Las dinámicas familiares en torno al videojuego social Fortnite

Abstract

In 2017 the company Epic Games created the videogame Fortnite. This game has become the cross-platform survival and open experience with the greatest penetration worldwide. The rapid increase of use has spread alarm voices among parents and the media have echoed these concerns criticizing the game for being responsible for most afflictions suffered by children and adolescents. 178 The study is based on an understanding of the game as a key element in personal and social development. Therefore, this project aims to explore and describe the specific interactions emerging as a result of the penetration of Fortnite into family life, seeking to extend our understanding of the phenomenon and the potential effects that it may produce in the family dynamics. The research also seeks to categorize the dynamics generated, emphasizing more specifically on implications for parents in terms of educative mediation. Concerning the methodology, this is a qualitative exploratory case study, in which observations and in-depth interviews are the main sources of data collection. According to the analysis of the first interviews and observations, it is possible to provisionally hypothesize that, unlike simplistic views spread through mass media of Fortnite as a new dangerous addictive platform for young people, the diverse contexts and realities that configure each family make this type of linear interpretations highly problematic. Most technological devices affect the interaction and relational dynamics already installed in families. Throughout the last forty years, television and offline video games have been playing a significant role in shaping the family relationships. Online environments today increase such influence. The complex interrelations generated in blended social ecosystems, such as 'what is' or 'what is not' permitted, the mechanism of videogame banning or use as a form of punishment or reward, the myths, and ignorance on the part of adults concerning the ‘virtual’ socialization of youth and the relevance of this practice among young people, are some of the contributions that can be drawn from this investigation. This presentation exposes the collaborative work conducted by researchers of Universidad Austral (Argentina) and Universidad de los Andes (Chile), which has gained the first place in the award provided by the Network of Latin American University Institutes of Family (REDIFAM).