In Fortnite , the 2019 World Champion is 16-year-old Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf. Epic has put in a lot of effort to create a hero story around the American. Many kids in the comments are now jealous of how he was supported by his parents.
Who is Bugha? Bugha was relatively unknown before the summer of 2019. But then came his big hour at the Fortnite World Championship. The teenager managed to win the Solo World Championship in Fortnite with astonishing confidence.
He had an amazing day in July 2019, playing the perfect balance between “aggressive” and “controlled”, gaining an early substantial lead and then bringing it home. While some well-known names at the big live event showed nerves and it went somewhat badly for them, Bugha remained composed, didn’t force anything, and claimed the title and $3 million in prize money with a large margin.
Bugha was “in the zone” and had the match luck on his side: an impressive performance that was linked to a lot of hard work.
According to Fortnite Tracker, Bugha has played a total of 9,349 matches in Fortnite. He currently has 1.2 million followers on Twitch. He has clearly turned his hobby into a profession.
“Normal” teenager with great success
This is how Epic presents the star: In a current YouTube video, Epic makes an effort to portray Bugha as a typical US teenager:
- He plays basketball with his friends, chats with him about teachers
- The family celebrates the World Champion title together with him, dad flips burgers, the grandparents are visiting, a victory cake is being cut
- for the celebration the huge World Champion trophy is unpacked, the family claps in the background
This family idyll is contrasted with the excitement around the Fortnite World Championship, where Bugha works focused and determined towards victory.
After a strong first round, Bugha falters in round 2 but then comes back even stronger.
Epic repeatedly shows the father, who comments on his son’s game.
What is special about the video? The video tells that Bugha was intensely supported by his father. He himself is a gamer and first introduced Bugha to Fortnite. The father liked the PvE part “Save the World” – but Bugha preferred “Battle Royale” a bit more.
In the video, you can see how the father cheers with his son during the Fortnite World Championship and looks back with some pride at his son’s gameplay.
Even the mother fully supports her son. She says:
Sometimes, when I walk up the stairs at night, I hear noises from his room. He is talking and laughing with his friends. I just think: That’s something special.
Bugha’s mother
My parents are totally different!
This is how the viewers react: In the comments, fans are completely baffled by the parents.
- One says: “His father showed him Fortnite. My parents don’t even understand that you can’t pause online games.”
- Another says: “His parents completely support him. Mine say: Turn that thing off and do something with your life.”
- A third adds: “His mother says it’s something special when he laughs and plays with his friends. My mother calls: ‘Turn that stuff off, it’s way too loud. Read a book!'”
Parents with such enthusiasm and understanding for gaming are probably rare. Although there is one case of a father who is overdoing it: He is raising his son from an early age to be a “super gamer”.
