eSports Sundays #1: Three reasons why I like Fortnite more than PUBG

Hello and welcome to the very first eSports Sunday on MorganLinton.com! As you all know I’m a big fan of eSports, both as a gamer and even more as a viewer, and I think that eSports will continue to be one of the fastest growing markets in the world for years to come. While people often laugh at me (and then begin arguing with me) when I tell them that eSports is going to be in the Olympics, I stand by that sentiment and do think it’s going to happen a lot sooner than you might think.

One of the most popular types of eSports games out there right now is what’s called a “sandbox survival game” which is the combination of a survival game and a sandbox game. Here’s a quick definition:

A survival game is an action game (often first-person shooter) set in an open world environment where a bunch of people are trying to kill you, and you in turn are trying to kill them. The goal is to survive as long as possible and, like king of the hill, be the last woman or man standing. A sandbox game on the other hand is one where very little rules or limitations are put on the gamer, instead they can roam free and essentially do as they please. Combine these together and you have a sandbox survival game. (Source – Morgan’s brain)

There are two incredibly popular sandbox survival games in the eSports world today, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (often called PUBG by gamers) and a brand new game that’s still in early access called Fortnite.

morgan-linton-fortnite

(me playing Fortnite earlier today)

I’ve played both, I’m not very good at both, but I just started playing Fortnite this weekend and I can tell you I like it a lot more than PUBG, and here’s why.

  1. Fortnite adds a really interesting game dynamic – the ability to build structures that you can use both to defend yourself and to give yourself a strategic position for sniping other players. Think Minecraft meets PUBG, this feature is a big one and really does change the dynamic of the game. Rather than the focus being entirely on running around and shooting people, you also have to learn how to balance collecting resources and building structures.
  2. The graphics in Fortnite are absolutely amazing. It’s not that PUBG doesn’t have good graphics, they do, but honestly Fortnite takes it to another level with absolutely breathtaking scenery. While PUBG goes for absolute realism Fortnite has a cartoon feel to it, almost like you’re playing inside a comic book. While you do need to have a pretty kick ass computer to power it, Fortnite is without a doubt one of the most visually stunning games I have ever seen.
  3. The games go by faster. I don’t have a lot of time to play games, usually I have somewhere close to zero hours on weekdays and on weekends I have an hour or two here and there. This means that a) I’m never going to be very good and b) I need games that don’t take too long to play. So far my average game of Fortnite lasts around ten minutes whereas PUBG can be twice or three times as long, and trust me, I suck equally at both. Both games have a really interesting game dynamic where they shrink the play area and you have to run to get into a circle in the map which continues to shrink as the game goes on. Fortnite cycles through these faster which leads to faster gameplay, it’s as simple as that.

Have you played either of these games? If so I’d love to hear what you think, if not I’d suggest you give one or both a try, you’ll probably be pretty bad just like me, but that won’t stop you from having some fun!

Morgan Linton

Morgan Linton