If you have kids who love video games, then you have likely heard of the name Fortnite.

It's the cooperative mutliplayer game surging in popularity in recent months, right at the time publisher Epic Games launched a version called Fortnite Battle Royale.

It's been available for owners of PCs, Macs, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles. Recently, Epic confirmed Fortnite is coming to mobile devices.

Celebrities including Drake have jumped on the Fortnite bandwagon, helping Twitch set a record for most concurrent viewers on one stream with 628,000 after he teamed up online with Fortnite veteran player Ninja.


Some parents may find their children are obsessed with Fortnite. It's an easy assumption when you consider any time spent not playing the game is likely used toward looking up articles or videos on the game.

Why is Fortnite such a big deal? Let's break it down:

What is 'Fortnite'?

It started out as a cooperative game where players team together to fend off a zombie apocalypse sparked by a world-ending storm. The environment players explore is open, meaning they can travel anywhere, build structures, and craft gear of weapons in preparation for the zombie arrival. But this isn't the version of the game people are obsessing over.  

In September, Epic Games launched Fortnite Battle Royale, a free-to-play version featuring the popular game style battle royale. To put it simply: imagine turning The Hunger Games into a video game. Each match features 100 players skydiving on to an island as a huge storm approaches. When you land, you scour the island for weapons and gear such as bandages to stay alive.

Players can go solo, which means surviving as the last person standing among 100 others, or play in a duo or squad and fend off other teams to win.

Why is it so popular?

Part of the credit goes to a similar game launched ahead of Fortnite's jump into the battle royale: PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. In fact, the two games are so similar, developers behind PUBG stepped forward with concerns Epic Games was essentially ripping off their idea.

Both these games have helped make this battle royale style game popular. As of January, Fortnite Battle Royale has been downloaded more than 40 million times.

Here's what makes Fortnite different from PUBG: you can build stuff. Each player starts with a pickax, which they use to chop down structures for wood, bricks or other building materials. A lot of the strategy players employ includes what structures to build, when to build, and how to quickly build in the heat of combat. Players can prop up walls, stairs and other objects to create their own fort (hence the title of the game).

But as Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter explained in a USA TODAY story last December:  "There’s always been some psychological appeal to being the last man standing. There’s no question if you’re the last man standing, you killed everybody else."

Also, don't underestimate the game is free to play, a rare thing for owners of video game consoles.

Should I worry about my kids playing?

Odds are when your kids aren't playing Fortnite, they are searching the Internet or YouTube for tips on how to win. That's not necessarily a bad thing. It's a hobby, and they seem invested.

However, according to the Entertainment Software Ratings Board, the game is rated T for Teen. Obviously, it's violent since you're trying to kill other players online with weapons such as shotguns or rocket launchers. The characters themselves look cartoonish, so don't expect realistic violence with blood or other graphic details.

Also, since they're playing online, there's a good chance they will chat with other players they don't know. As someone who has played competitive console games online since Halo, I am well aware of some players' urge to say awful stuff as they play.  

How can I protect them?

Let's start with chat, which players can adjust in settings. When you jump into a match, hitting Start or Options on a console controller brings up a menu. Look for the gear at the top right for settings. Scroll to audio and turn voice chat off. To be safe, you can also turn Voice Chat volume to zero to ensure players have a fully chat-free experience.

Beyond that, the best thing parents can do is sit with their kids as they play. It's a good way to check out how they play, and if they do stick with voice chat, how they conduct themselves around others online.

If you are concerned your kids are playing too much Fortnite, consider enforcing time limits, or set up days and times when they can play.

Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.

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