Lainie Anderson: It’s a battle royale for family time as Fortnite game sweeps the globe

Too weak to battle the latest game craze, Fortnite? Here are some tips from Lainie Anderson to ensure parents are armed for the onslaught.

• Fortnite — Family fun or violent video drama
• My son is about to be treated for Fortnite addiction
• The mastermind behind Fortnite

I KNEW it was time to write about Fortnite when parents starting doing epic eye rolls when I mentioned it. “That bloody game,” they’d say. “We’re having so many arguments about it.”

Or: “Don’t talk to me about Fortnite. I must be the only parent in South Australia who’s not letting their kids play it — apparently I’m the worst mum in the world.”

For those who don’t know, Fortnite: Battle Royale is an online game that’s sweeping the globe, attracting 120 million players in its first year and reaping $300 million for its creator, Epic Games, in April alone.

It involves 100 players being dropped on to a post-apocalyptic
island where they must quickly gather weapons, food and building materials for a 20-minute fight to the death, with the ultimate goal of being the last person — or team — to survive.

Before I go on, let me say this is not an exercise in bagging Fortnite or online games in general, and neither am I out to judge parents who’ve initiated a ban.

But we’re muddling through this parenting palaver together, so if we can share some common experiences I think we’re all the better for it.

So, here’s what I like about Fortnite …

The adrenaline charge is just one of the concerns about Fortnite

I like that my boys can be safe at home, hooked up with headphones and microphones and playing in a team with mates who live way across Adelaide and the Adelaide Hills.

It’s not dissimilar to me as a kid, ringing my mates on a Saturday night — except Fortnite lets you talk to more than one mate at once, and it also encourages co-operation, problem-solving, hand-eye co-ordination, dexterity and a competitive spirit.

I also like that the game can be played for free if you want. Spending is limited to outfits, or “skins”, that don’t increase your skill. I also like its quirky cartoon coolness — not to mention the stack of funky dance moves — which appeals to kids and adults alike, a bit like The Simpsons on TV.

What worries me is that it is so high-adrenaline. The island map constantly shrinks so players are forced into an ever-smaller area as they fight to survive. The adrenaline rushes are catnip and kids constantly want to be dropped on to the island again and again and again.

The upshot? Unchecked, they’ll do four hours straight and, as a result, become moody, tired and disengaged to everything that’s not Fortnite related.

Adelaide relationship counsellor Karen Paglia says she’s increasingly hearing about Fortnite from concerned parents and, interestingly, siblings. Her advice is to calmly speak to your kids as soon as you have any concerns and to work together to negotiate boundaries that foster additional interests.

Leroy, 14, and brother Otis, 9, playing Fortnite. Picture: Jason Edwards

Until recently, Fortnite access in the Anderson household was restricted to “any time” on weekends and school holidays, so long as sport, homework, jobs etc were all in their proper place.

Last week, we restricted access to “after 4pm only”, so the bulk of their days are dedicated to other stuff whether they like it or not.

“We need to support young people to have self-awareness,” Ms Paglia says.

“We need them to know that it’s very important to be emotionally present in a family dynamic — that’s what gives them their sense of belonging and it can be hard to get that back once it’s lost.

“If you’re worried, try saying that you’ve noticed that your child seems to be more tired, snappy or disconnected than normal, and then ask what they’re noticing.”

Ms Paglia is also concerned that Fortnite desensitises violence because there’s no blood when characters are killed.

She says any parents who ban violent games — as she did — should simply stick to their values and express themselves clearly to their kids.

Good or bad, the heartening news for parents is that Fortnite will pass.

Think of it as just another challenge in the wonderful learning experience that is parenting.

Remember when I wrote a column about the boys being obsessed with Ben 10? That was 2009.

AND ANOTHER THING …

IT IS BEWILDERING that a man as intelligent as Philip Wilson can’t see the need to resign as the Catholic Archbishop of Adelaide.

He has been convicted of covering up historical child-sex abuse. He has received a pathetic sentence which equates to a nice little holiday of home detention.

So does he resign for the good of victims or his church community? No — he appeals against the conviction as, of course, is his legal right. And says he won’t resign until the outcome of that appeal.

Meanwhile, the church and the victims remain in limbo, neither healing nor reclaiming any moral authority in the wider community. What a shame.

NICE TO SEE Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull splashing so much cash around South Australia these past weeks. We need by-elections more often