by Javi Adevoso
Video games have always been a part of every kid’s daily routine. Ever since the 1st video game called “Pong” was invented by a physicist in 1958, kids, teens, tweens and even adults have been hooked. The evolution of these games has been amazing – from a simple Pong tennis-like game to the realistic animated graphic driven games that we see today. Which brings me to my topic of discussion, the worldwide phenomenon that is Fortnite. The moment this game launched in 2017, it was an instant hit due to its exhilarating gameplay and I’m not kidding when I called the game a phenomenon because as of May 2020, there are about 350 million players worldwide! Aside from the typical shooting and killing that is normally seen in other battle royale games such as Call of Duty or Player’s Unknown Battlegrounds (PUBG), the thing that makes this renowned game one of a kind is the fact that you are able to build walls, stairs, floors and even pyramids and can edit these builds to help defend yourself or attack another competitor.
Improves the social experience of gamers…
In Fortnite there are different game modes: Solos, wherein you compete alone against others rivals; Duos, where you head into a battle with a partner (same for everyone) and Squads where you can have 3 to 4 players in a team (including yourself) and face off against other gamers. Even if you don’t have anyone to team up with, whether in Duos or Squads, you can put on Fill which allows you to team up with other random competitors to try and get the win – in which case, you will have to communicate and interact with your teammates therefore improving the social experience for gamers.
A variety of game modes to have fun and chill…
There are also the additional game modes such as Arena which is basically a ranked mode where you gain points through Kills and Placements until you are able to move on to the next division. Other game modes, also known as LTM’s(Limited Time-Modes), give off more fun and suspenseful moments. Some examples are Team Rumble which consists of 2 teams with 50 players each and you continue to eliminate opponents until you have reached a specific number of kills. Another one is Sniper Shootout where only snipers are used and the level of gravity is lower therefore making it harder to kill anybody. Other game modes are Food Fight where you have to take over the base of the enemy team and destroy it; Close Encounters where only Shotguns and Jetpacks are allowed; High Explosives in which only Rocket Launchers are used to kill. Sadly though Team Rumble is the only LTM left in the game and fans have been hoping ever since that these other game modes be brought back. Finally, the last is called Party Royale which was recently added to the game because of our current situation with the COVID-19. In this game mode you are able to attend concerts by famous artists such as Travis Scott, Young Thug and more. There are no guns in this game, you do whatever you want and just have fun with friends. The creators of Fortnite really understand the social aspect of the game making it wildly popular.
Can test your creativity and even make money out of it…
There are three main parts of Fortnite; Battle Royale, Save the World and Creative. Save the World is a game mode where you have to get rid of zombies to “save the world” while Creative is where any player can create a map of their choice; the more popular maps such as Deathruns which is basically an obstacle course, Zone Wars which is a small map set for gamers to kill one another as the zone catches up with you. Zone is a constant moving barrier which takes away your health as long as you are in it. There are also Box Fights which enables you to practice your builds and edits while killing other competitors. There are famous “live streamers” of the game that play and bet wagers in Creative with other streamers or typical players from around the world. They broadcast the live gameplay through social media apps such as You tube or Twitch. Another counterpart of Creative is called Battle Lab which is simply the map of the actual battle royale but is composed of either your friends or a lesser amount of random players. In both Creative and Battle Lab you have an unlimited number of lives but a limited amount of time which is usually four hours to play in a specific map or place.
Can help your financial status through big money competitions…
These competitions known as Cash Cups are usually played in Solos or Duos. The requirements to join these tournaments are simple – minimum age required is thirteen years and you have to verify your account and email address. The simple formula in winning these Cash Cups is the higher number of points you have to more chances of moving to the next round. Points are allocated through number of eliminations, placements, and whether or not you get the win in a match. In the simple tournaments there are two rounds all in all and if you reach top 200 in the 1st round, you move on to the next. The 2nd round is the chance to win money and you need to be top 5 in the leaderboard securing you at least 700 US dollars. The big money tournaments known as FNCS (Fortnite Champions Series) can secure you a minimum of 30,000 US dollars. But in the past few years, the biggest of them all was known as the Fortnite World Cup where players from all around the world gathered in New York City to compete for the top prize of 3 million US dollars. Fortnite has helped families financially through their relatives who have won in these tournaments.
Video games can be really addictive and there is a need for them to be controlled, but on the flip side, gamers with the ability to win these tournaments have turned out to be very enthusiastic and satisfied with what they have done. This is why Fortnite is considered a very hectic game that can also change the lives of people. At the end of the day, Fortnite is still a game where people can relax, enjoy, interact and have fun with gamers all over the globe.
