FORTNITE has fast become one of the most popular games played around the world – so, what is its age rating?
The lack of serious age restriction and gruesome content is worrying parents – so here’s everything you need to know about the videogame.
What is Fortnite’s age rating?
Fortnite is set in a dystopian world where 98 per cent of Earth’s population suddenly disappears, living conditions become difficult, and zombie-like creatures roam the Earth – the player is among the remaining 2 per cent whose job it is to survive.
After the apocalypse, “survivor bases” were set-up and each player is in charge of looking after these bases before trying to find a way to return Earth to normal.
Those form the centrepiece of the story for the co-operative Save The World mode, but play not part in the free-to-play Battle Royale mode.
The video game welcomes players aged 13 and above.
Since its release it’s been available to play on gaming platforms such as PlayStation 4, Xbox One, as well as PC and Mac.
How many children play Fortnite?
While there is no exact figure on how many children play Fortnite, the game has so far pulled in an audience of over 78.3 million players in August 2018 alone.
According to Statista, some 45 percent of US kids aged between 8 and 17 have played or are playing Fortnite.
The survey, taken in 2018, found that 43 percent haven’t.
What are the parental concerns for Fortnite?
Many parents are concerned about the harmful effects that the long playing durations, and violent content is having on their children.
A thread on forum site Reddit summed up concerns, with one parent saying that while the game “promotes strategic thinking and cooperation,” their child has started to “slam doors when he used to be pretty laid back.”
A poll hosted from This Morning asked if parents are worried about the effect the game Fortnite has on their children and 59% voted no as opposed to 41% who said yes.
The game has also experienced problems with hacking, with gamers finding fraudsters have been able to make payments using their details.
Epic said it was aware of the attacks, and a spokesperson said: “Any players who believe their account has been compromised should reach out to our player support immediately.”
Does Fortnite have parental controls?
Yes it does.
Fortnite offers a range of parental controls that manages what a player can see and do.
To set up those control, go to account settings via the Epic Games Launcher or Epic Games Store website.
Sign into the account and get onto the GENERAL navigation tab.
Scroll down to the PARENTAL CONTROLS section, click BEGIN SETUP and enter in a 6-digit PIN and hit CONTINUE.
And don’t forget to hit SAVE at the end.
What platforms can I play Fortnite on?
Fortnite can be played on a number of platforms.
They include PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android and Microsoft Windows.
It can be played on PC and Mac, Xbox One S, Xbox One S All-Digital Edition, and Xbox One Series X|S .
It’s also accessible one Nintendo Switch Lite and on Android devices with an ARM64 processor or an Android OS 8.0 or higher with a minimum 4GB of RAM.
