Should Young Children Play Fortnite?

Fortnite, as you may know, has become the hottest game of 2018 and has taken social media by storm. If you go on YouTube, you'll find a whole host of online videos of Fortnite players sharing their gameplay footage (for reasons that I don't know) and some of these videos have garnered over 7 million views.

However, as I was scrolling through these videos, I came across a video entitled “My 5 Year Old Little Sister Plays Fortnite For The First Time!”. The video has gained over 2 million views, and it got me thinking, should young children be playing Fortnite?

And if you're a childminder or work in child care, should you permit them to play it?

What is Fortnite? 

Originally released in July 2017 by Epic Games, Fortnite started as a four-player survival game that was set in a post-apocalyptic world. Players had to fend against zombies by working together and building a shelter.

In that same year, Epic noticed the success of one of its other games, PlayerUnknown's Battleground (PUBG), an online PC game which pits 100 players against each other in the form of a last-man-standing battle royal. PUBG was profoundly influenced by the Japanese movie, Battle Royale, and the Hunger Games book series by Suzanne Collins.

On acknowledging the success of PUBG, Epic made the decision to release a new version of Fortnite featuring a very similar gameplay to PUBG. The new game was duly named Fortnite: Battle Royal.

When Battle Royal was released in September 2017, Epic made three very critical decisions which prompted its towering success:

  • It was launched as a standalone title, known as Fortnite: Save the World.
  • It was made available as a completely free digital download.
  • The game became available on PC, Xbox, PlayStation and later on Switch and smartphone.

How Did Fortnite Become So Popular?

In comparison to PUGB (which has a serious tone), Fortnite is actually fun, has an offbeat sense of humour and makes use of bright and cartoon-like graphics - which is why it became so appealing to children. Plus, players have the option to customise their characters with a variety of ridiculous items and costumes like spacesuits and dinosaur outfits.

More notably though, Fortnite has ignited a dance craze known as the Floss. The Floss, which is arguably one of the most popular moves on Fortnite, was inspired by “the backpack boy” who made his name when he performed the move with Katy Perry on an episode of Saturday Night Live in spring 2017.

As of July 2018, Fornite has been downloaded more than 100 million times.

Related Learning: Level 2 Certificate for the Children & Young People's Workforce (RQF)

But Should Kids Be Playing Fortnite?

When I saw my nephew play Fortnite, he called it “the kid's version of Call of Duty”. While Fortnite is a multiplayer shooter, the colourful, bright and friendly visuals do not depict any gory or bloody violence.

While there are numerous studies which suggest that violent video games can negatively impact a child's behaviour, we really need to consider the degree of violence that a child is exposed to. Adult-themed games like Grand Theft Auto, which depicts gory violence and torture should never be given to children.

But with Fortnite, since the tone is very child-friendly, there is no real danger of kids being influenced in a negative way. In fact, if you look to social media, children are really influenced by the crazy dance moves. There's no harm in that.

According to engadget.com, there are many advantages to online video gaming. Playing online video games has proven to improve problem-solving skills, improve coordination, and improve both attention and concentration. 

Video Game Addiction

Perhaps the primary concern with Fortnite is how addictive it can be. Typically, a 100-player battle royal can last up to 20 minutes. An ideal time-limit for children to play a game before they start their homework, but this time-limit also encourages the “just one more game" mindset, and before you know it, they have been playing Fortnite for 3 hours.

The addictiveness of Fortnite has even prompted a mother to go on ITV's This Morning to explain how Fortnite has been detrimental to her son's behaviour.

There is a lot of evidence to suggest that video game addiction can deter a child's development. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently recognised gaming disorder as a medical condition, but there are a lot of medical researchers and academics who disagree with the WHO's decision.

Related Reading: 4 Things to do if a Child has a Smartphone Addiction

Should You Let Children Play Fortnite?

If you're looking after someone's child, and you are aware that they play Fortnite, then you might want to discuss it with the child's parents. Some parents will be quite laid back and will not mind them playing the game, others will be apprehensive about it, and some might ask you to impose a set time for them to play.

While there is nothing inherently wrong with Fortnite, the danger lies in the child becoming addicted to the game. Some parents would raise their concern if they found out their children were playing video games right throughout your care. Not only will this be bad for the child, but it will also be bad for your reputation.

Indeed, we do not want children to get addicted to video games, so as child carers you must encourage children to take part in outdoor and social activities that really benefits their overall development.

Thanks for reading. What are your thoughts on Fortnite? Please let us know in the comments section below.

Featured image: Pixabay
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