‘Fortnitism - Technology, Social Media and Our Children’

Video games are a unique form of entertainment because they encourage players to become a
part of the game's script. Although video games have been available for more than 30 years,
today's sophisticated video games require players to pay constant attention to the game. Players
engage on deeper level—physically and emotionally—than people do when watching a movie
or TV. 67% of Australians play video games out of which 46% of video game players are
female. Children on an average spend 98 minutes is the average daily total play. This popular
form of media has both positive and negative effects on children.

The most widely acknowledged "positive" impact is that video games may help children
improve their manual dexterity and computer literacy. However, studies also show that video
games with violent content are linked to more aggressive behaviour in teens. This is a concern
because most of the popular video games contain violence.

Part of the increase in aggressive behaviour is linked to the amount of time children are allowed
to play video games—and daily media use by children is increasing significantly.

In recognition of the fact that “Fortnite” has quickly become one of the most popular video
games in the world – one played by more than 125 million players – I decided to play the game
myself in an attempt to understand its widespread appeal.

As a parent and as a teacher, community Imam who focuses on education and its impact on
society, I couldn’t help but notice how much the game seems to teach children the wrong
lessons about how to function as an adult and interact with others. I came away from my
“Fortnite” experience thinking that the game is raising young people to be self-centred, not
good citizens.

But first, a little background on the game itself. In the most popular version of “Fortnite,” Battle
Royale, your character drops from a floating bus onto an island with other players where the
goal is to be the last survivor. You run through forests, urban landscapes and fields, collect
weapons and health potions, kill other players, and build structures and dance.

Gentile & Anderson (2003) state that playing video games may increase aggressive behaviour
because violent acts are continually repeated throughout the video game. This method of
repetition has long been considered an effective teaching method in reinforcing learning
patterns.

References

Gentile, D. A. & Anderson, C. A. (2003). Violent video games: The newest media violence
hazard. In D. A. Gentile (Ed.), Media violence and children. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishing.