Fortnite covers the two different types of gaming with “Battle Royale” and “Save the World”, according to our author Schuhmann.
I have a bad feeling that I will be criticized for “There are only two types of games” because there are so many more.
There are many genres, and the distinctions are becoming finer: Story RPGs and Action RPGs, Action games and Action-Adventure, First-Person Shooters and Third-Person Shooters, Real-Time Strategy and Turn-Based Strategy: There are all kinds of genres now, and all are completely different and unique.
One thing I have learned in the last four years at Mein MMO: Players hate it when their game is lumped together with too many others.
People already get angry when you compare Destiny with The Division, because these are two completely different games that should exist in very different dimensions. Of course.
And woe to anyone who compares a fan of MMORPGs with WoW – that has already sparked wars. No question.
Nevertheless: For me, it boils down to two types of games since childhood: High-intensity games and low-intensity games.
I believe no game has illustrated this as clearly as Fortnite has. And Fortnite also shows what kind of games the future belongs to.
The Two Types of Games
In one type of game, I think about something else while I play. Or at least I am allowed to think about it. I can let my mind wander. As a child, while playing Phantasy Star on the Sega, I listened to Alf cassettes and can still recite individual episodes when they come on television.
In the other type of game, I am under high tension, must focus all my attention on the game, and let myself be completely absorbed by it. Because I have to pay attention to auditory signals, small details that I might otherwise miss, and that could cost me my head. There’s no room for other thoughts while playing this type of game.
I Was a Fan of Games I Could Play on Auto-Pilot
For a long time, I only played low-intensity games: primarily RPGs, strategy games, and sports simulations. I loved Planescape Torment, devoured Baldur’s Gate, spent hours in the strategy worlds of Europa Universalis and Crusader Kings, and enjoyed leading a village team to the top of football in Anstoß.
Although these games also captivated me and I could immerse myself in the story, there were always pauses. One waited for round ends in strategy games and could regularly breathe. Much of it runs on autopilot in these games. You set a goal and pursue it. But what happens in that particular moment is usually not that important.
Dark Age of Camelot and WoW – The MMORPG Years
When I then discovered MMORPGs, I encountered this other type of game for the first time. In Dark Age of Camelot, PvE was relatively dull, and during long grinding hours, people chatted in the chat. But during intense PvP hours, there was nothing else but the moment. At any time, we could encounter another tribe group and the adrenaline level skyrocketed.
Moreover, back then, we discussed every battle afterwards in the forum or on IRC. Impossible, my group would have shamefully lost against any common players!
Later, in WoW, which I played a lot in my 20s, there were again few moments when I needed full attention: only during a raid and only during new boss encounters did I have to concentrate. Otherwise, it went on autopilot. The togetherness with other raiders was the focus.
I always had the feeling that many played WoW in a kind of trance.
This seems to be widespread. I constantly heard: MMORPG fans are looking for some series or podcasts to watch while gaming.
LoL – The Great Absorber
This other type of “gaming” I first really experienced with LoL.
League of Legends was totally absorbing for me. You had to pay attention to the surroundings, keep an eye on the mini-map, and ideally check which ultimates were currently in play. In every minute of a LoL match, something could happen that you had to be prepared for.
In conversations on Teamspeak, it revolved only around LoL – and nothing else. At every second, you had to shout to the others: “Inc Inc!”, “Botlane, Botlane!” or “Where was the gank, you noob? You can do nothing.”
In a LoL match, at least for me, there was no chance to think about anything other than LoL. The game demanded my complete attention. The hours flew by. I had experienced that before as well, when I spent nights playing Crusader Kings and then laid down in bed in shame in the morning to get a few hours of sleep.
But with LoL it was different. The hours with the game were simply gone, as if erased. Because there was no thought other than the moment.
Fortnite is Two Completely Different Games
Fortnite is quite astonishing. The PvE mode “Save the World” is of low intensity. The individual rounds follow a clear pattern. Highlights and surprises are rare.
You build your fortress calmly, brace yourself against the attack, and systematically deal with it. There are also some highlights and tricky moments in the later storm shield missions, but these moments are rare.
Most of the time, “Save the World” runs at low intensity. You pursue a strategy in a meta-game, getting slowly stronger through grinding, quests, and loot llamas. Ultimately, the individual round or minute is relatively unimportant.
Completely different is “Fortnite Battle Royale.” I tried it out one weekend recently and it was indeed like with LoL again. High intensity, pay attention to every sound, complete attention is required from start to finish in Fortnite.
You wait for minutes to meet an opponent. And then, in seconds, it is decided whether the round continues or whether everything you have collected and done until then was for nothing.
Apparently, the World Wants High-Intensity Games
What gives me pause: Apparently, this is exactly what people want. While “Save the World” leads a niche existence, “Battle Royale” is skyrocketing.
And this isn’t just something that applies to Fortnite. For the past few years, this type of gaming seems to be gaining traction. It appeals more to the younger generation, who are into events and action at every minute.
The current environment is also made for this type of game. No one wants to watch someone on Twitch clicking through the day of a strategy game. No, the hit is the “anything can happen at any time” action games like Fortnite.
Now, where Twitch is becoming the most important marketing tool for publishers, we can expect that this type of game is on the rise.
Others also notice the difference between the two games: Mothers report that their children have always played, but came to eat when called. Since they started playing Fortnite, the kids no longer do that. The game is too captivating for that.
Therefore, Epic will also have a hard time when they offer “Save the World” for free: even though it has the same characters and gameplay principles as “Fortnite: Battle Royale,” it is still a completely different game.
A game where you can also think about something else while playing it.
I am curious if the pendulum will swing back in the future. I can’t really believe that at the moment.
More on the topic: PvP titles are booming on Twitch! Why aren’t MMORPGs succeeding?
