Wo(Man) Down: Let’s Talk Fortnite
If you keep up with the latest trends, chances are you’ve heard of Fortnite — the apocalyptic survival video game, attracting an influx of both fans and controversy… Released in 2017, this free-to-use multiplayer experience allows 100 players to square off against each other in the fight for survival. Drawing in more than 125 million users in less than a year, the game now makes more than $300 million per month. Several celebrities have endorsed it, including Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli and chart-topping US artists, Drake & Diplo.
Fortnite has been so incredibly successful that it’s prompted changes to long-standing practices within the industry and impacted wider entertainment culture. This virtual phenomenon has unlocked new possibilities, including a live virtual concert with millions joining the ‘showtime’ mode to listen to a 10-minute set by DJ Marshmallow. It also provides a new marketing/branding tool for massive, established brands, introducing jersey skins for all 32 NFL teams into the game. It has even contributed to the evolution of the play-date — providing an online space where kids can play with a friend or in a squad of friends.
So, what’s the problem? Addiction. Children who endure the monstrous task of keeping their character alive until the end of game-play have become highly-addicted, exhausted and withdrawn from playing hours on end. Some have even acquired substantial bills buying add-ons in the game for which their parents bear financial responsibility. Concerns over the negative impact on children’s lives are plentiful. Issues related to addiction, violence, anxiety, bullying, and social/human connection are all side effects of the game, only adding to the mental health crisis the world is currently facing. The World Health Organization has now classified gaming disorder as a mental health problem, with The UN including the disorder in the new draft of the 11th edition of the International Classification of Diseases, released last June.
Compounding the substantial mental health effects on young minds, the lines differentiating the virtual and the real world have become increasingly blurry today. Advancements in technologies that augment or modify artificial reality, such as artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and machine learning (ML), were invented with the goal of imitating human intelligence and actions. However, “gamers” are being trained to interact and get rewarded in their virtual environment far more than reality has or could provide.
The time has come to fortify against Fortnite and virtual games — fire in the hole!
Lauren Thurin, Vice President, Business Development
While Drake playing Fortnite didn’t break the internet, it was a HUGE deal. Champagne Papi himself, teamed up with popular Fortnite player, Ninja, in March 2018. The outcome? Ninja shattered the previous concurrent viewership record with an impressive 628,000 viewers!
Are robots taking over humans? Artificial intelligence (AI) agents developed by Google’s DeepMind subsidiary have beaten human pros at StarCraft II — a first in the world of artificial intelligence. As sustainability is always on our mind at FWP, one must consider the long-term effects of robots > humans and how Fortnite is playing a role in this daunting evolution.
Interested in the hype? The Fortnite Guide to Staying Alive by Damien Kuhn will give you all the tips and tricks you need to play or understand the game.
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