Parents paying up to $35/hr for ‘Fortnite’ coaches to help kids up their game
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Piano lessons, tennis lessons, now… “Fortnite” lessons?
Welcome to 2018!
Parents are now reportedly paying for private “Fortnite:Battle Royale” coaches to help their kiddos get better at the popular video game, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The publication spoke with several parents who paid for private lessons for their children, with some hoping their kiddos will turn their hobbies into e-sports careers, scholarships, or tournament money.
According to WSJ, more than 125 million people play Fortnite around the world.
If you aren’t too familiar with it, officials say most people play in a free mode called “Battle Royale,” in which 100 combatants go against each other until one person or team is left standing.
“I want them to excel at what they enjoy,” Euan Robertson told WSJ of his sons ages 10 and 12. He said as long as his kids keep their grades up they can have the coach.
Where do you go to find one?
Look no further than social media and contracting websites.
There are even dedicated coaching marketplaces like “Gamer Sensei,” which charges between $15 and $35 an hour for lessons.
According to the report, up until now, the only people investing in video game coaching were adult hobbyists or young people aspiring to go professional.
“It’s really surreal to me,” said Logan Werner, an 18-year-old “Fortnite” coach in Roy, Utah, who plays the combat game on a professional team called Gankstars. “My dad would have never paid for me to take videogame lessons.”
Parents say paying for these lessons isn’t any different than investing in private tutors to help with math or chess.
Mr. Robertson, an insurance professional in Arzier-Le Muids, Switzerland, told the WSJ, “There isn’t any inherent risk,” he said. “They’re not going to break a leg playing videogames.”
Dale Federighi in San Jose signed on for lessons recently so he could play with his sons ages 6 and 11.
“They dissed it,” he said. “They’re both very stubborn,” he said.
According to the report, more than 1,400 Fortnite coaches have been hired since early March.