Cases of bullying begin to be reported for not having payment skins in Fortnite

The derogatory term “default” has been coined for not buying paid Fortnite skins. Kids are asking their parents to use the card so they don’t get laughed at in class.

The good thing about free video games like Fortnite that are massive is that they allow hundreds and thousands of people to connect with each other at virtually zero cost. Everyone can download the Epic installer, download Fortnite, and play with their friends without financial hindrance. But bullies and elitists are already starting to bully as reported by a school principal. Professor Paul Towler commented that before the distinctions between students who were made by clothes or mobiles have been made by the skins they have in Fortnite.

Fortnite skins are already a status symbol and cause for mockery

One of his students asked his parents for money to buy a paid skin, because he only has the basics and that is a reason why others do not want to play with him. In the end, he was able to deal with those complaints, but with Fortnite being a huge social network and the greatest way to communicate and socialize among students after school, for many it meant social isolation.

This fixation is due to the fact that the game's standard mode makes players with average skill not stand out as there is only one winner and so prestige has come to be fixed on appearance rather than the ratio of kills and deaths. With this, "default" has started to be used for players who only have the basic and free aspects. This derogatory term has gone beyond the limits of the game and has come to be used in school conversations.

Being called “default” makes them the target of ridicule from their classmates. There is a widespread misconception that playing with basic skins is a sign of not having gaming skills, so children are pressured to buy paid skins to give the impression of being better players and not be sent insults.

On YouTube there is already a long series of videos that compile insults and threats to players who wear the default skins. And on Twitter there are many children who explicitly create accounts to ask influencers for free skins so that they do not laugh at them at school. Although professional players like Tfue regularly play without cosmetics to show that skins have nothing to do with skill, cyberbullying and face-to-face bullying by Fortnite is something very present in schools. The Polygon article talks about bullying in a single school, but unfortunately it is easily extrapolated to other schools and institutes in all parts of the world.

Source: Polygon