POLL — Do you think Fortnite skins are worth the money?
Fortnite X Naruto collab dropped Nov. 16
⭐️HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW⭐️
- On Nov. 16, Epic Games released new Fortnite skins based on the popular anime series Naruto: Shippuden.
- Skins change the way your character looks in the video game.
- You have to pay real money to get the special ones.
- A 10-year-old gamer says they’re overpriced.
- An expert says buying skins is a good way for kids to learn about money.
- Keep scrolling for more pros and cons of buying skins. ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️
Fortnite's collaboration with Naruto is a moment many gamers and anime fans have waited for.
On Nov. 16, Epic Games announced the release of new Fortnite skins based on a popular anime series called Naruto: Shippuden.
A skin changes the way your character looks in the multiplayer survival game.
There are free skins that come with the game, but the rest need to be purchased — and they cost real money.
Some say these paid skins are a fun way to participate in the gaming community. Others say they can make gamers feel left out.
The launch of these latest skins left us wondering: Are Fornite skins worth the money?
CBC Kids News spoke to a kid and an expert to weigh in on the debate.
Read the article, then answer our poll at the bottom and tell us what you think: “Are Fortnite skins worth the money?”
Con: ‘Way too overpriced’
Skins are bought using V-Bucks, which is Fortnite’s in-game currency. Players can either earn V-Bucks in the game or buy V-Bucks using real money.
Unique skins can range from 500 V-Bucks (around $7) to more than 10,000 V-Bucks (around $134). V-Bucks are only sold in bundles.
According to 10-year-old gamer Billy Soer, Fortnite skins are “way too overpriced.”
Billy, who is from Toronto, Ontario, started playing Fortnite about three years ago but has already spent at least $1,500 on skins.
He said the problem is that skin prices never match the number of V-Bucks gamers get in a bundle.
An example is the cost of one Naruto skin. It’s priced at 1,500 V-Bucks, or more than the 1,000 V-Buck Bundle (which costs $13.49) but less than the next option, the 2,500 V-Buck Bundle (which costs $33.49).
Billy said this means you are constantly purchasing more V-Bucks than you need because you never have enough to buy one skin.
“I used to buy a lot of V-Bucks. I was kind of addicted to it,” Billy said. “At least twice a month, I would spend about $30.”
Pro: A way to learn about money
Dayna Eileen, an editor at CGMagazine, said she uses Fortnite as a teaching tool for her six-year-old.
Buying V-Bucks, she said, is a way for him to learn about the value of money.
“It’s a different way of learning about things that he understands a little bit better,” said Eileen. “Rather than just going to a store and looking at numbers, it’s teaching him in a bit of a fun way.”
Eileen pointed out there are ways to earn V-Bucks or skins without investing a lot of money in the game.
One example is buying a Battle Pass for $12.99 per season, which allows gamers to earn V-Bucks or skins based on challenges.
Con: The 'noob' factor
Of course, the default skins are also available for anybody to play with — and they’re free.
But Billy said players who use them run the risk of being called a “noob,” or an inexperienced player.
“Some people are just annoying and say, ‘Oh that guy’s default sucks,’” he said.
Eileen agrees, saying this kind of shaming might factor into why gamers pay for different skins.
“When people would be upset because they didn't have the best brand-name clothes, I liken it, sort of, to that,” Eileen said.
“Some kids might have the brand new Venom skin [...] and then there'll be this other kid that's stuck on default.”
Pro: More personalized
All of the cons aside, Billy said playing with unique skins is just “so fun.”
He said characters from different stories that normally wouldn’t be in the same scenes, like Naruto and John Wick, can all be found together in Fortnite.
An added bonus, Billy shared, are the fashion shows that gamers can participate in, to see who has the best skin.
Eileen adds that skins make the game more personalized for the player.
As a gamer herself, she said, “I can run around in [a skin wearing] my favourite colours, I can run around in my favourite character.”
CBC Kids News reached out to Epic Games to comment, but they didn't get back to us.
Have more questions? We'll do our best to look into it for you. Ask for permission from your parent or guardian and email us at cbckidsnews@cbc.ca.
TOP IMAGE CREDIT: Epic Games
