On July 25, 2017 the gaming world was changed with a new game whose success was something few predicted. Fortnite took the world by storm, no pun intended. As of February, Fortnite had 3.4 million regular players and the game continues to grow, finding cultural significance from celebrity players such as Drake, Travis Scott and Marshmello.

But what makes Fortnite so special and why aren’t other games seeing this success? For starters, Fortnite is riding the wave of “battle royale” games. Sort of like “The Hunger Games,” battle royale is a mode where players, typically spawning in on an aircraft of some sort, fly over the map and jump out to land wherever they see fit. All players are initially unarmed but land in strategic areas to find loot to defend themselves and kill other players effectively.

As the game proceeds, a “storm” or barrier closes in on the players, forcing them to stay relatively close to each other throughout the course of the game. Getting caught in the storm isn’t an instant death, but a relatively quick one, if a player gets caught in the storm their health will deplete until they return to the center. Last player standing wins.

The battle royale game mode is popular because of its unforgiving, winner-takes-all demeanor. Getting killed just short of winning can be an extremely frustrating experience. On the flip side, beating a lobby of 99 other players to have the bragging right of being the best is an extremely satisfying feeling. Both situations leave the player wanting more.

This mode works well with shooter-style gameplay as it relies on eliminating other players for the game to progress. However, don’t be surprised if bow-and-arrow type battle royale games are launched in the future.

What separates Fortnite from other battle royale style games is Fortnite’s one-of-a-kind building mechanic. No other shooters have this mechanic and it adds new dimension to Fortnite as now players have to rely on not just pointing and shooting but placing and building as well.  

Fortnite’s in-game interface has two menus, one for weapons and power-ups and one for architecture. Changing menus from soldier to architect gives the player a blueprint of where they can place walls, ramps, and flooring to make cover during a firefight or to build a fort and secure the high ground. This gives players tons of options in combat making the aftermath of a firefight look like a three-story high abstract art piece.

Another thing that makes Fortnite unique is the excellent marketing from its developer, Epic Games.

While in game, the player has an option to make their avatar do a motion or dance which has sparked many dance circles in pre-game lobbies. Many of these dances are imitations of real life dances that have seen recent notoriety. For example, the floss dance, also known as the backpack dance, made famous by the kid in a backpack during a Katy Perry performance, is a dance your avatar in Fortnite can perform as well. Dances like this feed into the cultural relevance that Fortnite has.

Fortnite is a household name now alongside of many influential players who are so good at the game it can be hard for casual players to wrap their head around. The most prominent of these players is an ex-Halo player who goes by the screen name of Ninja. Ninja has 1.5 million followers on Twitter and it’s all thanks to being incredibly good at Fortnite.

Making a good living off video game talent, Ninja has played Fortnite with well-known celebrities such as Drake and Marshmello, adding to the cultural relevance of Fortnite. It also helps that Ninja is a likeable personality who is almost as engaging to listen to as he is to watch play a round of Fortnite.

College students commonly know a thing or two about Fortnite. It’s not out of the ordinary to peek through a dorm window to find someone giving their all in a game of battle royale. Fortnite’s art style and bright colors make the game great for all ages.

“I think it’s really cool how older college students can connect with a younger audience too because Fortnite is a silly cartoony game that is competitive at the same time,” Steven Smith, a 21-year-old safety and health management major said. “It’s a good adrenaline rush and a good take on an old (battle royale) concept.”

Fortnite’s future looks secure for many reasons, one of which being that it’s developers know what they are doing. With regular updates and balancing patches, the player base’s needs are met and are rarely bored from a lack of content or frustrated from a bug that needs fixing. Whatever your opinion on the game may be, there is no denying that Fortnite is a phenomenon that has taken gaming culture by storm.