The Fortnite Frenzy – Is It Bad For Northwood?

It’s sweeping the school. Many parents, teachers, and administrators are concerned about its effect on the academic and athletic performance of students. And yet many Northwood students do it because it’s “cool” and “something fun to do.” No, this article is not about juuling, drugs or alcohol. It’s about Fortnite.

Joona Havia ’20 enjoys playing Fortnite with his friends.

Fortnite is an online video game in which people from all over the world battle against one another on a virtual battlefield. You can play by yourself, with friends, or with complete strangers. This versatility helps the game captivate a large number of active players, from those who want to engage in a serious battle of skill and wits with their friends to those who simply want to relax by themselves and get away from the everyday stress. This may sound all well to some, students especially, but others, mainly teachers and parents, are worried that this school-wide obsession may lead to serious issues.

Fortnite not only takes up a staggering amount of time, but many also think the game is too violent. Studies have shown that, on average, a teen spends almost an hour a day on this game where the goal is to kill the other 99 players. In addition, Fortnite causes players to buy various items within the game with real money as well. Parents view this concept as nonsensical–a little more than corporations profiting off of juvenile ignorance.

Despite these downsides, Fortnite has become a worldwide phenomenon and continues to attract gamers from different countries. At Northwood, the majority of male students play the game, and in some cases, Fortnite hinders face-to-face interactions between students. Daniel Colabufo ‘20 said, “[Fortnite] is a pretty fun game, but I think it has an addictive side to it as well.” On the other hand, however, the video game can add fun and variety to students’ free time. Junior Joona Havia commented, “I like playing Fortnite because so much new stuff gets added to the game every week.” For boarding students, especially for international students, Fortnite can connect them to their friends and family members back at home as well. Jerkko Ramo ‘19 added, “The game allows me to spend some of my free time with my friends in Finland.”

Is Fortnite fun? To many, yes. Can it be a problem? Maybe. But either way, one thing is for sure: many Northwood students are hooked on Fortnite, and they will have to attain a balance between Fortnite and school work.