The Fortnite Phenomenon

This morning I attended a meeting where we talked about the Fortnite video game. It is one of those hugely successful games that has everyone scratching their heads wondering how they can repeat the process for their own titles. It is from Epic Games, which is also the creator of the Unreal game engine. As a side-note, if you want to try your hand at creating a video game, you can use the Unreal engine for free. You only have to pay Epic when you sell copies of your game and then it is just a small percentage.

So what makes Fortnite so successful? I can try to answer that question but the reality is that if I could explain it, then everyone would use the same formula to make their own games successful. So let me begin by saying that filling a need at the right time is part of the equation and that makes duplicating the game's success very difficult.

Fortnite is very simple to understand. When I played my first Fortnite match, I did so with a small description of the game. I didn't need any lengthy instructions nor in-game tutorials (as is often the first hour or two of many games). All I did was jump out of a flying school bus and try to stay alive as long as possible. I managed to do so more than half of the players in that match and felt pretty good about myself.

Fortnite allows you to play online with your friends. It is no secret that I started playing the PS2, thanks to the console as a birthday gift from my  brother who worked for Sony at the time. Then my Dad, brothers, and I would go online every Thursday evening from 7pm until around midnight playing with and sometimes against each other. Our favorite game was SOCOM 2 and we had a lot of fun. Our group eventually grew to include a brother-in-law as well as a few nephews. At the all-time peak of our gaming, we met together with our consoles at Thanksgiving and played in the same room. This is quite a feat given that one of my brothers lived in San Diego, the other in Portland, and me in Salt Lake City. Fortnite builds upon the ability to play with friends and does a pretty good job of keeping it fun for everyone.

Fortnite makes it tough to cheat. One of the reasons my brothers and I stopped playing online video games together is because of cheaters and campers. As Fortnite serves as a showcase for the Unreal game engine, Epic took care to make it very difficult to cheat. That doesn't mean cheats don't exist but they are few in number. Fortnite also developed a shrinking environment which makes it difficult for someone to find a hiding spot and stay there for the entire game. You may be able to hide for a few minutes but then a storm causes the playable area to shrink and not moving to the active area eliminates you from the game.

Fortnite does not require a huge time commitment. I just finished playing Red Dead Redemption 2 and it took me over 100 hours to complete. While I didn't play the game in a single sitting, sometimes I would play for several hours at a time. With Fortnite you can play in 10-minute increments. That makes it very easy to fill small blocks of time and doesn't require multi-hour commitments.

Fortnite is free to play. You can download it to your video game console, computer, or smartphone for no charge. Free is always an attractive price for any video game.

Finally, Fortnite levels the playing field for everyone. There is no advantage by paying for anything in the game. You all start out with the same inventory and are required to scavenge for weapons and supplies during each match. That means that your friend whose mom has spent hundreds of dollars in the game does not have any advantage. He or she may have a really cool outfit or be able to do a nice victory dance after killing you, but it is skill that ultimately wins the game.

Yes, People are starting to grow tired of Fortnite and it looks as if the number of active players is on a slow decline. Ultimately it will take quite a while before those numbers drop to zero and so Epic shouldn't worry too much right now. Besides that gives them time to think about what to create to replace it. I hope they come up with something equally spectacular.

Your Mobile Phone is Making You Unlikable

This morning my son sent me an article from Forbes talking about 9 different habits that make you less likeable. It is a great article in that it first talks about why it is important for people to like you. While some people may discount likeability, the article quotes a UCLA study about top traits for great leaders and they all boil down to likeability.

Scrolling through the list of 9 things that make one less likeable, I discovered that I probably have some changes in my own behavior that I need to make. One that caught my eye though is "Whipping out your phone." I thought about this one for a minute and realized that I really hate it when I am having a conversation with someone and they pull out their phone to check a message or look up something.

To quote the article: "Nothing turns someone off to you like a mid-conversation text message or even a quick glance at your phone. When you commit to a conversation, focus all of your energy on the conversation. You’ll find that conversations are more enjoyable and effective when you immerse yourself in them."

While you may be waiting for an important text or notification, unless someone is dying, you can most likely wait until your in-person conversation is over before pulling out your phone.

Now if I can get my own adult children to read this blog entry, I will be a happy father.

Greatest Hits Games

For anyone looking to save money on video games, there is a little trick to be aware of at this point in the console lifecycle. Both Sony and Microsoft have announced new consoles but they won't be appearing this year. In order to keep the game sales moving, there are some steep discounts on a number of really great games. While new releases are often in the $60 range, games that were best sellers a while ago can be had for $20. These are referred to as "Greatest Hits" in the PlayStation world. I'm sure Microsoft has something similar.

I have a lot of credit on my PlayStation account and so I thought I would run through the list of Greatest Hits to see if there is anything I might have missed and want to play now. I looked at what is currently available for $19.99 and have a couple of recommendations for those that have not played these games yet.

One of the best deals out there is the "Uncharted Nathan Drake Collection" available on the PS4. This includes Uncharted One, Two, and Three all for the low price of only $19.99. When the games were originally released on the PS3, they cost $60 each for a total of $180. Talk about a huge discount. All 3 games have been remastered for the higher quality sound and graphics available in the PS4 console. If you like those 3 games, Uncharted 4 is also in the Greatest Hits collection and is also only $19.99.

The second game I would like to recommend is Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition. This includes the Frozen Wilds DLC that came out several months after the original game release. I enjoyed the DLC so much, I paid the $15 full-price for it. I have a lot of fond memories playing the game and highly recommend it.

Video games can be expensive and so looking for great deals like this is one way to keep the costs down. I highly recommend these games and the price makes them almost too good a deal to pass up if you haven't played them yet. If you have, there are a number of other games in the Greatest Hits collection you might want to consider.