As much as I don’t want to talk about Fortnite anymore, a new development is once again making this franchise a revolution in the gaming industry. Parents are now reportedly hiring “Fortnite tutors” for their kids in order for them to be better at the game. For 20 dollars an hour, you too can get a professional tutor, but forget the algebra books at home and just bring your controller and a gaming console.
Kids are “feeling pressured” to win when playing Squad modes with their friends, so apparently they have been approaching their parents on this new fad in order to improve. The social effects this game is having on kids is catastrophic, and I can’t really fathom parents feeding into the addiction. If children are already saying they feel pressured that if they lose, their friends won’t like them, I feel like that’s a place where society needs to stop and reevaluate the harm this game might be producing to the public.
Found through Facebook, social media, and websites like Gaming Sensei, apparently over 1,400 tutors have been hired since March of this year, and the phenomenon is only going stronger. Wall Street Journal interviewed parents partaking in this fad, saying that, besides not wanting their kids to lose matcher, it can be a “bonding experience” where the parent actually learns to play alongside their child.
When a game becomes so popular, it puts pressure or children to “get good” or “go home,” that’s when I think video games could be more toxic nowadays than they are beneficial. And that’s coming from a hardcore gamer for life.
