{"id":90526,"date":"2018-10-11T12:02:26","date_gmt":"2018-10-11T10:02:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=90526"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:23:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:23:07","slug":"why-fortnite-is-so-successful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2018\/10\/11\/why-fortnite-is-so-successful\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Fortnite is so successful"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Entire classrooms play simultaneously, star players earn millions. In just a short time, Fortnite: Battle Royale <\/em>has turned into the world\u2019s largest free game. But are teenagers able to cope with the lure of the game and its violence? Game researcher Teresa de la Hera: \u201cMost gamers aren\u2019t the least bit occupied with killing others.\u201d<\/p>\n\t

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Teresa de la Hera is a game researcher at Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication. She focuses on how digital games can have a positive effect on players\u2019 skills and behaviour. Her dissertation Persuasive structures in Advergames<\/em> (2013, Utrecht University) was awarded a prize as the \u2018Best Academic Work in the Field of Media Studies\u2019 from the Consell de l\u2019Audiovisual de Catalunya (Spain).<\/p>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018Fortnite is about identity. Just like people want to wear a particular brand of sneakers offline, they adopt an online identity.\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

How do you explain Fortnite\u2019s enormous popularity?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a game that can be played on different platforms. In the gamer world a distinction is often made between games for PCs, mobile devices, and console games such as Xbox or PlayStation. The gaming environment for the latter two is usually considered to be a superior design. But Fortnite can be played on all platforms simultaneously, and it\u2019s visually attractive with its high-quality graphics, endless possibilities and vast gaming environment. It\u2019s a dazzling combination of genres: a third-person shooter game, a building game \u00e0 la Minecraft, and it has that absurd humour you find in some PlayStation games. And it\u2019s free, something people aren\u2019t used to. For games of this calibre, such as Call of Duty <\/em>or Grand Theft Auto, <\/em>you\u2019d pay around sixty euro.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is that revolutionary as a revenue model?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe revenue model is based on in-game purchases. That\u2019s very common in games, especially online. What\u2019s different about Fortnite is that you don\u2019t have to pay to play the game with all the meaningful features. Many games offer the first couple of levels for free, or players are given a basic set of weapons or skills for free, but they lock you out at some point if you don\u2019t pay. Fortnite only charges money for cosmetic aspects: the \u2018skin\u2019 that determines your character\u2019s superficial appearance, or the victory dances you can do.\u201d<\/p>\n

The creators of the game have certainly benefitted from this approach. This summer the turnover for in-app purchases passed the billion dollar mark. Fortnite dances spread across the globe. What\u2019s going on here?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about identity. Fortnite is so popular it\u2019s played by entire classes, the whole family, or a group of friends. In a given group, certain rules apply. You play the game with up to one-hundred other players simultaneously, so you\u2019re visible. And just like people want to wear a particular brand of sneakers offline, they adopt an online identity that is appropriate to the community to which they belong.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBas van der Schot<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

\u00a0To what extent is that problem? Teenagers are continuously struggling to assert their status. You see this in the schoolyard, in WhatsApp groups, on Instagram, and now on Fortnite.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cWhether it constitutes a problem depends on how you use a technology. Group behaviour is everywhere \u2013 offline and online \u2013 and it can lead to both negative and positive relationships. In my research I focus on the positive effects, and then it emerges that many games have a positive influence on players and society. You learn strategic thinking. That could be in the context of survival or building a fort. Gaming is so much fun because it appeals to the universal human need to create. And you learn how to resolve problems. In real life we often encounter problems that can\u2019t be resolved, but in a game you know exactly what you need to do. It might take a long time or it could go quickly, but if you practice, you\u2019ll succeed. That\u2019s quite a difference from how it goes in real life: when you\u2019re gaming you get another chance to repeat your attempt or to do it better. That helps you deal with frustrations you have in real life.\u201d<\/p>\n

The famous media intellectual Marshall McLuhan once said: \u201cThe medium is the message.\u201d Any technology, he said, restructures social and economic patterns. In that context, could one particular technology simply be more detrimental than another?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cThat is technological determinism, where the technology or medium is blamed for everything. Determinists say: games lead to violence and addiction and there\u2019s nothing we can do about it. Grand Theft Auto <\/em>is often criticised in this way: in a game where you have to run over and kill people or shoot them, it\u2019s inevitable that this will incite negative behaviour. But my response to that is: if you\u2019ve just watched an action film, that doesn\u2019t make you want to kill everyone, does it?<\/p>\n

\u201cNumerous studies have explored violence and games. They show that most people aren\u2019t the least bit occupied with killing others. We can\u2019t blame technology for everything, and we have to think about how we as a society use technology and why.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018A game like this is a reflection of society, it doesn\u2019t create new desires\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

You have a son. How old is he?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThree, so much too young to be playing Fortnite. But if he was old enough, I would encourage it because he would develop all kinds of skills. But it\u2019s your duty as a parent to ensure it\u2019s done responsibly. I\u2019m convinced that parents have to guide their children in any contact they have with others, whether that\u2019s online or in the schoolyard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cynics say the game\u2019s design fixates on consumerism and status. Can you counter that as a parent?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cA game like this is a reflection of society, it doesn\u2019t create new desires. If a teenager wants to spend money in Fortnite because he values a particular move or outfit, it\u2019s because he has similar desires in real life. Just like my child doesn\u2019t get a new pair of Nikes every week, he\u2019s also not allowed to get a new skin every week. What I would impart to children is: it\u2019s your behaviour that\u2019s important, not what you own. That\u2019s another positive aspect of gaming: it gives you a new opportunity to discuss things your child feels are important in life and how you relate to others.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBas van der Schot<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Are some children more susceptible to the lure of this type of games?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s often children with developmental problems. They have underdeveloped social skills or they find themselves isolated, because, for example, their school or their parents have left them to fend for themselves. Such children are more susceptible to game addiction and social media pressure, as well other types of psychological disorders such as anorexia or drug addiction.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0Are you a gamer?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, ever since my father came home with a Nintendo when I was around eight years old. I like platform games like LittleBigPlanet<\/em> and I play Grand Theft Auto <\/em>with my husband. He does the missions that involve shooting, and I do the strategic missions. But if I had the time I would definitely play Fortnite.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0The game is popular among women. Did it play an empowering role in the game world?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cI\u2019m not sure about the exact figures, but it\u2019s true that a relatively large number of women play the game. I can see why. The game has a cartoonish environment, and it\u2019s not as sinister as traditional shooter games. It has something for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was recently an item on a British website about a rise in the number of divorces due to Fortnite. What went through your mind when you read that?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIf couples divorce it\u2019s because they have relationship problems, not because one of the two spends an excessive amount of time gaming. It could be a symptom. If you\u2019re no longer talking and you no longer enjoy spending time together, that leads to escapism. One type of person goes to the pub in that case, while another spends time gaming. And to be honest, if I had to choose: pick gaming. It\u2019s healthier than excessive drinking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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