Why Fortnite’s Popularity is Surging 6 Years After Its Release
By Movieguide® Contributor
Six years after its full release, the video game Fortnite is more popular than ever, thanks to a slew of new additions, leading it to collect more playtime than many other popular series combined.
November and December were Fortnite’s most popular months ever as the gaming staple’s playtime surged by 150% in November to hit 1.6 billion hours played in that month alone. December continued this growth as playtime grew by an additional 9%.
This staggering growth was largely fueled by adding three new game modes – Lego Fortnite, Fortnite Festival and Rocket Racing – giving players old and new a reason to boot up the game.
Straying from the game’s traditional battle royal system, each game mode added something new, like Lego Fortnite’s survival and building system or Rocket Racing’s competitive racing. The game’s traditional format also saw a return to its roots, allowing players to play its original map and game mode.
With these new additions combined with the increase in free time around the holiday season, Fortnite was undoubtedly the most popular game during these months. Other gaming behemoths like Roblox, GTA and the Call of Duty franchise were fully eclipsed, with Fortnite racking up more play time than all these other games combined.
While impressive, this staggering amount of monthly playtime should not necessarily be praised. With the addictive nature of today’s most popular video games, those who become hooked on the virtual world can suffer in their real lives.
In 2019, the World Health Organization recognized video game addiction as a real behavioral disorder akin to gambling. Video game addiction impacts as many as 8.5% of young gamers, and that number is likely to continue growing as the industry evolves.
While video games are an avenue that many children and teens use to connect with their peers, parents should be aware of how much time their kids spend on video games and help them set proper boundaries.
Movieguide® previously reported:
Video game addiction is a real problem that affects thousands of adolescents and sucks the joy out of every aspect of life.
Brigham Young wrestler Logan Visser found out firsthand just how addictive video games can be. After arriving at college, Visser’s favorite pastime took over his life and became a problem that he could not control.
The then-18-year-old told The New York Post how he would play League of Legends all night and sleep through the day. During his first semester at school, Visser put on weight and flunked out of most of his classes.
“When you’re that deep into it, you just have a bunch of shame and it’s like the only place to turn to is back into the thing that’s creating all your problems,” he said.
“Gaming just took over. I was completely wasting my life,” he continued. “I wanted to keep getting better at this thing that doesn’t even matter.”
- Content: +1Share:
- Content: +1