Ladies, the gaming world has taken our boyfriends once again… The newest online fad known as Fortnite is now the most popular Xbox game and the #1 gaming app on the App Store. How does this seemingly childish game sweep millions of players across the nation a night? It’s all thanks to the insane battle royale mode, where 100 players battle in a Hunger Games style showdown with a hint of Minecraft. The aim of the game is to be the last man standing and win #1 Victory Royale. To achieve this, players must obtain the best weapons, the highest shield, and build the best forts, all while avoiding the ominous storm eye.

Guns are ranked on a color scale, going from grey, green, blue, purple, to gold, ordered from worst to best respectively. The better the color of your weapon, the better accuracy and damage.

Competitors start out with 100 health points, which can be refilled by items including bandages and med kits usually found in gold chests which also contain other helpful items. One can also fill up their shield, another 100 health points, with items such as “Slurps,” “Blueberries,” or “Chug Jugs.” Players often keep a stash of bandages and shield in their inventory for future battles. The only catch with these items is that the more health points they grant, the longer it takes to use them- with legendary Chug Jugs, which fill up all of the HP and shield, players must squat and stay immobile for 10 seconds before their health is restored.  

The building aspect adds a new element to the game which breaks it from the norm of most modern games. A departure from Minecraft, where you build for fun, players build immense forts, especially when there are few players left, to hide and block shots from others. Even in normal battle scenes, when shots are fired, players must immediately switch to build mode to create cover.

Some players even take the sneak route and actually avoid other players at all costs. They land at the edge of the map and hide throughout the game until there are few players left to make their move. But, when you don’t kill other players, you also don’t win valuable loot to help you claim the #1 Victory Royale.

“I got third place one time and didn’t kill a soul,” says Fortnite enthusiast Brock Stinson.

Get to the storm eye! One final twist remains in this Battle Royale: a rampaging storm surrounds the island, and every couple minutes the storm eye shrinks. Once you are in the storm, your overall health decreases by the second, urging players to commute to a smaller and smaller circle throughout the game until there are two players left standing.

This groundbreaking multiplayer game has not only influenced the gaming world but our overall lives. Even in the halls of Coronado, Marissa Simpleman, 11, took advantage of this fad and used it as a poster for the most recent election, where she won Vice President. The poster read “A Vote for me is Like #1 Victory Royale!”

“Fortnite wins the people.” states Marissa.

What will Fortnite do next? How will this society adapt to the ever-changing game culture? How is this game affecting our children? Will we ever be the same? When will we get our boyfriends back?