Fortnite is the biggest thing in gaming right now – and if your kids are playing it, the chances are that it’s causing daily screen time tantrums and obsessive behaviour. But fear not – there are ways to limit how long and often your kids can play each day, using basic online tools that are free to use and easy to set up…
What is Fortnite?
Fortnite: Battle Royale is the biggest online game in the world, boasting over 45 million players and currently holds the record for the most number of concurrent players – at a staggering 3.4m. Created in 2017 by Epic Games, based in North Carolina, it’s a free to play (F2P), 100 PvP (Player versus Player) FPS (first-person-shooter) that borrows the familiar ‘last man standing’ concept from the Japanese cult classic movie ‘Battle Royale’ and the more recent ‘Hunger Games’ series – pitting the player against 99 other players in a closed environment, littered with weapons – with the last player left alive proclaimed the winner.
Suffice to say it’s huge – with latest estimates claiming that Fortnite generated over $220m in revenues across all platforms in March 2018 alone – and that’s despite being free to download and play. I won’t go into detail on what Fortnite is here – as the chances are, if you’re reading this, your kids – and therefore you, already have a pretty good grasp of what it’s all about. If you do want to know more however, it’s worth reading Keith Stuart’s excellent article in The Guardian from March this year.
Why is it so addictive?
It probably won’t come as a surprise to you that gaming addiction was recently listed as a mental health condition by the World Health Organisation and that some countries have already identified it as a major mental health issue, one that is especially potent for kids who play video games – be it on consoles, iPads or their phones for extended periods. Many game developers now retain psychologists as well as usability experts to keep gamers coming back for more – employing powerful reward based mechanics and ‘limited time offers’ to keep gamers engaged and revenues flowing. Gaming might have gone mass market, but it’s not without casualties.
If you ask your kids why Fortnite is so addictive – you’ll get a broad spectrum of answers ranging from: “It just is”, or rather amusingly – “It isn’t addictive – I just really like it…” to “It enables me to hang out with my friends online” and “I just wanna play against – and beat my friends”. The fact that is, if you have a headset with a microphone, you can chat with your mates whilst you’re playing, as well as killing each other and you can even work together to compete against other players – and this si undoubtedly a big pull. Most kids just don’t have the freedom we had in the 70s and 80s to wander over to the local rec and play ‘war’ or hide ‘n’ seek – and Fortnite adequately fulfills that need to hang out with your peers and show off in a relatively safe and secure digital environment.
Additionally, there’s the lure of fame and fortune. Top ranked players such as Ninja, Dakotaz and Gingerpop earn small fortunes from streaming their matches on YouTube and Twitch – with some lesser ‘experts’ even offering specialist online 1-to-1 coaching by the hour. So don’t be surprised that if your kids aren’t actually playing Fortnite, they’re probably watching someone else play it.
If Fortnite is free, why is it costing me money?
Firstly, if your kids are playing on Xbox One – then they’ll need an Xbox Live Gold subscription to play any game online. This costs £5.99 a month, or £39.99 for a 12-month subscription. If you’re playing on PC or PlayStation 4 – then it’s free to play online. You can, of course download Fortnite for free, but with the developer adding new items, features and play modes on a weekly basis, there is always a new reason to come back and play – and if your kids are anything like mine, they’ll want to show off to their friends, which means having the latest skins and kit.
Like most FTP (free to play) games, if you’re skillful (read successful) it’s perfectly possible to progress through the game and unlock new items without paying for anything. However, purchasing the ‘Premium Battle Pass‘ gives you access to exclusive clothing and items – and these are tiered, so successful players who complete weekly challenges can earn more points and unlock even more exclusive items – gaining valuable kudos. Battle passes last a season – which is a couple of months – and cost 950 V-Bucks (you can purchase 1,000 V-Bucks for £7.99). The developer Epic quickly realised that introducing seasons into the game is an excellent way to drive ARPU (average revenue per user) and keep players engaged, much the same way as Electronic Arts releases a new FIFA football game each year: after all, what kid/loser wants to be seen playing FIFA 2017 in 2018?
Secondly, it’s worth noting that none of the items earned or purchased through the Battle Pass give the player a gameplay advantage, or make them more powerful – they’re purely cosmetic. If this wasn’t the case then Fortnite would quickly become inaccessible and full of whales who have spent small fortunes on acquiring the best kit, weapons and kudos. For Fortnite to work – it has to be fair: which means that even the poorest noob can battle his or her way to victory without spending a penny – if they’re good enough. The developer would much rather that 10-20 per cent of its user base stumps up a few quid every couple of months, rather than a privileged few spend hundreds of pounds and turns the game into an exclusive online hang out for the offspring of hedge fund owners and footballers. Remember that next time the apple of your eye is demanding funds to feed their virtual fashion habit.
