Other Games ⇒ Fortnite

[sidewinder9x]

Go figure...

"Parents Hiring Fortnite Coaches to Improve Play, Help Children Level Up
Tim Daniels
July 31, 2018

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 12: General atmosphere shot at the Epic Games Hosts Fortnite Party Royale on June 12, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Greg Doherty/Getty Images)
Greg Doherty/Getty Images

As Fortnite Battle Royale continues to dominate the world of video games, parents are starting to invest in coaches in the same way they would for sports or academics.

On Tuesday, Sarah E. Needleman of the Wall Street Journal reported parents are throwing down between $10 and $20 per hour so their kids can level up and become better Fortnite players.

"There's pressure not to just play it but to be really good at it," Ally Hicks, who purchased four hours of lessons for her 10-year-old son, told the WSJ. "You can imagine what that was like for him at school."

Epic Games struck gold with Fortnite's free-to-play model.

Gamers are able to compete in 100-player lobbies in search of a Victory Royale as the last character standing. The hit game, which is currently in its fifth season, is available on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, iPhone and Nintendo Switch.

Players are able to purchase skins as well as accessories such as gliders, pickaxes, back bling and emotes using V-Bucks, the game's digital currency. Those add-on elements present no in-game competitive advantage but have generated massive revenue for Epic.

Last week, Devon Pendleton and Christopher Palmeri of Bloomberg reported Fortnite is on track to generate $2 billion for its parent company in 2018.

The third-person combat game's popularity is bolstered by its success on Twitch, a streaming service highlighted by its video game content. The likes of Ninja, Dr. Lupo, TSM Myth and FaZe Tfue play the game at a high level, and now kids' parents are trying to help their children replicate those stars.

In some cases, it's paying off. Nick Mennen told the Wall Street Journal his 12-year-old son, Noble, struggled to win on the highly competitive Fortnite landscape.

"Now he'll throw down 10 to 20 wins," Mennen said.

The demand for coaches may continue to grow with the latest update from Epic in June placing the player count at 125 million."

[Moderhinke]

That's a little extreme, no?

As an opposite perspective, I enjoyed this piece in the WaPo:

"The Summer of Pale - How I lost my kids to Fortnite"

[KungfuBeer]

As an opposite perspective, I enjoyed this piece in the WaPo:

Us common folk are unable to read WaPo because we don't have subscriptions.

[Moderhinke]

Works fine for me without logging in! Not sure why you can't access it

[KungfuBeer]

Works fine for me without logging in! Not sure why you can't access it

I just saw why..

We noticed you’re blocking ads.

[Bojac]

Owned by Jeff Bezos...

[Moderhinke]

Owned by Jeff Bezos...

I was waiting for that, Bojac. Thank you! What took you so long?

[KungfuBeer]

What took you so long?

He was busy answering Jeff's phones....

[KungfuBeer]

Owned by Jeff Bezos...

38894210_10160897197750515_3267939666615074816_n.jpg (36.24 KiB) Viewed 970 times

38894210_10160897197750515_3267939666615074816_n.jpg (36.24 KiB) Viewed 970 times