Fortnite has been somewhat of a hot discussion topic in the past few weeks. First there was the controversy surrounding Sony locking Epic Games accounts to PS4 consoles and not allowing cross-play with the Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. There was then the in-game rocket launch event which drew people's attention. Let's not forget PUBG trying to sue Epic for copying them before dropping the case. But now there seems to be a new point of controversy emerging, being the Battle Pass. Whether you enjoy the game or not, that is not what this threat is about, this is strictly to discuss the Battle Pass, and people's flawed (or so I believe) views of it.
Here is the specific article I will be referring to: https://www.pcgamer.com/battle-passes-are-replacing-loot-boxes-but-theyre-not-necessarily-a-better-deal/?utm_content=bufferf40f8&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=buffer_pcgamerfb#comment-jump
The article discusses the rise of Battle Passes, being a trend popularized by Fortnite and then adopted by Rocket League and PUBG, and how their popularization could create a problem worse than last years problem with micro transactions. They list some of the pros, such as eliminating random chance by letting the player see everything they can earn in the pass before even buying it. The cons being that each item in the pass then needs to be unlocked by playing the game, and players are only given 10 weeks to do so before a new season starts, which some may not have time for.
As i read this all I could think was that the author had probably heard from his friend what a Battle Pass was, maybe he didnt even play Fortnite himself. So all I could think was that this fear of Battle Passes is due to ignorance, and I mean that in the textbook definition of the word, people actually do not know enough about the Battle Pass to fairly judge it. So now Im just going to go through and address some controversies surrounding Battle Passes and why I actually feel they are a good thing (following Fortnite's model)
-Battle Passes cost 950 V-Bucks, of which 1000 can be purchased for $9.99. A Battle Pass lasts for 10 weeks and then the player needs to buy the Battle Pass for the next season. What the article overlooks is that the Battle Pass gives the player to earn V-Bucks that they can spend on whatever they want. Each pass lets the player earn up to 1500 V-Bucks, meaning yes, you can earn enough V-Bucks to buy another Battle Pass and never have to spend another penny on the game.
-To earn each reward in the Battle Pass the player needs to level up and complete challenges in order to advance tiers in the Battle Pass. The article seems to assume that this is meant to be a challenge but it really isnt. If you just regularly play the game you will get pretty far in the pass with little effort. I play a few days a week for a few hours at a time. This season is about to end and I am currently at tier 92 and am on track to hit tier 100. Anyone with moderate skill could reasonably pull it off. In the weekly challenges alone there are enough points to earn 50 tiers, and daily challenges plus leveling up more than adds up to enough points to reach tier 100.
-There are some who dont agree with the "tier up and get a skin" style of progression as they feel it promotes unhealthy gameplay. The game should feel rewarding just from playing it, not by collecting skins. I both agree and disagree. In this case, skins act as a trophy that you feel proud to show off in-game, and they can also reflect overall progress. If you see someone sporting last Season's tier 100 skin, you know they must be a good player. Default skins usually specify that the player doesnt care enough about the game and will likely be an easy target. Unlockable dances are also fun to show off to your friends and taunt other players with. Its like an achievement that actually has worth after you complete it
