If you have a teenaged gamer in your home, they are probably playing Fortnight on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows, Mac, and even on their mobile device.
Fortnite: Battle Royale is a free-to-play multiplayer survival action shooter game. It is world-building strategy crossed with Call of Duty. Players are dropped onto the game map and must compete to be the last one standing by killing every other player in the game. During the game, players collect weapons, build structures, and try to avoid the Storm that damages all players outside of a safe zone.
Fortnite’s “”Save the World”” version is a traditional solo campaign where the player is a survivor of an apocalyptic storm. The few remaining humans must band together to defeat creepy zombie-like creatures called husks.
Violence:
Players in the game shoot and blow up their enemy. The violence is cartoonish and not particularly bloody or gory.
In-Game Purchases:
Players can spend real money on items in Fortnite. The game itself is free to play, so Fortnite encourages players to purchase items like weapons to be used in the game. There’s also the Premium Battle Pass, a $10 subscription that lets players compete on more levels and win exclusive game skins/costumes.
In-Game Chat:
Fortnite has a live unmoderated chat. Consequently, the Fortnite chat environment can get very toxic. Fortnite chat also allows your child to talk to strangers that are playing in their game.
Fortnite allows parents to turn off the game’s chat feature – Open the Settings menu in the top right of the main Fortnite page by selecting the three bars, then the cog icon. Choose the Audio tab at the top of the screen. From there, you can adjust several audio features, including voice chat. Turn the setting from on to off by tapping the arrows.
Watching Other People Play Fortnite on Twitch:
Twitch is a social media platform for gamers where they can live-stream themselves playing popular video games including Fortnite. To most parents, the idea of watching someone else play a game doesn’t sound like fun, but it is a big deal for your child. Each month, more than 100 million people log on to Twitch to watch celebrities like Drake, play Fortnite (and other games). It is not uncommon for a Twitch personality playing a game that appeals to young kids drop an f-bomb out of nowhere. Twitch does not have a good way to screen their content, so carefully consider if you should allow your pre-teen access to Twitch.
Cyber Safety Cop Recommendation:
Cyber Safety Cop recommends children should be 13+ to play Fortnite. If parents block the chat feature, Fortnite could be appropriate for children 9+.
