With Seabury back in full swing, students and teachers alike are facing the immense challenge of keeping spirits high while outer temperatures have been so low. As we have been under pretty consistent winter weather advisories to remain indoors as much as possible, Lawrencians have had to find ways to cope inside their homes to avoid going stir-crazy. Many students have been finding joy through the 2017 video game, “Fortnite.”
Science teacher and well-known student-spirit-rallier Eric Nelson notes, “It’s kind of an old game that’s come and gone, so I like to do things that are kinda retro. So that’s why I chose ‘Fortnite,’” he says, explaining his meticulous decision to start the “Fortnite Worlds Competition.” Nelson devised a March-Madness-like bracket and even included the chance for those not involved to place bets on winners for the chance of a mystery prize.
“The temperature has been so low that everybody is stuck inside, and I figure everybody is playing games anyway, and I thought it might be a lot of fun to bring video games to students in a public way,” comments Nelson about clashing his usual hijinks with the fads of the 21st century.
Sophomore Beau Peterson, who has been deemed “cracked” at Fortnite, thinks that the “Fortnite” competition is a good way to hype up the school during the dreary winter months: “I think it’s definitely taking over the school in a very amazing way,” he says. Peterson and friends are pretty confident that he will be pulling out a golden victory for the OG in the final match. Peterson feels very supported by his friends as they were the reason he picked up the game. “My friends were playing it, so I wanted to play it too,” explains Peterson.
Junior Jace Smith has a similar reason for joining the Big Pot and realistic expectations when it comes to the results. “When it first came out, everybody started playing it, and [they all] were like, ‘Get on Fortnite!’” he says. Smith has been playing since the game first came out, and although he would not describe himself as “cracked,” he does think that he is decent. “I just gotta beat Milton. I’m not beating Beau, so I can’t win. I know I’m not gonna win, but if I beat Milton, I’ll be satisfied with myself,” he says.
Sophomore Katie Mastrosimone, who is a little out of touch with the game, was very proud to make it to the Elite Eight of the competition. “I used to be really good at building structures and editing them so I could shoot people, but I kinda lost that skill when I stopped playing for three years.” The thrilling enticement of competition brought Mastrosimone back into the Royale, thirsty for a win, which they achieved against freshman Jace Asher, who says that it was a tough match, but “they built very well.”
For more amateur players trying to get to learn the fundamentals of the game, Mastrosimone advises trying it with friends to make it more enjoyable: “I prefer playing with a team because I just think it’s more fun. It’s not that fun if you’re just playing by yourself, but if you’re having fun and joking around with someone and you can do silly things, I think that’s more fun.” Additionally, the language of “Fortnite” can be hard to translate, but having a player in-the-know with you can help out a lot. “When I played with my little brother, these are the things he taught me: if you get someone down to where they lose all their shield health and they only have their normal health left, that means you cracked them, or if you’re cracked at Fortnite, that means you’re really good,” says Mastrosimone, proclaiming themself to be very cracked at “Fortnite” and “GOATED with the sauce.”
Mastrosimone says that the path to victory was not easy but so worth it, as it was an “entertaining” thing to do over the various snow days: “I haven’t played in a long time, so I’m rusty on the building, shooting and moving skills.” When a player is successful in a “Fortnite” round, they explained, they can use an emote: “It’s like a dance with a song that you can do when you beat someone. Mine was Savage [by Megan Thee Stallion]” they say. There are a various number of songs one can do as well as dances. Emotes from the game have even integrated seamlessly into pop culture on the media platform Tik Tok. The Default Dance, which Peterson uses once he is named the Victor Royale, made it to the social media app and blew up. The exchange does go both ways, though, as the Renegade, a popular Tik Tok dance, was picked up by “Fortnite” and was used by gamers everywhere.
Though the “Fortnite” competition is now over, and the cold still remains, Nelson has some things cooking up in his noggin: “It seems like the kids have responded to video games, so maybe there’s a way, but I’ll be thinking of other things, and I’m open to suggestions from students.”
