Shocking news shocks everyone.
Fortnite‘s transition to Mobile is causing all sorts of problems in schools, as kids sneak in a match or two during class, bicker over victories and defeats, and ruin the Wi-Fi for everyone else.
Kotaku spoke to a high school AP computer science teacher, Nick Gutierrez, about the surge in kids neglecting their schoolwork in favour of playing the newly released mobile title.
“There has been a rise in the number of incidents with students walking into classes while playing the games. They started a match during lunch, or before school, and need to finish the 10-15 [minute] long matches. I have noticed in my room students siting next to each other trying to play while pretending to do work,” Gutierrez said.
Students have been posting about the use of Fortnite in schools, including the fact that some schools have banned students from downloading Fortnite on their provided iPads or just outright banned the game on school Wi-Fi networks.
via Twitter
Epic Games launched the mobile version of their hugely successful PC and console title last week, which topped the iOS charts in 47 countries less than 24 hours after launch and raked in $1 million in in-app purchases in its first three days in the App Store — an impressive feat considering it’s free-to-play and is currently an invite-only event.
“When you mix in the fact that you have to Snapchat every ‘dub’ (win) you get or Snapchat your friends losing it merges two of the biggest distractions in school,” said Nick Fisher, another teacher who has taken to confiscating the phones of those caught playing during lessons.
Teachers aren’t having a great time of it, with one tweeting, “Fortnite released fortnite mobile which means now my middle school students can play the game they never stop talking about at school behind my back on their phones that are nicer than mine. What a world.”
Part of Fortnite Mobile’s appeal is the fact that it offers cross play with PC and PlayStation 4 versions of the game. The game will be coming to Android eventually, but for now it’s invite-only on iOS.
Shabana is a freelance writer who enjoys JRPGs, wine, and not finishing games. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
