AS 0f 2021, 350 million users have been playing the popular video game, Fortnite.
It has got children addicted as they aim to master the game and accomplish a Battle Royale, but is Fortnite safe for children to play?
Is Fortnite safe to play for children?
Fortnite is set in a dystopian world where 98 per cent of Earth’s population suddenly disappears, living conditions become difficult, and zombie-like creatures roam the Earth – the player is among the remaining two per cent whose job is to survive.
After the apocalypse, “survivor bases” were set-up and each player is in charge of looking after these bases before trying to find a way to return Earth to normal.
Those form the centrepiece of the story for the co-operative Save The World mode, but play not part in the free-to-play Battle Royale mode.
Since its release it’s been available to play on gaming platforms such as PlayStation 4, Xbox One, as well as PC and Mac.
Its lack of serious age restriction and use of violence is worrying parents.
What is Fortnite’s age rating?
By ESRB, Fortnite is rated T which stands for Teen.
This is mainly because of the violence and the player-to-player interactions.
Communications with other players, especially ones who users might not know, can result in foul language, hence the age rating.
PEGI’s age rating of 12 aligns with ESRB’s rating.
Compared to other games, Fortnite does not show gory or bloody visuals.
The only violence involved is in killing other players in order to win the game, which might raise concerns for some parents on how they children might be affected by this.
How many children play Fortnite?
While there is no exact figure on how many children play Fortnite, Statista estimates that there are 80.4 million worldwide Fortnite users monthly.
Till 2021, about 350 million users were using Fortnite, after having 78 million downloads in its first year in 2017.
Does Fortnite have parental controls?
Yes it does.
Fortnite offers a range of parental controls that manages what a player can see and do.
To set up those, go to account settings via the Epic Games Launcher or Epic Games Store website.
Sign into the account and get on to the GENERAL navigation tab.
Scroll down to the PARENTAL CONTROLS section, click BEGIN SETUP and enter in a 6-digit PIN and hit CONTINUE.
And don’t forget to hit SAVE at the end.
Many parents are concerned about the harmful effects that the long playing durations, and violent content is having on their children.
A thread on forum site Reddit summed up concerns, with one parent saying that while the game “promotes strategic thinking and cooperation,” their child has started to “slam doors when he used to be pretty laid back”.
A poll hosted from This Morning asked if parents are worried about the effect the game Fortnite has on their children and 59% voted no as opposed to 41% who said yes.
The game has also experienced problems with hacking, with gamers finding fraudsters have been able to make payments using their details.
Epic said it was aware of the attacks, and a spokesperson said: “Any players who believe their account has been compromised should reach out to our player support immediately.”
