Since its inception, Fortnite has made
over $3 billion. Although the game is
technically free to play on a wide range
of platforms including Windows, iOS, Mac,
Android, and consoles such as PlayStation 4, XBox One,
and Nintendo Switch, Fortnite has earned the majority of
its revenue through micro transactions, which are in-game
purchases, using what the game calls V-Bucks. These allow
players to buy additional features such as new outfits
(called “skins”), weapons, and battle passes. According to
a recent study done by the student loan portal LendEDU,
70% of players purchase these in-game add-ons and spend
an average of $85 each. The reason these additional
features are so popular is because many of them provide
an advantage, making it easier for players to survive.
So, how big of a phenomenon is Fortnite? As of March
2019, roughly two years since its debut, the registered
number of players had reached 250 million. According
to LendEDU, of those 250 million, 53% are aged 10
to 25 across all platforms, with 72% of them being
male. The average weekly amount of time spent playing
is between 6 and 10 hours, but some players are reaching
much higher durations than that, with 17% playing for 16
to 20 hours, and 8% exceeding 21. In addition, Fortnite has
topped the iTunes chart in over 13 countries. In other words,
Fortnite is more than just popular, it’s a global sensation.
In fact, Fortnite has embedded itself in pop culture. Log
onto your favorite social media platform and you will see
people of all ages reenacting their favorite Fortnite dances,
called "emotes," which are victory dances performed
when their character makes a kill. And like so much else
in Fortnite, some of these emotes cost money, too. “The
Floss,” the “Infinite Dab,” and the “Swipe It” are just a few
examples of emotes you may have heard of or seen. Many
of them reflect past pop culture, such as “Disco Fever,” a
direct reference to the 1977 movie Saturday Night Fever.
There was even a minor controversy when Fresh Prince of
Bel-Air’s Alfonso Ribeiro unsuccessfully tried to sue Epic
Games for using his signature “Carlton Dance” as an emote
in the game.
Fortnite isn’t just child’s play—it’s also serious business
as an e-sport. A relatively new phenomenon, e-sports are
multiplayer video game competitions, commonly between
professional players. The competitions are sometimes live-
streamed by providers like Twitch, or held in huge arenas
where spectators can watch in person. Until the early 2010s,
most e-sports participants were amateurs, but as popularity
grew,
so did the
ability to profit
from them. Much like other
professional athletes, pro
video game players can earn a ton
of money.
Currently, the most famous pro gamer
is Richard Tyler Blevins, also known as
Ninja. Blevins started his e-sports career
in 2009, playing Halo 3 professionally before
becoming a streamer in 2011. But it wasn’t until he
began streaming Fortnite in September 2017 that his
popularity exploded; he earned a whopping 500,000 new
followers in just six months.
Since then, Blevins has hosted games with celebrities like
rapper Drake and NFL wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.
He reportedly makes upwards of $500,000 per month just
from streaming Fortnite.
Speaking of celebrities, Fortnite has a massive following
with a multitude of famous folks. It is particularly popular
among professional athletes—some have even been caught
playing during games. As you’d expect, this has caused
some controversy. David Price, pitcher for the Boston Red
Sox, reportedly developed mild carpal tunnel syndrome as
a result of excessive video gaming. When rumors came out
that his performance on the ballfield was impacted as a
result, he claimed to have quit playing Fortnite. The Toronto
Blue Jays have even enforced a no-gaming policy in the
clubhouse to prevent players from being distracted. This
goes to show that Fortnite mania isn’t limited to children.
In fact, some parents are finding Fortnite to be
problematic. Multiple medical professionals agree, such
as behavioral specialist Lorrine Marer. In an interview
with Bloomberg.com, she described Fortnite as being
as addictive as heroin. Children are spending more time
playing and less time focusing on school, sports, and even
sleep. In fact, according to the LendEDU study mentioned
earlier, 15% of kids have admitted to skipping a significant
amount of school, and even 6% of adults have stayed
home from work to play Fortnite. That’s pretty serious.
Consequently, many professionals recommend that
parents set reasonable limits for children who play Fortnite;
for more severe cases of video game addiction, they advise
seeking professional help.
Hopefully you now have a better understanding of this
ubiquitous game. Whether you play Fortnite yourself, have
kids who play—or even if you’d never heard of it before—
there’s no denying that it has had a huge impact on our
culture. It’s not the first, or the last, game to do so, and we
look forward to seeing what more creative, interactive, and
society-altering games the future holds. n
august 2019 | GAMES WORLD OF PUZZLES 41