Multi-platform video games like “Minecraft,” “Roblox,” and “Fortnite” have taken gaming to a whole new level. Although these games are for all ages, they are usually dominated by youth around the world. Back when these games were initially released, their popularity was really dominate across many servers. Then over the years, these games began to die out, and the popularity significantly decreased. Recently, however, games such as “Roblox” and “Minecraft” have begun to regained their previous popularity.

Minecraft

One of the most popular games coming into the 2010’s was “Minecraft,” an open-world sandbox game developed by Mojang and purchased by Microsoft in 2014. “Minecraft” is a game with endless possibilities and an emphasis on creativity, with the sky being the limit when it comes to building.

“I like ‘Minecraft’ because there are no instructions,” senior Quincy Kraus said. “You can play however you want, and build anything.”

The game, although thought of by some as a child’s game, has seemed to once again be a hit with high-schoolers, with students playing on their phones during class as well as at home on a console, such as Playstation or Xbox.

“I play on Xbox One,” senior Haydar Hassan said. “I played a little when I was younger, and then stopped for a couple of years, but I started playing again and forgot how fun it was.”

Although the game continues to age, Microsoft still adds updates to the game, with the most recent update expanding upon the village system. This keeps the game interesting for all ages. mous internet personalities are also returning to the game. One notable streamer, Pewdiepie, restarted his popular “Minecraft” Youtube series on July 21.

Roblox

Another game that has experienced a resurgence in the last couple of years has been “Roblox,” a game released to the public on Sept. 1, 2006. The game is set in somewhat of a 3-Dimensional universe. The player has full creative power as to how they want to portray themselves on this game. The game is like “Minecraft” in the sense that the player has the freedom to play by their own rules, but also differs in that “Roblox” features user-created levels instead of one base-game. “Roblox” also includes aspects to it that served as learning experiences that benefitted students in the future, most notably the use of coding.

“My favorite part about ‘Roblox’ was the easy integration of coding,” senior Dorian Jenkins said, “because it taught me the fundamentals of programming.”

“Roblox” still runs to this day, with updates still being integrated in and the servers still fully functional. Although to some the game may be described as being geared more towards younger kids or tweens, but many students play the game and have no remorse towards it.

“‘Roblox’ is full of creative opportunity” sophomore Nikolas Grooms said. “Someone could join groups, play games, and even program games. It has taught me a lot about game design.”

Fortnite

“Fortnite Battle Royale” is a fast-paced video game where one-hundred players compete to be the last man standing. In this game, players can pick up weapons to fight, and harvest resources to build. ‘Fortnite’ was one of the first battle royale games to introduce building, which sets it apart from other games in the genre. Most other battle royale games use ground cover such as trees and rocks to hide from enemies.

“I think ‘Fortnite’ is a fun game,” junior Raymond Altmann said. “It is very different than a lot of games on the market which makes it very unique and fun to play.”

“Fortnite” has become a worldwide hit and many players enjoy streaming their gameplay on popular streaming apps such as YouTube, Mixer, and Twitch. In fact, many of these streamers have built successful careers through the popularity of the game.

“I’m willing to watch any streamer. As long as the streamer is entertaining, I’m willing to watch,” junior Aiden Ketchum said. “I like to watch someone that’s funny and actually knows how to play the game.”

“Fornite” is free to play with optional in-game purchases.