Popular game Fortnite gets a te reo makeover
Chances are you've probably heard of Fortnite.
The cross platform battle royale-style video game, where 100 players duke it out for collective glory, has already come under fire for its addictive nature with Britain's culture secretary this week warning children are falling under its thrall.
But now, a NZ-based streamer, Ross McDougall, has created a Māori version of the game's popular map to encourage others to learn the language and he hopes capitalising on its popularity with gamers will ultimately lead to the language benefiting.
"My intention with creating a te reo Māori Fortnite map was to normalise the use of te reo Māori in a way that would be appealing to many. Fortnite has surpassed its status as a game and is now a pop culture reference, with many celebrities and sports people incorporating Fortnite emotes and references. This was a quick and easy way to have fun with using te reo Māori in what would be an everyday communication between 3.4 million Fortnite gamers," McDougall says.
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McDougall said he wanted to do it after "a light-hearted discussion about incorporating te reo" into their regular gaming sessions.
He simply decided to start translating the locations, like Pleasant Park, Dusty Depot and Retail Row, for his own pleasure, saying that "it was a very straight forward and enjoyable process".
McDougall referred some of his work to his colleague Paraone Gloyne at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, where he works during the day, to make sure that the locations' translations were close to what was intended.
Since releasing it online, McDougall's had some interest from the game's creator, Epic Games, who apparently love what he's done.
There's no word yet on whether it'll be incorporated into future iterations of the game, but McDougall's hopeful.
He's also optimistic that now is perhaps the time for more normalisation of te reo in gaming.
"I'd love to see a te reo Māori esports team! A full CSGO (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive) or Overwatch team operating in te reo Māori would be amazing!"
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