Kids enjoy a zombie ‘Fortnite’
A steady trickle of youngsters tested their mettle online by playing rounds of Fortnite at Levels Game Loft in Truro recently.
The first-person shooter game has players fight off zombie-type creatures and defend places using fortifications on an Earth whose population was ravaged by a planet-wide storm. The game can be played as a co-operative effort of four players, or a free-for-all in which gamers can either play solo or in squads.
“There’s no graphic blood and that sort of stuff, so it really appeals to the kids as well as the adults,” said Levels Game Loft’s owner Derek White. “It’s a phenomenon. In my opinion, it’s something that has taken over and it’s really hard to dethrone. It’s really hard to try and get some of the newer games out there to be played, because everyone’s pretty set on Fortnite.”
The Fortnite marathon was a nine-hour solo tournament that children and youth played online, using headsets to communicate with each other.
Players were competing for a cash prize.
Truro resident Noah Moxsom, who was playing the game as a 13th birthday treat, said, “I like having fun with it, trying to play with my friends.”
Dressed in a red hoodie, he spoke only to his friend over his headset, completely immersed in his game.
White said such events were a good way for youth to meet new people and make friends while playing something they loved.
White himself was not a big Fortnite fan, saying he preferred other games such as Age of Empires, a historical real-time strategy game.
Levels Game Loft’s Fortnite tourney is one of several scheduled through the winter.
Their Esplanade Street location is hosting a $25,000 Fortnite solo and duo tourney beginning today (Thursday) and running through Sunday.
This will be followed by a Starcraft winter event on Feb. 2 and a Super Smash Bros Melee and Ultimate Tournament on Feb. 16.
White was considering host- ing a retro gaming event, perhaps using the old 007 James Bond games.