Fortnite Battle Royale
| Genre | Third-Person Shooter Battle Royale |
| Gamming Style | Battle Royale |
| Platform | Windows PC PlayStation 4 PlayStation 5 Xbox One Xbox One S Xbox One Series X/S Nintendo Switch/Switch Lite Android |
| Release Date | September 26, 2017 |
| Developer | Epic Games |
| Publisher | Epic Games |
| Website | Fortnite |
Fortnite: Battle Royale is a video game developed and published by Epic Games. It was released in early access on September 26, 2017[1]. Fortnite: Battle Royale is a game in which 100 players fight to be the final player or team remaining using various guns, materials, and items found across the island. Fortnite can be played on various platforms including desktop computers, consoles, and smartphones.
Contents
Game
Building
The key feature that Fortnite: Battle Royale boasts over other games within the same genre is the ability to build walls, floors, stairs, and pyramids with which players may defend themselves[2]. Players may find three types of materials within various structures on the island - namely wood, stone, and metal.
| Building Material | Icon | Build Speed | HP | Flammable? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wood |  |
Fastest | 140 | Yes |
| Stone |  |
Medium | 400 | No |
| Metal |  |
Slowest | 600 | No |
Built structures can be edited into many different shapes predefined by the game. When players attempt to edit a wall or floor, a 3x3 grid appears and each square in that grid can be toggled to create these predefined shapes. Alternatively, for stairs, the player can select directions for their stairs to go, allowing for stairs that are thinner or change direction. Finally, pyramids can be edited using their 2x2 grid to construct ramps[2]. Structures can be destroyed by players using their harvesting tool.
In Fortnite's build mode, many players utilize building for both mobility and protection[2]. The ability to build has spawned strategies such as building 90's[4], which players use to make their builds sturdy and protective as quickly as possible. It also allows for quick access to the high ground, which is a useful vantage point in shooter games, First Person Shooters and third person shooters alike.
An alternative mode called Zero Build[5] was introduced on March 29, 2022[6] for players who preferred to play without the famous building mechanic. This mode takes away the ability to build and remains in the game to this day. In fact, Zero Build mode brought many players back to the game[7]
Business Model
Fortnite: Battle Royale is a freemium game. This means that the game itself is available for free to download and play[8], but players can purchase different outfits, harvesting tools, wraps, emotes, and bundles via the item shop[9]. The item shop selection rotates daily, and items within the shop can be purchased using an in-game currency known as V-Bucks. Another use of V-Bucks is the Battle Pass, a concept popularized by Fortnite and Epic Games. This Battle Pass is swapped out for a new one each season and costs players 950 V-Bucks, or about the equivalent of $10. The primary way in which Epic Games monetizes Fortnite is through these in-game microtransactions. By 2021, Fortnite had grossed $20 billion off its microtransactions alone[10].
Ethical Implications
Emote Copyright Issues
The aforementioned emotes have been the source of many controversies, specifically relating to the "theft" of popular dances. A large number of dances have been stolen by Epic Games for Fortnite - 2 Milly's signature dance (the Milly Rock), Alfonso Ribeiro's signature dance from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the floss dance performed by Russell Horning, and many more[11][12]. This theft prompted a debate across the internet on whether a dance can be copyrighted. Despite the debate, the U.S. Copyright Office states that "individual dance movements or dance steps by themselves are not copyrightable"[13]. The Copyright Office lays out rules that state that choreography and pantomime are only registrable for copyright if they are "fixed in a tangible medium of expression in such a way that reveals the movements in sufficient detail to permit the work to be performed in a consistent and uniform manner"[13]. So it seems that while the usage of dances not originally created by Epic Games for Fortnite may be considered an ethical dilemma, it is not considered illegal or an infringement of the copyrights of those who created these stolen dances.
Microtransactions and Friction
There have also been numerous documented cases in which children were found spending their parents' money on V-Bucks. This is not an isolated case, as children have also been known to spend large amounts of money on video games in the past[14] One particular case featured a child who spent approximately $300 of his mother's money to purchase 49,300 V-Bucks[15]. This may be the case because Fortnite lacks friction via a "confirm purchase" button in western versions of the game[16]. However, it was announced in 2019 that Fortnite had plans to introduce an "undo purchase" button[16]. This change is reflected in the game today, via the "cancel a purchase" and "return a purchase" features[17], most likely made available for the benefit of both adults and children. Epic Games has decided not to add a "confirm purchase" button because they do not "want to add friction for players."
Shooter Games and Violence
There exists an age-old debate (since the 1970s[18]) on whether video games, specifically those considered shooters, lead to violence in those who play them. Public figures such as Donald Trump and Jimmy Kimmel have come forth stating and making jokes about how violence in video games influences the way young people think[19]. At first glance, it seems that research suggests a correlation between in-game violence and real-world violence. But some studies have taken to alternative hypotheses on the relationship between video games and aggression, such as games having a steep learning curve or the possibility that people just don't enjoy losing.
Research on the correlation between video games and violence has been mixed[20]. Specifically relating to Fortnite, a 2022 study in Japan "found that battle royale games were associated with aggressive feelings" and more, but another found that aggression and reduced empathy are unrelated. As of yet, any correlation between video games and violence is unclear. It has been shown, however, that dialing back the amount of time spent playing video games can be beneficial for the young mind[20]- ↑ https://www.epicgames.com/fortnite/ko/news/announcing-fortnite-battle-royale
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 https://fortnite.fandom.com/wiki/Building
- ↑ https://fortnite.fandom.com/wiki/Materials_(Battle_Royale)
- ↑ https://progameguides.com/fortnite/fortnite-guides/how-to-build-90s-in-fortnite/
- ↑ https://www.epicgames.com/fortnite/en-US/zero-build
- ↑ https://fortnite.fandom.com/wiki/Fortnite:_Zero_Build
- ↑ https://www.theverge.com/2022/4/15/23024470/fortnite-zero-build-mode-player-return-twitch-the-fierce-diva-sypherpk
- ↑ https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/freemium.asp
- ↑ https://fortnite.fandom.com/wiki/Item_Shop
- ↑ https://www.businessofapps.com/data/fortnite-statistics/
- ↑ https://www.theverge.com/2018/12/20/18149869/fortnite-dance-emote-lawsuit-milly-rock-floss-carlton
- ↑ https://www.thegamer.com/fortnit-dances-emotes-stolen/
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 https://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ52.pdf
- ↑ https://people.com/human-interest/connecticut-boy-spends-16k-moms-money-video-game-ipad/
- ↑ https://www.thegamer.com/fortnite-mom-credit-card-50000-v-bucks/
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/03/12/fortnite-to-introduce-an-undo-purchase-button
- ↑ https://www.epicgames.com/fortnite/en-US/cancel-purchase
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violence_and_video_games
- ↑ https://www.jcfs.org/response/blog/does-video-gaming-cause-violence-research-asks-you-think-again
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 https://psychcentral.com/lib/more-evidence-fortnite-is-bad-for-your-childs-health
