It’s pretty standard that when something gaming related reaches the general public in Australia, mainstream media generally try and turn it into a negative. We’ve seen it with several games, but more prominently when Pokemon GO emerged and more recently Fortnite. We’ve done countless posts on Channel 9, A Current Affair and The Today Show doing multiple stories about the dangers of Fortnite and it definitely looks to be having an impact.
An email obtained by Goto.Game from a Sydney school teacher has told parents that they should be stopping their Grade 5 children playing the game, due to the fact that their children could be chatting to anybody (through audio chat) as well as the fact that there’s addictive qualities in the video game.
Firstly, audio chat can be turned off through the settings, so it comes back to parental guidance, and whilst it’s unclear if Fortnite specifically has addictive qualities, there’s definitely nothing concrete that suggests that it’s more addictive than any other form of technology, and once again comes back to parents watching and monitoring their children.
The email reads:
Good morning .. parents,
It is always tricky discussing issues at home, as that is your domain, but I feel it is always best to work together. It takes a village to raise a child.
I just wanted to highlight a concern that we have with the boys playing a game called Fortnite.
Although i have not heard it mentioned in .. many Year 5 boys are playing it at home. This game does not allow for messaging to be turned off so the boys are accessible to hundreds of online strangers. The game is played in teams of 4 so can be quit addictive as the boys feel they are letting their team down if they are not playing. Common sense media is a site I find really useful for checking ratings of TV shows, movies and games. It is pretty difficult to keep ahead of our boys in terms of technology so it is important to be vigilant in this regard. I am also surprised at the number of Year 5 boys on Instagram considering the recommended age is 13.
