Because of Fornite’s enormous success, many players are ‘addicted’ and excessive playing is a frequent topic of discussion in households, schools, and workplaces. From playing the game on mobile devices during class at school, to constantly sitting in front of a T.V. at home, to being the only topic of conversations in offices and on sports teams, Fortnite and screen time has been a big debate regarding wellbeing and unhealthy habits of gaming.
Fortnite as a social media platform:
Addiction to technology is a major issue in the 21st century with the rapid growth of new electronic devices. Parents in particular have struggled with appropriately and effectively dealing with children who are attached to their screens, and the massive popularity of Fortnite has only added fire to the existing flames. Even if parents tell kids to play less, there are so many other methods for kids to interact with Fortnite online. It is also noted that Fortnite has become just another social media platform, and many have asked: “What’s the difference between racking up kills and racking up likes?”
Addicting nature of the game's design:
Fortnite creators have proven success with the development of the video game, yet many of their successes have launched the game’s addicting nature. It is hard to measure the time in which one plays Fortnite because games can last anywhere between 30 seconds to 30 minutes, and it is easy to begin new games. The basis of playing Fortnite relies heavily on luck. This aspect of Fortnite resembles gambling and the “near-miss phenomenon.” When a player is close to winning a game, they feel as though they can have success in the next game, and thus they play another round. This becomes a never-ending cycle, and intensifies the amount of time players spend trying to win during Fortnite, or just to gain partial success from being close to a “#1 victory royale.”
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Normalizing the obsession:
As mentioned before, celebrities who promote Fortnite not only popularize the game further, but they also normalize the obsession with technology. When celebrities like Chance the Rapper, Joe Jonas, Travis Scott, and Roseanne Barr express their own obsessions with the game, their fans and followers on social media are encouraged to play the game even more because their favorite celebrities play the game and have admitted that they, too, are addicts. Even the Vancouver professional ice hockey team, the Canucks banned their players from playing Fortnite on the team because all the ice hockey players were doing was playing Fortnite and talking about the game instead focusing on their own sports team.
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More on technology addiction and Fortnite:
Common Sense Media, a non-profit organization that educates the public about media content and technology specifically targeting parents and kids, has reviewed Fortnite extensively. Below you will find a case study and briefing conducted by Common Sense Media about technology addiction in children, as well as a video highlighting the opinions of both parents and kids on Fortnite and its addicting nature.