Fortnite for tweens?

beardybrewer

We're on the stricter side when it comes to video games. To hear my son tell it everybody pretty much has unfettered access to any game and Fortnite is tame compared to what he sees at his friend's house. We typically respond that maybe true but changes nothing and emphasise it comes from a place of concern and not punishment denying him video games all his friends seems to be allowed (last year it was Battle Royale).

So parents of similarly aged kids, what's your take on these battle royale games where they communicate online with strangers with the sole intention of killing everybody and being the last one standing?

I'm ready to be swayed or would be assured we're not monsters in making him wait another year or two. In our minds age 13 seems like a watershed age to graduate to this stuff but obviously that varies teen to teen. For the meantime he's still my little tween.

SusanC10

How old is your Son ?

Our Kids are 11 & 8. We don't have a PlayStation or an XBox. So no Fortnight here. Most of our Son's Class are playing Fortnight as well as some of our Daughters Class. But they are also playing Call of Duty, Assassin's Creed etc etc.

Our Kids don't have Devices and we are happy to keep it that way while they are in Primary School.

We have talked to our Kids and explained that different families have different rules and that we won't be getting these types of games anytime soon.

heroics

Is it the communication with strangers or the goal of last man standing that you have a problem with?

My nephews are 6 and 10. The 10 year old plays fortnite BR, fifa, cod etc

I keep an eye on his friends list and who he is in parties with when ever I'm online and it would be most of the kids he plays GAA/goes to school in his party.

the younger one only plays COD against bots (or me) not the online MP.

Benefits of FPS games.

Playing First Person Shooter Games Is Associated with Improved Action Cascading but Not Inhibition
Research shows that video-game play improves basic mental abilities.


This study reckons that it is not violent content but frustration that leads to the aggression that people associate with COD etc and is the same for no violent games like tetris

http://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/frustration-in-mastering-video-games-linked-to-aggression/

facehugger99

beardybrewer wrote: »

So parents of similarly aged kids, what's your take on these battle royale games where they communicate online with strangers with the sole intention of killing everybody and being the last one standing?

I let my 9-year old play - all his classmates and similarly aged (and some younger) cousins seem to be playing it too.

I'm a little conflicted, it's ultimately about trying to kill everyone else, but there's no blood splatter or gore.

My main rule is that he's not allowed online communication with anyone he doesn't know in real-life. There's a setting where the voice-chat option is only enabled for friends and he's not allowed to 'make online friends' with people we don't know - so basically he mostly plays with his classmates and cousins. This is the PS4 version I'm talking about btw - not sure if the it works the same way on different platforms.

I wouldn't be happy with any randomers being able to voice-chat with my kid.

Cordell

with the sole intention of killing everybody

It's a game, they're only killing pixels, not everybody or anybody. Kids have been playing games in which they "killed" other kids since forever. And the "dead" kids will "respawn" and play the same game all over again.

setanta1000

I have two boys that are into Fortnite (14 and 9) and similar to other posters I let them play but with restrictions on who they can chat / group play with - the 14 year old can only chat with guys he knows and to be fair he only wants to chat to his buddies anyway; but the 9 year old isn't allowed chat.

As for violence in the game - I grew up playing Cowboys and Indians where we fashioned realistic weapons from whatever we could scavenge and repeatedly pretended to kill each other - didn't affect me in the slightest!




Wibble

mordeith

Our oldest is ten but we don't allow him to play Fortnite or any online games where there is two way communication. I'm not bothered overly by the content of the game but I've heard two many stories about unwanted approaches from other online users.

byhookorbycrook

https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/stoke-on-trent-news/fortnite-battle-royale-1522450

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/local-news/oadby-school-warns-parents-dangers-1520371

heroics

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/stoke-on-trent-news/fortnite-battle-royale-1522450

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/local-news/oadby-school-warns-parents-dangers-1520371

Ffs the first article is about how kids are getting distracted and talking about it is school. Every time there is a new fad be it fidget spinners, a computer game etc there is a report of a school somewhere complaining about it

beauf

That second link has a ton of third parties it's shares info with...

I would say there is a substantial difference between fortnight and cod and similar. But at the same time there are some parallels.

If your kid is playing doing any online activity it should be where it can be observed in a family room downstairs.

There are parental controls that you can use to control access but the are designed by the people who wrote manuals for VCRs in the 80s.

