Fortnite Event With Travis Scott Can Actually be Recreated in the Classroom
12 Million Concurrent Viewers Can’t Be Wrong… Right?
Fortnite is not new. It’s not a secret. It’s not something I expect most of my colleagues have played, but I also don’t have to tell you that it’s a big deal. Several sources show that Fortnite has over 200 million registered users and upwards of 6 million concurrent users at any time.
For those of you who don’t know, Fortnite is a “shooter-survival game” where you can operate in a solo format or with a group of three other players. It’s what is known as a battle royale format. Each game in the battle royale format features 100 players fighting on a map loaded with secrets, chests filled with weapons and more.
Before we go further, I must admit that I am a HUGE fan of Fortnite. I play several hours a day as I try to stay quiet in the mornings and let my family sleep. I watch several YouTube videos a day on average, and, when my son plays, I consider myself a coach helping him refine his technique. (I also coach 10 Fortnite players as a part of our eSports team at school.)
I enjoy Fortnite for a ton of reasons outside of the gameplay. I LOVE how they continue to force themselves to be a part of the conversation. On April 23, Fortnite completed their partnership with Travis Scott by doing a “Fortnite Event.” I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I heard that term in the videos I watched online for a week or so leading up to the event.
I tuned in for the event and to say I was blown away was a complete understatement. I could not have picked Travis Scott out of a line up with a nametag. After watching the event, I realized I was vaguely aware of his music - It’s amazing what you will pick up working sporting events.
Confession Time: I may have said a couple of bad words while watching this event. They were good bad words though. They were exclamations about how amazing the event was. Before we go any further into how this event impacts your classroom, watch it.
Now that you have watched it, let me tell you how big that event was… Over 12 million concurrent viewers watched the first showing of the concert with over 27 million total viewers world wide. This concert event was a true immersive experience. As a video teacher and a gamer, I didn’t care who was doing the performance because I was enamored by the production and the execution of such an event.
How does this apply to your classroom?
What if I told you the software used to produce this video is completely free for educators and students? What if I told you there are literally hundreds of hours or training content available from the publisher and via other online sources?
Epic Games, the publisher of Fortnite, uses the Unreal Engine to produce the games. Unreal Engine is free to download. If you want to get kids engaged, help them explore how they can create games and videos using the same software as their favorite game.
Before you roll your eyes, I also want to let you know that this isn’t just for gaming. In a recent interview with Bo Cordle from Ross, I asked him what he was doing during the lockdown. His response: “Learning Unreal Engine.”
Bo’s role for the last several years has been to produce AR graphics for NFL football games. He also let me know that “the fancy AR elements for the super bowl this year? Unreal Engine.” The Ross Voyager is a render platform that is an extension of Unreal Engine.
I, much like Bo and many other sports professionals around the world, will be using some of my free time to learn Unreal Engine in order to see how I can implement it into my classroom - specifically my animation courses.
Meet the Author, Tom White
Tom White is the digital media instructor at Morgan County High School in Madison, GA. Currently teaching TV production and animation pathways, Tom's programs have received state and national honors including the 2016 NFHS Network School Broadcast Program Of The Year.
Prior to teaching, Tom was a marketing, promotions, and online content director for a major radio corporation in Atlanta. Tom studied exercise science at High Point University prior to his radio career. Despite his winding career path, his mother still thinks he is special.
