A researcher from the UK is arguing that Fortnite, Epic Games’ sandbox survival game, isn’t addictive.
Fortnite hit the scene back in 2017, snapping up one million players upon the launch of its battle royale mode. Its free to play formula went on to win the hearts of 3.4 million concurrent players across PC and console before cracking mobile. But does Epic Games’ last man standing success creep into addictive territory a bit too much? Not so, according to one serious games researcher.
Andrew Reid of Glasgow Caledonian University said Fortnite has been “carefully created” to offer players an “engaging experience” and that calling players addicts could actually do more harm than good:
“To do otherwise would be to stigmatise the medium as an evil to our society, despite a growing portfolio of video games and research that reinforce the positive characteristics of play and interactivity.”
Reid defined addiciton as “excessive consumption of games that conflict with everyday living”. I have to agree with Mr Reid here. If something isn’t severely interfering with your daily schedule, throwing your sleep patterns into disarray or eating up chunks of time you’d otherwise be using for study or work, it’s a hobby or recreational activity. There’s a famous Greek phrase that seems apt for this situation: Pan metron ariston, or, everything in a measure, and this is exactly the sort of advice Reid is giving to worried parents.
Reid also recommended that anyone worried about why kids are so interested in Fortnite should take the time to try it themselves. He implied that being able to “speak the same language” with Fortnite players could foster a better understanding of the game’s appeal. After all, games can do a lot of good, too.
Epic Games just announced that Fortnite would be opening up to all iOS users after an invite-only period.
Via Game Rant