Game franchise Epic Games created Fortnite, a game released on July 25, 2017. Fortnite was released as a co-op campaign game, where you could link up with friends and fight your way through It’s zombie-based story line together. It did pretty well, but it wasn’t until September 26, 2017 when the game completely changed. A new part of the game was released, called “Fortnite: Battle Royale.”
The new mode was based off survival of the fittest, and you must skydive to the ground and quickly find supplies to defend yourself with. These could include weapons, ammo, grenades, shields, or building materials. You have to be quick however, since there will be 99 other players wanting to do the same! 100 players fight to survive in every game you play of Fortnite: Battle Royale, which is what gives the game it’s intensity and competitiveness.
You can also recruit your friends. In the squads game mode, you can have a team of up to four players compete against 96 other players, all being members of their own squad. The last team standing (or the remaining members of it), wins the game. A duo’s mode follows the same premise. It is a very simple game, which begs the question: Why is Fortnite so addicting?
Let’s start with this: People love competitive games. If you think of some popular games that exist, odds are half of them are survival type. The gaming community has it’s favorites for these types of games; The Call of Duty, Halo, and Grand Theft Auto series are arguably the best and most popular console games to ever exist. Fortnite is now up on that list.
The game does involve different weapons that you can find and use, some much better than others. In most survival games, you use your weapons in two ways. Forcefully (Rushing to the other team and trying to eliminate them before they have time to react), or strategically (Sneaking up on the team and attacking from a distance). Gamers love when games allow you to do this, because it allows you to control the feel of the game. Fortnite has this feature as well, some players run into bases and attack while other hide in bushes and trees.
Another reason why most believe Fortnite took off is the defensive part of the game. Defense in this game revolves around building, and most squads like to build sturdy bases that will give them an advantage over other players. Building also has many possibilities in Fortnite. You can set up traps in case an opponent wanders into your base, or launch pads that can get you out of a tough situation. Building is also another very popular game franchise, adding to the reason Fortnite is so popular. Although not as much in recent years, games like Minecraft showed that people love creative building in games. In fact, Minecraft is the second most popular game ever, with 107,000,000 copies sold (first is Tetris). Fortnite involves this same feature of creative building, explaining why so many people enjoy it.
Students in the CHS cafeteria convinced Vice Principal, Jennifer Murphy to play the game. She said, “Its the best addictive game of 2018. Its a mix of The Hunger Games and Mindcraft.” Her advice for new players is to “stay on the outskirts and play it safe; wait until everyone else has battled. And, watch how the winner became the last person standing to get ideas for the next game.” Murphy also explained, “it is so addicting because you want to be the last man standing.”
In a Reddit thread titled “Why do you like Battle Royale?” Lots of players explained their reasons for enjoying fortnite. Most talked about how they simply like shooting games, but also the feel of the game was a popular answer. The different emotions you experience in in Fortnite are abundant. An anonymous employee of the Epic Games staff said that he loves the “rush of adrenaline you get when you get down to the top ten.”
If you play solo in Fortnite and get down to say the top 5. Then get killed from someone that was hiding in a bush, you will hate the game. This will last for about 5 seconds, because most will start another game right after. The drive for a win in that you feel in this game is immense. Most will continuously play it, striving for the satisfaction (and bragging rights) of a win. All of these feelings are really what makes this game what it is.
Downloaded by 40 million people as of January, Fortnite: Battle Royale’s popularity is growing. The game’s rapid success is overwhelming and will continue to grow. Fortnite is a great mix of a shooting, building and surviving which is why it is so successful.
