Fortnite Mobile Is Causing Chaos In Schools

The first person shooter games Fortnite and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) have become extremely popular with teens who spend hours every day playing or watching others stream their attempts to survive the intense battle royales. The issue used to be a minor annoyance for teachers, but after the two games were released on iOS, schools have seen a major increase in the number of students playing the games during class. 

Both students and teachers have been complaining about the new phenomenon sweeping through the schools. Video game blog Kotaku rounded up a number of tweets that show students complaining about gamers slowing down the school's WiFi and documenting fights between students over the games. Some schools have blocked the game on their networks, but students still manage to play the online games. One tweet estimated that 90% of kids were playing during class.

While many schools ban the use of phones during class, they are allowed to use them during lunch. Teachers say that students will start a game, which can last around 15 minutes, before school or during their lunch period and have to finish it once classes resume. 

One teacher posted a video showing a box for phones he confiscated from students for playing Fortnite/PUBG Mobile. He explained that the social media, specifically Snapchat is part of the reason the game has become so popular. 

“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...I would say Snapchat is a bigger issue than games. But Fortnite marries the two of them into a monster.”

The games are currently only available on iOS, but will soon be coming to Android. 

Photo: Getty Images


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