8 ways Fortnite elevated itself beyond 'just a game'

When most gamers think of Fortnite, they envision a battle royale game. The aim of each match is to win and secure a victory royale. While that may be the crux of the game at surface level, there's much more at play here.

Fortnite isn't just a game. It's a community built upon inclusiveness and togetherness. While shooting and survival may be a core aspect of it, so many more dynamic layers make it more than 'just a game'.

Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinions.

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Here are a few ways in which Fortnite has elevated itself beyond 'just a game' tag

8) Digital concerts/shows

Beyond the lore, gunfights, and larger-than-life characters, Fortnite also hosts massive in-game concerts and shows. To an extent, this has essentially turned the game into one of the largest platforms for talent.

Ariana Grande, Travis Scott, Mashroom, and Tones and I are just some of the artists that have been featured in-game.

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7) LGBTQ support

Last year, Epic Games openly made a statement about everyone being welcomed aboard the battle bus.

Given that the game is played by numerous gamers across multiple faiths and cultural identities, this helped make LGBTQ individuals feel more at home in-game.

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6) Collaborations with influential individuals

Aside from having digital concerts, the developers have made it a point to feature influential individuals in-game.

Although there have been numerous such instances, the most recent one paid homage to the late artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.

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5) Creative Mode for everyone

While having a creative mode or editor, as it's usually called, is not something unusual for a game, not everyone has access to it. In the case of Fortnite, everyone is free to create their own islands will custom rules and gameplay modes.

To put into perspective just how popular this has become, Tim Sweeney stated that 50% of all playtime in Fortnite is on custom-made maps.

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4) Real-life mechanics and physics

While the game may have started as something for the younger audience to enjoy, the developers didn't shy away from realistic physics.

This includes bullet-drop mechanics, fall damage, and the more recent web-swinging mechanics, which many claimed to be better than that of Spider-Man in Marvel's Avengers.

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3) Amazing crossovers

If digital concerts aren't impressive enough, the larger-than-life crossover should be. The developers try to outdo themselves every season by collaborating with real-world personalities, movies, T.V. shows, and even anime.

For the most part, these crossovers tend to break records and, at times, players' digital wallets as well.

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2) Aid to Ukraine

Keeping aside gaming ventures, Epic Games and the community are huge on charity. Within ten days of the developers hosting a fundraiser, over $144 million was raised for the war-torn country of Ukraine.

Given the timeline, the amount of money raised is nothing short of goodwill on a global scale.

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1) SAC program

Perhaps the crowning jewel of what makes Fortnite more than just a game is its SAC (Support-A-Creator) program.

Rather than simply earning money from tournaments, individuals can earn revenue via their SAC. This gives non-competitive creators the ability to make money without having to outplay everyone.