Popular game dominates the Battle Royale genre

In an era of increasing technological integration, virtual pastimes have become more popular. One of the most recent popular video games is Fortnite Battle Royale. This game is done in Battle Royale style, where one hundred players drop onto a map and battle to be the last player alive. Players scavenge for various weapons and supplies and use these to eliminate other players.

In addition to this players are forced to move closer together by the storm, a weather system that causes players to take damage whenever they are in it. This storm pulls over the whole map with the exception of several safe areas in the shape of a circle.

However, this is by no means an uncommon type of game style. Fortnite Battle Royale is only one of the Battle Royale genre and is not even the originator of this game type. There are a variety of games in this genre such as PlayerUnknown’s BattleGrounds (PUBG) and H1Z1. So what makes Fortnite stand out so much?

The answer may lay in the game’s origins as a Player vs environment game or PvE. In its original conception the game was a survival game that pitted the player against husks, which were basically zombies. The player would use weapons and the building system to survive against the husks. This building system was transferred into the Battle Royale mode and may be one of the reasons it is so popular.

To build in the game, you gather resources by breaking trees, rocks and buildings and to get wood, brick and metal from them. With these, you can build up forts for protection from other players.

In additions to this, there are a variety of things that have made Fortnite popular. One of the first things is the price. Fortnite is a free to play game which gives it a major advantage over other games such as PUBG, which costs $29.99. This allows the game to reach a larger audience of players who may not necessarily wish to spend money on the game. It also allows players to try this genre with no economic consequence.

An experienced Fortnite player Zane Muñoz, ‘21, shares what he believes to be the strong points of this game.

“PUBG costs money so I play Fortnite,” Muñoz said. “My least favorite part [of Fortnite] is Epic constantly updates the game servers since so many people play Fortnite so it will shut down for hours at a time and have random maintenance breaks. I enjoy Fortnite because I like to spend my hard earned money on digital skins that aren’t worth anything.”

An additional reason as to why this game is so popular would the constant updates that developers put out. The developer of the game, Epic Games, puts out updates for the game on a weekly basis. These updates range from map updates, new items and even new game modes. This gives players a reason to continue playing and ensures the game does not get old.

Campus Fortnite player Kayla Vanderlinden, ‘20, enjoys the social aspect of this game. Fortnite allows you to play with three friends, up to four people total, in “squad” mode, as well as duos. 

“It’s fun to play with all my friends and team up,” Vanderlinden said. “I don’t really play other games so this trumps any other game for me. I enjoy playing squads so I can play with my friends.”

Fortnite Battle Royale – Play Free Now

— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) March 27, 2018

A third reason that this game is so popular, is its capability  for cross-play between computers, consoles (Xbox/PS4) and iPhones. This feature allows people who would often not have the ability to play cooperatively an opportunity to play with gamers on different platform. The mobile feature also allows gamers to play on the go or anywhere they have access to the internet.

Familiar with Fortnite, Erin Wilson, ‘18, shares her thoughts on why she believes the game is so popular, although never having played it.

“I don’t know much about the game but it seems pretty fun,” Wilson said.” I definitely think it’s one of those games you could spend hours playing and not even realize it. I think it’s so popular because it seems pretty intricate and also allows you to play with your friends. I have not tried this game, but if I ever played video games it would probably be one I’d try.”

Although Fortnite is popular in America, this is not necessarily the case world-wide, especially in regions such as China. Nathan Wong, ‘18, shares his views on why he prefers PUBG over Fortnite.

“I prefer PUBG over Fortnite is because PUBG is more realistic,” Wong said. “You feel like you are actually in the game. My favorite part of PUBG is when there are only 10 players left. It is very intense and I really like that feeling. In China, PUBG is definitely more popular. People I know in China only know PUBG but not Fortnite.”

For those who would like to try this game, it is available for download on for PC and iPhone EpicGames.com (not available on Android currently). For Xbox One or PS4, go to your console’s online store to download the game.

For more articles, check out Consumer tech review: Windows phone and Consumer tech review: Apple AirPods.

Matthew Sue can be reached via email and Twitter @matthewsue1.