Fortnight I allow but it's more of 11-12 kinda of a game. There's a problem with addiction with some kids. You have to watch that. If they won't. Drop the game to go outside to their friends then it's time to limit or withdraw their computers and console privileges.

cd07

Our by plays fortnite after days of begging to have it. The missus backed down eventually although I was against it. So over the weekend **** hit the fan. He is totally addicted to the poxy thing now and his behaviour has definitely worsened since hes started it. Lastnight it came to a head when we discovered he snook 50 euro out of his savings to buy these skins or whatever for the game character. To date hes wasted up to 100 quid on this ****e. So when we discovered we went mental and now its banned and ps4 is gone. Absolute scam of a game and they say its free!

heroics

cd07 wrote: »

Our by plays fortnite after days of begging to have it. The missus backed down eventually although I was against it. So over the weekend **** hit the fan. He is totally addicted to the poxy thing now and his behaviour has definitely worsened since hes started it. Lastnight it came to a head when we discovered he snook 50 euro out of his savings to buy these skins or whatever for the game character. To date hes wasted up to 100 quid on this ****e. So when we discovered we went mental and now its banned and ps4 is gone. Absolute scam of a game and they say its free!

You can set a spending limit for kids on the PS4. The link below goes through the parental controls on PS4.

https://www.playstation.com/en-ie/get-help/help-library/my-account/parental-controls/ps4-parental-controls/

stimpson

I let my eldest play Fortnite. He has asked for a headset and we said no. If he’s chatting online then I want to be able to hear it. I may get a microphone so he can chat and I can hear what’s going on, but we’re not there yet. We’ve explained to him it’s about online safety and he’s accepted it (though not exactly happy)

I use the timer in XBox family settings. 1 hour on school days, 2 at weekends. We used to argue when he was told to turn it off but when the console shuts down itself he’s fine with it. It’s like he can’t argue with the machine.

As regards in game purchases, we use it as a treat for good behaviour/chores. He has a weekly chart and good behaviour gets rewarded with VBucks. When he gets 1000 VBucks I put a tenner into his account.

And, I would encourage parents to play games with their kids. Even if you haven’t got a clue about it, it’s good to show an interest and you might be less concerned with the unknown.

beauf

I'm the same parental controls on the xbox strict time limits, can't buy anything without my permission. The PC is the same.

One of ours has no problems with it. The other is a disaster. Would never get off it. Completely addicted.

But its not just Fortnite is all games tbh.

facehugger99

cd07 wrote: »

Absolute scam of a game and they say its free!

My BIL got a PS4 for his kid who's 9.

He wouldn't be the most technical savvy guy. Anyhow, he discovered a couple of weeks ago that the kid had spent €520 on Fortnite skins without his knowledge. The PS4 defaults to a 'one-click purchase system unless you specifically change it in the account settings.

He had absolutely no joy in trying to get the money back from the game makers, Sony or indeed his Credit Card company.

Parents, be warned.

Yester

Intresting article from a reputable news source.

https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/girl-9-rehab-after-becoming-12673590

I love the fact that there are ads for the game when click.

cd07

heroics wrote:

You can set a spending limit for kids on the PS4. The link below goes through the parental controls on PS4.

Excellent thank you!

awec

The game itself is fairly harmless, it's rated 12.

ED E

stimpson wrote: »

I let my eldest play Fortnite. He has asked for a headset and we said no. If he’s chatting online then I want to be able to hear it. I may get a microphone so he can chat and I can hear what’s going on, but we’re not there yet. We’ve explained to him it’s about online safety and he’s accepted it (though not exactly happy)

Don't bother with this.

The reason gamers use headsets is to avoid feedback loops. If you use speakers and a mic* then when his friend talks he'll hear himself back a second later and again and again. Everyone mutes a player like that.

*there are exceptions with good gear

stimpson

ED E wrote: »

Don't bother with this.

The reason gamers use headsets is to avoid feedback loops. If you use speakers and a mic* then when his friend talks he'll hear himself back a second later and again and again. Everyone mutes a player like that.

*there are exceptions with good gear

Doh.

beauf

The other side is everyone in the game will hear conversations in your house!

I let them have a headset but as it in a room we pass through you can hear what the kid is saying and the subject of the conversation is obvious. I'm