Let’s Gooo!I joined Fortnite for Professional Development.
I tried to fight it and I held off as long as I could, I swear. But, team Peely.You see, about 75% of kids I see in my practice are avid Fortniters. Now we have something to connect about.
Sure I was against it in the beginning because of the violent nature, the addictiveness, and if things don’t go our way we can respawn. But on closer look, there is actually some value to this game, and not just to copy some cool dance moves. And, bonus, there’s no gory stuff.
Fortnite requires team skills and leadership development. I’ve watched my son go from a shy reserved kid to one that has stepped up to lead his crew all for that gold Llama crown. When I’m discussing Fortnite with clients I am always keen to point out their strengths I’ve noticed in a child’s social skills development. We chat about what it takes to be a good team player, appropriate communication and forgiving mistakes or when things don’t go our way (No rage quitting here please!).
First person shooter games like Fortnite have been shown to increase cognitive processing speeds, and visual memory in people. Achieving a Victory Royale means making fast decisions and coordinating and fine tuning motor skills too.
Obviously screen time needs to be in moderation and offer a balanced diet of gaming variety such as real-time strategy games and creative building games to avoid obsession.Bye for now, I’m off to go get my new Roblox account.
Sources; Francesco, N, et al. (2021) Personalized Adaptive Training Improves Performance at a Professional First-Person Shooter Action Videogame. Frontiers in Psychology
Reynaldo, C., et al (2021) Using Video Games to Improve Capabilities in Decision Making and Cognitive Skill: A Literature Review. Procedia Computer Science
