Fortnite: the new gaming craze
It’s a craze that’s sweeping the world, but how is this game affecting your kids?
IT’S been around for only a year but it’s already a global phenomenon – 40 million gamers log in every month to blow one another to bits in a neverending cycle of death and destruction. Not since Minecraft has a video game inspired such fanaticism – and controversy. Fortnite sees players scavenging for weapons and building fortifications in a brightly coloured, postapocalyptic world and having to slay every player not on their team to win.
It sounds like something you’d expect gaming-mad adults to do in their spare time. But with its Pixar-like animation and immersive world – not to mention the fact that it’s free and easy to download on most consoles, PCs and some mobile devices – it’s easy to see why kids all over the world have fallen hook, line and sinker for Fortnite too.
And there are plenty of red lights flash- ing. The game is sucking kids in to such an extent they become addicted.
The most disturbing story to emerge so far is that of a nine-year-old girl from the UK who was so addicted she wet herself instead of going to the bathroom so she didn’t have to stop playing.
Her parents, identified only as Richard and Carol, knew she’d downloaded Fortnite but it wasn’t until March that they picked up on some distressing signs.
“My husband saw her light on in the night and found her sitting on a urinesoaked cushion playing the game,” Carol recalls.
“He found that her backside was red raw. She was so hooked on the game she wouldn’t even go to the toilet.”
Her obsession with the game led to her COMPILED BY KIM ABRAHAMS schoolwork suffering too.
“Before we knew what was going on, we’d ask our daughter what the problem was and she became unusually argumentative and aggressive. We just put it down to her hormones.”
Then they started noticing regular payments from their credit card to Microsoft, which added up to more than £50 (R900) a month.
When they confronted her she admitted it “could have been” for extras she’d paid for on Fortnite.
“We were furious and confiscated her Xbox,” Carol says. “But then she lashed
out and hit my husband in the face.”
The couple have sent their daughter to a rehab facility and want parents to know “how the game could ruin your children’s lives”.
But the Fortnite fad shows no sign of fizzling out anytime soon. While there are no SA statistics available, the global numbers are startling.
To put things into perspective, the number of players worldwide – 125 million at the time of going to print – is more than double the population of South Africa.
What exactly is this addictive game that’s been likened to a drug? And should you ban your kids from playing it?
FORTNITE EXPLAINED
The creators, Epic Games, describe the player-versus-player (PVP) game as “Minecraft meets Left 4 Dead” – the popular 3D block-building strategy game and a first-person shooter that requires players to kill zombie-like mutant humans after a deadly virus outbreak.
Fortnite requires players to do a bit of both but in a bright, cartoonish world.
Released in July 2017, it’s a survival game set on modern-day Earth after 98% of the population has been wiped out by a severe storm. It’s up to players to build forts and construct weapons and traps to survive.
Fortnite has up to four players working together in real time on various missions on randomly generated maps.
A spinoff, Fortnite Battle Royale, was released in September last year and became a phenomenon all on its own.
In this free-to-play version, up to 100 players are dropped out of a plane and must search for weapons and equipment as they land with nothing more than a pickaxe. There are no blood and guts but it requires players to kill their competitors to win.
Fortnite is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and iOS mobile devices and is set to come to Android later this year.
Downloading the game is free but you’ll be charged extra if you buy the game’s currency, V-Bucks – R129 will get you 1 000 V-Bucks. This currency can be used to customise your character through various weird and wonderful “skins” or to buy Battle Passes. A Battle Pass, which will set you back about R950 in V-Bucks, gives gamers unique weekly challenges to unlock special rewards.
Although Fortnite has an age restriction of 12, at no stage during the sign-up are you asked for your age – all it requires is an email address.
WHAT GAMING DOES TO THE BRAIN
Video games can affect a child’s brain in the same way alcohol or drug abuse does, according to a recent study by California State University.
The research, led by Professor Ofir Turel, found the reward system in games triggers the same changes in brain function as seen in people hooked on substances.
Pauline Mawson, a clinical psychologist based in Johannesburg, echoes the study’s findings. “When a child plays video games, the four feel-good chemicals – endorphins, oxytocin, serotonin and dopamine – are released due to the hype and excitement.”
It’s much the same high that drug addicts and alcoholics experience.
Children are more vulnerable because their brain isn’t fully developed. The prefrontal cortex (the part of the brain that controls decision-making and social behaviour) is fully developed only between the ages of 23 and 25, says Sharon Aitken, a child psychologist based in Cape Town.
The reward or impulse system in children also develops faster than their self-control system.
“This means that if you take someone who’s 13, they’ll have a mature reward system but their self-control system isn’t as well developed,” Turel explains.
“So they’re far more predisposed towards impulsive and risky behaviours.”
SIGNS YOUR KID COULD BE ADDICTED
In January this year the World Health Organisation officially classified gaming disorder as a mental health condition characterised by impaired control to the extent that gaming comes before everything else.
Mawson suggests parents pay close attention to these signs:
Any strange behaviour uncharacteristic of the child.
Irritation when they can’t have access to the games. Lying or stealing to gain access to the games. S Secrecy – hiding information on when or how much they play.
Boundaries are important but should differ from child to child, she advises.
“Restrictions promote responsible gaming but they depend on the child and their routine.
“I’d suggest no more than half an hour on weekdays and two hours over the weekend.”
ARE THERE BENEFITS TO GAMING?
Mawson believes gaming can help children who are depressed and suffer from social anxiety to develop friendships and social skills. “It can also develop special interests for a child that could lead to a potential career or other interests.” There are also cognitive benefits to gaming, which include: Improved coordination and problem-solving skills. Enhanced memory. Improved concentration and attention span. Better brain speed. Enhanced multitasking skills. But the experts emphasise games must be played in moderation or the bad will outweigh the good.