If you have not heard of Epic Gaming’s newer release Fortnite, are you middle aged or do you live under a rock? According to GameSpot’s YouTube video, “What makes Fortnite so popular?” (2018) over 45-50 million people partake in playing the free beta.
GameSpot’s YouTube video, “What Makes Fortnite So Popular” (2018) describes the reasons and the ways Fortnite through Epic Gaming has won the hearts of hundreds of thousands of video gamers. GameSpot explains that Fortnite’s popularity has come from the battle royale option of game play which enables limited time modes (skins, gun styles, emotes), craft and build, and first-person gun fights. GameSpot’s purpose in publishing “What Makes Fortnite So Popular” (2018) is to evaluate how the game is similar and different to other games like PUBG (Players Unknown Battlegrounds), and Rainbow 6. I feel the intended audience of GameSpot’s YouTube channel is gamers of all types (PC, PlayStation, Xbox, etc.) and anyone interested in what makes video games popular. I found this video to be exciting and interesting because I have had my hand in a few Fortnite matches and can agree that the craft and build part of the game is epic (guess that’s how the company got their name)!
Fortnite can be played by virtually anyone with access to the internet and the game, no matter their location in the world! Fortnite is not like a tactical shooter where boots on the ground is necessary, rather an arena shooter in which strategy is required. I’m going to be quite honest in writing this post. Rather than playing a video game ‘mindfully’ for 30 minutes, I’d like to admit I have played Fortnite for over 24 hours (at different times, not all together!) and I enjoy the way that even though the map never changes, every match is different. I choose to write about Fortnite’s popularity because I previously have written a little on my favorite game Call of Duty in my popular media blog.
Call of Duty on the other hand, I have played (according to game statistics) for a combined total of 6 days and 1 hour. Call of Duty is a first person shooter, in which constant movement is required or people will find and kill you. While playing Call of Duty, I do feel I get a bit angry because I am very competitive and want to be the best! According to ScienceDaily’s article “Violent video games found not to affect empathy” (2017) “Call of Duty has not been found to affect the gamers aggression or empathy” so I question what makes people scream and yell at one another on the game? Is it their desire to win, like mine? Or are they just plain assholes? I personally would like to disagree with ScienceDaily’s article because I think first person shooters increase people’s adrenaline which psychological can affect emotion.
Overall, I feel both Fortnite and Call of Duty are popular because of the ablity to play against other competitors online. Both games offer high speed matches in which the winners and losers are determined within a few minutes rather than spending hours on objective based missions. In your opinion, what makes Call of Duty, or Fortnite popular too you?
Lauren Fischer 
I live under a rock! Just kidding, that game has made its mark hasn’t it?
I also wrote about online video games and agree that interacting with other people makes it extremely valuable. For my article, I discussed some cons that come with any social network and the basic things we can do to adapt to them.
I hear about Fortnite everywhere, whether its an article online talking about it or even during my business studies. I think it’s amazing how popular these games can get. One interesting fact I noticed is that only a few games I know actually keep a large player base as most of them usually end up leveling out or a thing in the past. Counterstrike comes to mind but they’ve been known to help start the online gaming trend and also have their STEAM platform backing them so it’s not surprising to see them do so well.
Someone else also wrote about video game aggression and I think a lot of people who become violent after playing games have underlying issues that affect them the most. For example, sure, someone having a bad day who decides to play a video game that constantly causes them to lose would affect their emotions, but are video games the reason for him acting that way? Perhaps he has his own personal issues and lacks self-control? Just throwing out scenarios.
Thanks for sharing and great post!
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Hi Lauren,
Great post! I have never played fortnite before, but I know how popular it is and I wouldn’t turn down the opportunity to try. That sure is a lot of time playing the game! I can understand though, I have very limited experience with video games but what experience I do have really showed me just how addicting these games can be to play.
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Hey Lauren,
Great choice Fortnite is one of the most popular games out right now. I personally prefer PUBG over Fortnite for the realism factor. I’m also a Call of Duty fan and over the years I’ve tallied up hundreds of hours o playing. Great blog post.
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Talk about a major come up by the creators of Fortnite. That game was intended to be free beta. After they realized how many people had downloaded it, they began to sell skins and pick axe designs. This was one of those games that had a huge impact on the whole country. I know it is the #1 most popular game right now. Even though it is free they are making MILLIONS off the skins and other accessories. Were talking video games, however they are talking BUSINESS.
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Excellent discussion. All info about Fortnite is useful to me as I make decisions about what I want the kids (ages 13 and 8) to be doing with their summer.
Thanks!
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