Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech will be relived in Fortnite as part of a special event made in collaboration with TIME. Fortnite continues to evolve beyond its battle royale fame as developer Epic Games introduces new ways to experience the game. Since the pandemic started, Epic Games has hosted watch party events using Fortnite’s Big Picture mode, showing trailer reveals and entire movie viewings. Most recently, Fortnite was home to another virtual concert with Ariana Grande during the Rift Tour event.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of America’s most prominent civil rights advocates before his assassination in 1968. Serving as a beacon of hope for the Black community, Dr. King would preach values of non-violence despite the violence imposed on him and his followers. The “I Have a Dream” speech he delivered in Washington D.C. during the March on Washington on August 28, 1963, is regarded as one of his most iconic and influential. The 17-minute speech denounced Black Americans’ unequal working and living conditions caused by Jim Crow segregation laws. It also contained King’s aspirations to see his children live in a world where their character, not their color, is judged.
Announced by a Fortnite trailer, a revisiting of the March on Washington is happening in conjunction with TIME called March Through Time. According to Epic Games’ website, the area for the event was built using Fortnite‘s Creative mode by ChaseJackman, GQuanoe, XWDFr, and YU7A. Players will get to visit Washington D.C. circa 1963, watch the speech, explore the virtual space, and more. Challenges will also be available while venturing through the virtual National Mall and Lincoln Memorial, and completing them will contribute toward progression towards a unique spray for the event.
Using Fortnite as an avenue to teach younger generations about a Civil Rights leader is a strong example of how influential the game can be. This isn’t Fortnite‘s first time discussing topics like race either, as it screened anti-racism film We The People and gave a platform for Black sociopolitical icons on last year’s 4th of July. The history of racism remains a subject of contention in the United States, but this has not stopped Fortnite from keeping the conversation alive for younger generations.
Epic Games has taken a unique approach toward creating meaningful experiences in a virtual space. Ubisoft and others are trying to emulate this success with their own live-service titles, but it may be a while before another game-turned-platform like Fortnite arises. Epic continuing to use the game to deliver meaningful learning experiences to its playerbase is a possible step forward in the evolution of gaming as a medium.
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