a real situation: your adrenaline spikes, your heartbeat races and stress hormones flood your body. As you are not in real danger, it makes the game fun and addictive. In other words, the game has physical effects on the body and causes chemical changes in the brain as they provide it with dopamine “the reward hormone”. Withdrawal symptoms like anger, irritability, rudeness can occur when not playing, just like when using drugs. Children are at greater risk to the effects as some parts of the brain don’t develop until they are 17, and because their brains are flexible. A brain is fully developed only at the age of 25-28 years. Only a small number of children develop problems from playing Fortnite. Avoiding problems from playing can best be avoided by parents setting boundaries for their children, for example a time limit for playing.
Positive effects of playing Fortnite?
Even belonging to cyberspace communities can be important for the children and give them skills needed in the future. Benefits include a socially interactive scenario which allows children to interact with people of different ages, across countries, cultures, socio-economic backgrounds, and languages. It gives them a chance to learn social skills, becoming independent and exploring “who they want to be”. It also provides parents a good chance to teach the children so called “bystander training” -how to respond when they witness bullying, harassment, hateful or distrustful behaviour.