As the gaming industry continues to boom, we at Raztech thought it best to inform you about the emerging game that's taking the world by storm.
The development of gaming culture in the last decade or so has been nothing short of staggering. With Virtual and Augmented Reality becoming mainstays in the gaming “world of tomorrow”, a seemingly unknown company by the name of Epic Games has developed an instant classic among game lovers from all walks of life. Resembling the well-known trilogy of The Hunger Games, this game has embedded itself into today’s online culture and looks set to change gaming forever. From your avid gamer to your average college student. This interface’s user-friendly platform allows players of all skill levels to enjoy the thrill of fighting to stay alive in a surreal online environment. In short, this game is a mass online brawl where 100 players leap out of a plane on to a small island and fight each other until only one is remaining. Hidden around the island are weapons and items, including crossbows, rifles and grenade launchers with which players must arm themselves while exploring the landscape and buildings. The ability to forge landscape and collect resources to build ‘Forts’ for defensive purposes is where the game gets its intriguing name from. As the match progresses, the playable area of land is continually reduced, so participants are forced closer and closer together. The last survivor is the winner.
The game also features many different player modes which allow for team play, linking up to five players at once to fight together. Other game modes allowing for only specialized weapon use or increased fort building options bring a new dimension to the game, making it more accessible and interesting to neutrals. In all honesty the main draw to this game is the online aspect of it, with multiple databases working in tandem with each other to form a seamless experience ensuring the social aspect of gaming that Fortnite promotes.
The company has also looked in recent months to form collaborations with other suitors looking to capitalize on the games success. Marvel has been the first to do so with an update of the game allowing for the inclusion of the Marvel Super Villain “Thanos” to promote the recently released Avengers: Infinity Wars film. This update has been a major success and has shown signs of how Epic Games plans to expand the game and keep it relevant. There is also an array of in-game purchases such as character costumes and celebrations which not only take in-game customization to a whole new level but also represent emerging pop culture phenomena’s. With A-list celebrities such as Drake, Chance the Rapper and Antoine Griezmann actively playing and promoting the game, it’s exposure has become wide spread and evidently translates to its relevance in pop culture. Memes and in-game videos started surfacing online in late January after which Fortnite went viral on every major social media platform. This is by no means the first game to break out into the Social media scene, but it’s success has shown the power and influence of the platforms with regards to promotion.
Perfectly displaying the trend of societies increasing online presence, this game has set the tone for others to follow and has shed light on the possibilities of a connected gaming interface that could make its way into the virtual reality scene in the near future. If so, the possibilities seem endless in our pursuit of a world without limits and a gaming interface which is more accessible than ever before.