A dad who loves gaming names Fortnite as his top choice.

Fortnite, the popular game from Epic Games Store, has become a source of bonding and fun for families, even though it may not be everyone's cup of tea. As a gamer for over 40 years, I can relate to conversations with fellow gamers about the good old days of Xbox 360 and the frustration of our kids playing games like Minecraft and Roblox instead of what we consider "proper" games.

At first, I was one of those parents who included Fortnite in the category of games that my friends deemed unworthy. But as a father of a 12-year-old son who is interested in gaming, I decided to give it a chance. He mainly plays on his PlayStation 4 and is more drawn to free-to-play games that he can also access on his smartphone. However, Fortnite caught my attention because it seemed like a more traditional game compared to Minecraft.

As my son showed little interest in my games, I decided to join him and play together, starting with split-screen mode. I'll be honest, Fortnite is not what I would call a great game. The action itself is mediocre, in my opinion. However, the experience of bonding with my son while playing it has been truly special.

The success of Fortnite, and other similar games, can be attributed to their free-to-play model. But that's not the only reason. Minecraft, for example, is not free but is even more popular. I often see my son playing it, but he never seems to make anything impressive or take the survival mode seriously. Instead, he uses it as a place to hang out with his friends and chat. He always has his headphones on, talking to his pals while playing. It's not about the game itself, but rather the social aspect of it.

Now that my son is 12, he's starting to outgrow Minecraft, which is often seen as a "baby" game. Fortnite has become his game of choice, but it serves the same purpose as Minecraft - a place to meet up and socialize with friends. He plays it properly, but it seems like he's more interested in finding secrets and doing silly tricks rather than winning. And just like Minecraft, he always has his mic on to chat and have fun with his friends.

As a parent, I don't need to use a mic to communicate with my son while playing together. But he showed me the ropes and we started playing as a team. To my surprise, we did pretty well. He had a lot of practice, and I turned out to be better at the game than he expected. I even ended up enjoying it too.

At first, Fortnite may seem repetitive, but as you dive deeper into the game, you realize there's more to it than meets the eye. The side quests and challenges, which involve finding hidden secrets around the map, add a layer of excitement and variety to the game. Of course, there's the issue of paying for skins, which I still find awful. But overall, as a game, it's not too bad. However, as a social experience, it's amazing. My son even jokes that it's now my favorite game, and in a way, it is because it has allowed us to spend quality time together.

So, instead of dismissing Fortnite as just another game for kids, I would encourage other gaming parents to give it a chance and join in on the fun. Who knows, maybe one day I'll even convince my son to appreciate the joys of Civilization.

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