Fornite

       A notification pops up on my phone screen from my friend, Sam. "Hop on?" Many people would probably not understand what she means by this. It is a term used by those who play Fortnite: Battle Royale. Over the past couple of months, Fornite has gone through some impressive growth. It has attracted over 40 million people worldwide, and it is quite an accessible game- one can play through multiple platforms from mobile to PC or PlayStation. After playing Fortnite for about a month, I have learned that it is a way that you can interact and connect with your friends; personally, it has made me closer to some friends that I have not seen in a while. You can also become friends with strangers and chat with them through headsets and microphones whilst playing the game. I recall from the first Frontline video we watched, Digital Nation, it discussed the gaming epidemic that occurred in Korea. Children had spent all day playing video games on their computers; their addiction to technology was treated as a psychiatric disorder. The children were sent to week-long camps that would forbid any use of technology, and they would spend their time outdoors. Although my friends and I are not that addicted to Fornite, it is safe to say that this video game still had an impact on our lives. I think that for many, video games, in general, fill this niche that satisfies our boredom and fulfills our need to be social with other people.

       Fornite has become a prevalent form of entertainment in our society for most eight to eighteen-year-olds. I think that it appeals to millions of people because it contains graphics that are bright and cartoon-like despite it being a shooting game; in a way, the unrealistic style makes it uplifting. To summarize the basics of Fortnite, it is a match where 100 players jump out of a plane onto a small island, and players kill one another until only one is standing; there are weapons and tools- such as rifles and grenade launchers- scattered around the island. There are also materials, such as wood, that one can collect to help protect oneself or hide from others. With all this said, Fornite has become a fun game to play and also watch. There are many video game YouTubers and Twitch streamers that many like to watch, in order to learn how to improve their own skills. These streamers broadcast many hours of themselves playing Fortnite; Fortnite is the most viewed game on Twitch- a major streaming platform. For example, Ninja is a popular Youtube and Twitch streamer, who uploads content on Fornite. He is considered to be the best player by the Fortnite community, and each video he uploads receive millions of views. In my opinion, I think it's crazy how millions watch his videos because I never would've thought that many people would find someone else playing a video game to be entertaining. I think that Fortnite videos are now dominating the media world because a lot of younger generations are more interested in watching gameplay of video games. Also, one thing that I have noticed is that on my explore page on Instagram, there are a lot of random Fortnite clips. I've never watched videos of Fortnite on Instagram, so I think it's kind of funny how much buzz this one video game has caused on all social media platforms.
       Whether someone views video games as positive or negative, I think that with technology and media, Fortnite and other online games will still have an influence on our younger generations.