Fortnite Fever!

    You may not have played Fortnite Battle Royale. But you’ve probably heard of it. In less than a year, Fortnite has become one of the most popular video games ever. More than 45 million people are playing. Athletes celebrate on field with dances from the game. Pro gamers make millions of dollars streaming their games live.

    Plenty of people know what it’s like to play Fortnite. But what does it take to create the game? We asked Eric Williamson, the lead designer for Fortnite Battle Royale.

What does a game designer do?
    Game designers like me come up with fun ideas for games. But that’s just one part of my job. I also read comments from players and meet with my team of designers. In those meetings, we might decide to add a new dance or plan the next season.

What do you love most about your work?
    We get to make games! And Fortnite is incredible because we try to make it fun. We make goofy dances and silly weapons. We come up with crazy ideas just because they’ll be funny. Then we figure out how to make them work.

What’s the hardest thing about your job?
    We update Fortnite at least once a week. That means we only have a short time to work on new features. It leaves very little room for mistakes. That’s why we spend a lot of time testing our work.

Do you get to play Fortnite and other games at work?
    Yes! But playing at work is very different than playing for fun. We’re usually looking for errors or testing out ideas. You have to take notes and pay close attention.

What advice would you give a kid who wants to design video games?
    Even good designers are wrong sometimes. So make sure you listen to what other people think about your ideas. Team up and collaborate with others whenever you can.