Fortnite Battle Royale has either enriched or destroyed the lives of gamers everywhere with its recent move to iOS, depending on one’s level of addiction. Teachers likely fall into the second category, as they now struggle to get their students to stop playing during class. Epic Games has acknowledged their plight and offered a minor solution in the latest Battle Royale update.
The mobile incarnation of Fortnite now features a message in the bottom right corner of its loading screen: “Mr. Hillman says stop playing in class.” It’s a subtle shout-out to the real-life Mr. Hillman, a teacher and avid Fortnite player himself who’s struggled to get his students to peel their eyes away from the game.
Hillman shared his woes on Reddit’s Battle Royale forum and sought advice for his student dilemma. “First, I love your game,” he wrote in a now-deleted post, since he evidently attached his actual name to his account. “My friends from college and I play pretty much every night. One problem, since mobile came out my students won’t stop playing in class. Idk if it’s possible, but I told them I’d write you and they didn’t believe me. Could you add this to the loading screen for a couple days to mess with them? ‘Mr. Hillman says stop playing in class.’”
Not content to let Hillman’s memes just be dreams, Epic Games obliged his request and attached his message to the Battle Royale loading screen, just underneath the cloud-surfing unicorn.
My favorite thing about working at @EpicGames.
— K.L. Smith (@arCtyC) March 30, 2018
#MrHillman #Fortnite pic.twitter.com/fnnOs1EZSD
It’s hard to tell whether Hillman’s message will ultimately succeed, but at least he’ll probably earn some clout among his students.
H/T Polygon