Finally, you can turn the monetization element to your advantage. If your kids have to play Fortnite, or risk becoming social pariahs in the playground – then remind them that in order to play the game over the course of the year it will cost them (i.e. you) over £70 (if you include the Xbox Live Gold pass and seasonal Battle Passes). With this in mind, set weekly or monthly targets that you rigorously enforce. Reward good and responsible behaviour with extra screen time over the weekend – and reduce it if/when your child goes off the rails. My kids can earn extra screen time by reading a book for 30 minutes. They’ll lose it if they fight or don’t stop playing when I give them the 20 minute warning to stop playing. Why 20 minutes? When calling time, bear in mind that each single ‘match’ can last up to 20 minutes and forcing your child to abandon his or her session in the middle of a game can leave their team-mates in the lurch and cause them to lose any points they’ve accumulated during that bout – which is going to turn your Liam, Logan or Noah into a Kevin or Perry faster than no sleep and a sugary drinks ban.
How do I set up parental controls?
You could of course just buy a timer, use your phone or even Alexa, but a more effective way of controlling when and how long your kids play is to use parental controls – as it’s transparent and accurate – and most importantly, it puts you directly in control. I’m going to focus on Xbox One here – as that’s what I know best, but parental controls are available on PlayStation 4.
First of all, you need to set up a Microsoft Family account. This will enable you to get weekly email reports of your child’s online activity on Xbox One and Windows 10 devices, keep track of the websites they’ve visited (and block those you don’t want them to see), and most importantly, set daily limits on when they can use their Xbox One and for how long. You can also review any content your child wants to buy online – before they purchase it – and if they’re behaving themselves, add funds to their account.
Click here to set up and manage your family account now – and follow the simple instructions. Bear in mind that in order to play Fortnite, your child will already have created a Microsoft account when subscribing to Xbox Live Gold – and that these details are being used by Fortnite.
Once you’ve created a Microsoft account for yourself, then select ‘Add a family member’ and follow the on-screen instructions. You will have to ensure that your child accepts your request which is sent via an email or text (or just do it for them). It is imperative that they accept the invitation, otherwise they’ll be able to sign in without having any family’ settings, restrictions or monitoring applied to their account. You can add a family member by email, text or directly from the Xbox One – all the instructions are included on the Microsoft Family website and it should take just a few minutes. It’s worth considering that there could be a lot of username and passwords that need typing in, so doing it on a computer, or even you phone might be easier than inputting this information using an Xbox gaming controller!
How do I set up screen time limits?
Its quick and easy to set up screen time limits for family members – and you can do it from a PC, Mac or SmartPhone – you just need internet access. Click here to do this now.
You can set up at what time your child/children can start to play in the morning and when they must stop at night – and you can do this for each day of the week: so no Xbox until homework is completed by 5pm, and the console automatically shuts down at 7.30pm so no more arguments and threats. Do your kids get up at 5am on weekends to play Fortnite? Not any more! You can set it up so that they can’t actually play anything until 8am! Enjoy that lie in…
Additionally, you can set how many hours each day that your child/children can play – or block the Xbox completely for a specific period. You can even give your kids a heads up on the Xbox as to when their time is going to run out – and they can request more time via email, which you can sanction accordingly via your phone by logging into your Microsoft Family account. You can also get a weekly email sent automatically to your inbox that details what they’ve played and for how long. It’s there in black and white – no arguments.
All work and no play…
I hope this helps you get back some control – it’s certainly made things a lot easier in our house. We actually sat down and had a discussion about how much screen time was appropriate – and I suggest you do the same. You might be surprised as to what is suggested by your kids – as the chances are, they’re widly underestimating how long they actually spend playing. Most importantly, don’t introduce this as a punishment, sell it in as useful tool to monitor and regulate screen time and don’t forget to build in rewards for good behaviour. If you tell most kids that they can play up to ten hours a week – they’ll jump at this… until they realise how qucikly they’ve used up their hours, that is.
By educating your kids that too much of a good thing isn’t always best for them, you’re teaching them a valuable life lesson. So whatever you do, stick to what you’ve agreed and whatever you do, don’t tell them your password!
Fortnite is so popular because it is a great game. If you haven’t tried it, sit down with you kids and let them teach you how to play – they’ll love the fact that you’re taking time to get to understand why they’re so crazy about it – and you might even start to like it. Good luck!
