Fortnite: We The People event reveals further need for discourse on racism

In the past, Fortnite has hosted quite a few innovative Party Royale events that have involved musicians such as Diplo and Young Thug, apart from the Christopher Nolan movie screenings that happened back in May.

Last week, we talked about how Fortnite has shown a commendable change of direction with its ‘We The People’ event that revolved around the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement, which has gained tremendous traction recently.

Credit: unrealengine.com

On 25th May 2020, global outrage was sparked after the tragic death of 46-year-old American George Floyd. He became the latest in a long list of Black Americans, including the likes of Breonna Taylor and Atatiana Jeffersen, who have been killed under dubious circumstances by police authorities.

What sets the George Floyd incident apart is the extent of evidence that was available on the internet, with the entire incident being caught on a nearby security camera. The footage was looked at by people around the world, leading to protests across America, and global outrage. Various social media communities were also formed, and people across all online forums expressed regret and disbelief.

Credit: abc11.com

In the aftermath, various companies like Pepsi Co have changed their marketing strategies for the better, whereas movies and actors celebrating racism-entrenched references have been condemned.

Recognising the need for discourse around racism and systematic oppression against minorities, Epic Games recently hosted a ‘We the People’ Party Royale event, which was the company’s first major initiative for a social cause.

However, the event did not go as planned.

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What happened during Fortnite’s We The People event?

Fortnite users throw tomatoes during We The People event.

Fortnite had invited quite a few noted personalities, such as journalists Elaine Wilteroth and Jemele Hill, rapper Killer Mike, along news commentator Van Jones, for the event. However, as the podcast was aired, some users started chucking tomatoes after buying them from nearby vending machines.

Fortnite’s developers had no need or obligation to make any statements related to the international movement within the game, and this incident had left a sour taste. However, if officials do want to go ahead with events on such sensitive topics in-game, then they should make sure such incidents do not happen.

The internet is full of immature trolls and people with hateful agendas. As the discourse was about a serious social and political issue that people generally a lot feel about, having tomato-selling vending machines in the vicinity was never the brightest of ideas!

Bro they are actually throwing tomatos #PS4share pic.twitter.com/dDhUY2Ew9M

— Max (@MaxiumFNBR) July 4, 2020

Further, while no action can be taken against the few toxic gamers who threw the tomatoes, such incidents do show the need for further discourse on the matter. It is, however, the method of discourse that needs to be changed. It might just be that video games like Fortnite are not the best platform to talk about serious issues like racism!