Fortnite is a hugely popular game with kids and here is a parents guide to Fortnite. Everything about Fortnite and what your kids are doing in the game. Looking for more kid-friendly games for kids? Check out the best Nintendo Switch games for kids guide.
Since its release in 2017, Fortnite has gained massive popularity with gamers of all ages. The battle royale game has seen an insane growth in popularity and relevance in the past few years.
With everything from brand deals, t-shirts, toys, board games, and move tie-ins, Fortnite just does not seem to be going anywhere any time soon.
The game is especially popular with younger kids due to its free to play nature and intense grip on popular culture. This game has been especially interesting to parents of the kids who just can’t get enough Fortnite.
At first glance, the game and all of its concepts may seem confusing, but there is a method to the animated madness. Here is a helpful guide with the ins and outs of the pop-culture phenomena.
Playing The Game
The concept of the main battle royale mode is simple: 100 players drop into a map and scavenge for weapons and supplies while fighting to be the last man, woman, or teddy bear standing. There are many variations of this game mode that are offered, with slight twists.
To go into detail, battle royale mode takes place on an island that is frequently changing with every update. Additionally, there are many towns and structures on the map that need to be looted for supplies and gear in order to stay in the game.
Players will travel into the island on a giant flying bus, and when they are ready, jump out of said bus and parachute to their preferred landing site. Where you decide to land is an important decision as some locations have more loot than others.
You can think of this as a risk/reward system. Certain areas have better gear and weapons, but these areas pose the added risk that other players are more likely to drop there as well. Other areas don’t have a lot of supplies, so there are a lot less players flocking there.
Additionally, the game plays host to a building mode, in which players can make rudimentary structures out of wood, bricks, and metal that they collect by destroying objects and buildings with their pickaxe.
As far as actually winning the game, players will need to contend with a large storm that continually closes the map and eliminates players unfortunate enough to be caught in its grasp. This means that getting into a fight is inevitable, so it is best to prepare early.
The Dances
There is a good chance that you came to this article because of the dances that seem to be everywhere. From television and film, to commercials and ad campaigns, Fortnite dances seem to be everywhere.
The explanation for these dances is simple, as players in the game can purchase and use these dances whenever they want. There are many dances, and most of them are based off of real world pop-culture.
This is where the mainstream appeal of Fortnite comes in, as the game doesn’t take itself too seriously. It is not uncommon to walk into a room to see someone dressed as a pirate dancing to some swing music, and kids everywhere are here for it.
The Rundown On V-Bucks
This brings us to our next topic: V-Bucks. V-Bucks are the virtual currency of Fortnite that allow players to purchase outfits, gliders, backpacks, and of course, dances.
However, the only real way to obtain V-Bucks is with real money, which has worried many parents. Rest assured, the game is completely free to play, and the V-Bucks only pay for cosmetic items that have no bearing on the game itself.
Upon obtaining V-Bucks, they can be used to buy virtual items in the games store which updates with new items often. Additionally, all items carry a certain rarity which influences how much they cost. Some items are much rarer than others, which means that players who have them are much more respected by others.
The Battle Pass
There is,however, one way to obtain V-Bucks in-game, via the battle pass. The battle pass works off a seasonal system, where it resets every few months with new items to obtain. For about 950 V-Bucks ($9.50), players can get access to the battle-pass where upon leveling up and completing quests they will earn exclusive rewards.
Additionally, players can get some V-Bucks through the battle pass that can be used to pay for the next season’s pass, or be used to get some items in the shop.
In-Game Violence
There are many new outlets and parents groups that reported on Fortnites ultra violent gameplay. It should be stated that the actual violence of the game is equivalent to a real-life nerf war. No human beings get killed in the game, but are rather knocked out and teleported away after they run out of health points.
Additionally, there is no blood or gore in the game, and getting shot does not do anything but take away life points. The game is a cartoony shooter meant for gamers of all ages, and with the exception of some silly zombies, there is practically nothing offensive about the game.
It should be noted, however, that some of the games pop-culture tie-ins are on the more adult side. To clarify, the game has featured characters from PG-13 and R rated films and Television such as The Avengers, John Wick Chapter 3, and Stranger Things.
These tie-ins are never anything more than some cosmetic outfits and perhaps a new gamemode, and never feature any more violence or adult content than already present in the game, which is minimal.
Fortnite has been taking the world by storm since its release in 2017, and with so many tie-ins and merchandise deals, its impact on pop-culture cannot be understated.
However, the game can be a bit of a learning curve for parents, especially for parents unfamiliar with the current landscape of gaming. However, parents can rest assured that Fortnite is a fun, free to play game, with minimal amounts of violence. And with a huge fanbase of players of all ages from all over the world, it’s hard to see Fortnite going anywhere anytime soon.
