REVIEW: FORTNITE

Choose language in the Google-box below. Some translations may be flawed or inaccurate.

PlayStation 4 and 5/Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S/Windows/Mac/Switch. PEGI recommended an age limit of twelve years.

Fortnite – at a glance

• Fortnite is an online shooter game with cartoon graphics and a relatively low age limit. This can therefore be a milder alternative to other shooting games. However, it can also lead to the pressure to follow age limits.
• Remember that Fortnite is not just one game, but a platform that provides access to different types of games
• Talk to the children about spending money. There are a lot of options in the game for spending real money – season passes, skins, dances, and more. Children may be tempted to buy costumes inspired by superhero movies and other popular universes
• Set parental controls to limit friend requests, chat, and visibility of the children online
• Be aware that there can be both good and bad language in online games

Our review of Fortnite

Since its launch in 2017, Fortnite has become one of the world’s most popular games and has amassed more than 350 million players. The developers have also made billions from in-game content purchases.

If you visit a class in any school in this country, you will hear that the vast majority of the children have heard of Fortnite (and some have certainly spent one or two kroner from their parents’ bank cards in the game).

One of the reasons for the game’s immense popularity is that Fortnite can be downloaded for free. Yes, you can buy in-game content for real money, but beyond that, the threshold is low to get a copy of the game and test this out. Not least, the game is social in the way that you can play with your friends.

Relatively low recommended age limit and cartoon graphics are some other factors that allow more parents to allow the game compared to other shooter games with 16- and 18-year age limits.

In Norway, about 4 out of 10 boys between the ages of 9 and 14 play Fortnite, and almost one in four girls between the ages of 13 and 14 (Children and Media, 2022).

Epic games also manage a balance between constantly creating new content, but without changing the game completely so that the skilled players do not lose their position in the game. New costumes for the characters (skins), new game modes, changes to the game map – are some examples of innovations that have kept the interest going.

Not least, the developers take a lot from popular culture with superhero films, Star Wars, Dragon Ball, MrBeast, and more. In the game, you can dress up like these characters if you buy or earn ‘skins’ (costumes).

The core of the game remains the same. There are up to one hundred players fighting on a massive map until one person or a team is left as a survivor after everyone else is eliminated. You can play alone, everyone against everyone in «solo», in pairs against pairs in «duo», three against three, or in team mode in «squad».

In addition, there is a mode where two big teams fight each other until one team gets the most eliminations; a creative mode where you can build your own island and check out someone else’s; and arena (tournament), which is a more competitive version of Fortnite. It is also possible to participate in competitions having cash prizes. Some of these competitions have age limits regarding participation.

The main part of Fortnite takes place as follows:

A bundle of up to 100 players comes down over a large island using parachutes. Here there are beaches, cities, houses, parks, lakes, mountains, and industrial areas, which are to be explored. Participants start without resources, and must therefore seek out the buildings to find weapons, ammunition, traps, and other equipment.

It is also possible to swim in water, fish, drive various vehicles, and more.

The map is constantly shrinking due to a dangerous approaching storm, forcing players to keep moving. With dozens of opponents, it takes tactics and caution to stay alive. One uses weapons such as hand grenades, machine guns, rocket launchers, and sniper rifles, to name a few. But the resources are limited, so you have to use them sensibly.

In addition, unique abilities may give someone an advantage in battle.

It is also possible to build bases of materials such as wood, stone, and metal, and one can lay traps to trick the enemies. But it is also possible to play a part in Fortnite without construction.

The bases can consist of several floors, walls, ceilings, and stairs. It is also possible to add windows and doors. Those who are fast and skilled at construction can easily reach a height and gain an advantage over their opponents. Others build defenses to save teammates. If teammates get shot, you get a little time to save them before they die. Alternatively, you can recall them via some points on the map.

Fortnite can be an intense and exciting way to experience an action game, and it can give you a great sense of mastery to be left as the only winner – partly because you have outperformed such a high number of players. Each session with Fortnite will be different, as participants and resources change and provide a whole new dynamic and way of dealing with the game.

Playing in teams with friends online requires cooperation. You can chat and create bases as a community. You can also share resources with your teammates. Here the focus is on strategy and communication, and this is a way in which more people can experience the game as social.

Fortnite also has a story mode called «Save the World». The world is about to end, monsters and storms are on wild roads, and only a few survivors remain. You are given the task of protecting one of humanity’s last defenses, while at the same time searching and helping survivors.

You can play this game mode alone or with others online, or with friends. There are zombies that attack the civilization, and they can vary in size and number. Some shoot, some can withstand more firepower, and others get help from robots with a shield. By thinking tactically and through financial resource management, one builds a fort that can withstand waves of attacks.

Fortnite Game Modes:

Save the World: Story mode where you fight alone or with friends against zombies

Creative: Create your own island. Build whatever you want. Make minigames. Deploy vehicles, planes, etc. Invite friends to your island and play with them.

Creative (public): It is also possible to join minigames that others have created through public servers. And one can enter codes (addresses) of servers that others have created. Here there are driving games, role-playing games, mazes, and other types of mini-games.

‘Regular’ Fortnite: Teams of one/two/three/four or many fight each other until one person or a team is left as the winner. Everyone plays on a massive island and has to find resources and weapons to win against the others.

Arena: Competitive mode where you fight to get a better ranking in a table.

Suitability

Fortnite has received a recommended age limit of 12 years from PEGI and is marked with violence and in-game purchase. Regarding the basis for the assessment, PEGI writes: «This game was rated PEGI 12 years due to frequent forms of mild violence. The game is not suitable for those under the age of 12.»

In addition, PEGI writes: the violence is perpetrated by whatever weapons can be found and damage is shown with numbers and a declining health indicator. Players evaporate in blue light when they are eliminated.

Despite cartoon graphics, the game has consistent shooting sequences against both monsters and human-like game characters. Nevertheless, the graphics are reminiscent of cartoons and are not very realistic. The game also does not contain blood or gore, and there is a lot of use of humor with crazy firearms and dance moves in the game.

However, as the theme includes firearms and war, some parents may be reluctant to allow their children to play.

One should also be aware of spending in the game. You don’t have to spend real money on the game. But spending real money can provide access to cosmetic upgrades and equipment that do not provide any direct game benefits. For some children, it may be tempting to buy more expensive editions of the game or make use of individual purchases. But many will do without spending a single penny.

The game has also incorporated a so-called «battle pass» which is a kind of season ticket that can be purchased for real money. Then you get access to be able to earn unique equipment and V-bucks (the game’s own currency). There’s also a subscription solution (monthly price) that provides access to regular payouts of V-bucks, battle passes, and other benefits.

Is there anything positive about Fortnite?

There’s a lot to learn from playing Fortnite. First and foremost, communication with the teammates when playing online, also simple calculation when building and gathering equipment and resources, or reading statistics and information about the game. There are also some English terms related to building materials and raw materials. And you have to think about spatial understanding for building and have to navigate via a map. Children also learn strategic planning.

Parents should be aware that the Fortnite wave can create a distinction between those who are allowed to play Fortnite by their parents and those who are not (especially for children younger than the recommended age limit). Children can end up ‘outside’ when many others are allowed.

Children may also end up ‘outside’ for other reasons. For example, those who do not get access because some of the team modes have player limitations – number of players that can be included at a time. Or that some are not popular/good enough and thus never invited into the game.

One should also be aware that the game contains chat options (voice and text). There may be an awkward tone, bickering, cursing, and slang remarks. It is possible to report other players who behave in a bad way. The game has settings options to mute/turn off text and voice chat. There’s also a filter against foul language (text – doesn’t remove everything). One can also hide one’s game name from others and automatically refuse new friend requests.

Parental controls

Epic Games has incorporated parental control settings.

One can set up a six-digit code that locks various settings. These can be found by going to the settings/menu in the upper right corner of the game. Here you can set up:

• Filter for bad language use (we assume that this is best for English vocabulary, not Norwegian). This applies to text and not speech
• PIN code required to add new friends. Children will not become friends with new people in Fortnite without you as a parent entering a PIN code
• Turn voice and text chat on/off
• Receive weekly reports on your child’s game time to the parent’s email

Please note that the settings changes made inside Fortnite do not limit chat/communication on the game console and the computer’s programs outside of Fortnite.

Select spending limits:

Purchases of V-bucks are deducted directly from bank cards placed on the game store, be it the Xbox Store, Epic Games on PC, or the PlayStation Store. Therefore, one has to set up a password barrier that prevents the purchase of content. Here you can find how to do it on PlayStation and Xbox.

On PC, you can log in to the Epic Games account page and choose parental controls. Read more about this here.

Reports and blocks

It is also possible to report other users for rude behavior. Go to the settings/menu in the right corner. Here you will find the reporting opportunity.

You can also block players who are on your friend list or mute the microphone so that you don’t hear them.

Two-step verification

It’s also a good idea to turn on two-step verification. This prevents people from stealing children’s accounts, even if they know your child’s username and password. If two-step verification is activated, for logging in to Fortnite on a game console or computer other than you normally use, one must enter a unique code sent by e-mail or SMS.

Two-step verification is turned on inside the Epic Games account page.

Other settings

Inside the audio menu in the settings, you can make some changes.

• Voice method – Push to Talk. Requires pressing a microphone button to speak so that the microphone is not always on
• Voice chat – turn off chat completely, or choose who can hear your kids when they use voice chat

Inside account and privacy you can choose:

• Language filter on/off
• Who the children can receive friend invitations from: everyone/friends of friends/no one
• Whether or not the child can receive gifts from others
• Who can join the group (party) for the children
• Who can see the children’s username (replace the username with «player» for other players

Difficulty:

0-11 years: Below the recommended age limit from PEGI.

12-15 years: Fortnite is relatively intuitive for those familiar with the genre of shooters. The game is easy to get started with, but at the same time difficult to be good at. It takes practice to get to know the game map, to be able to communicate with teammates, to use tactics and strategy, and not least, precision and increased response time for aiming and shooting. And those who are really good at Fortnite can build defenses very quickly.

16+: The game will also offer entertainment and challenges for older kids and adults. With online game mode, there is a great possibility to meet more skilled opponents.

Game trailer:

(Translated from Norwegian by Ratan Samadder.)