A New Style of Musical Concert

Famous American rapper Travis Scott held a viral concert in Fortnite, a popular online multiplayer game. On Thursday, April 23, 2020, more than 12 million players worldwide logged onto Fortnite to participate in the online concert.

This concert set a record for the biggest in-game event, as 12.3 million players joined at the same time. It lasted for around 10 minutes with several encores of performances scheduled on the weekend for the people who could not make it to the one of April 23.

During the performance, Travis Scott appeared as different avatars in the game while walking in impossible and stunning landscapes. He appeared as giant avatars of himself and as an astronaut and walked on landscapes such as a planet that is smaller than him, a fiery land, and under a deep ocean.

Popular songs such as “Sicko Mode”, “The Scotts”, “Stargazing”, and “Highest in the Room” were played during the concert.

The first concert Fortnite had was from a DJ from America, Marshmello, who performed last year on February 2, 2019. The event had 10.7 million players participating at the same time, which set a new record until Travis Scott’s event.

Since Travis Scott is a major influencer in the hip hop world, many students in AISG are familiar with this event. Roy S., a student in 11th grade in AISG, watched the Fortnite concert and made a few comments about it: “I think the concert was very fun to watch and it was certainly a game-changer for both the gaming and music industry.” He also stated that “it is great being able to see a “concert” of my favourite rapper during times like these, I love what Fortnite is doing here.”

After the event, Travis Scott tweeted: “Honestly today was one of the most inspiring days. Love every single one of u guys. And I know times are weird for us. But for one moment to be able to have the ragers to rage where ever you are is amazing. Love u guys with all my body. !!!!! Gang🌵” The cactus symbolises his nickname: Cactus Jack.

Not only did this event inspire Travis Scott himself, but it also inspired the audience and other games with the idea that video games can achieve so much more than having short moments of fun. Video games can unite players and bring people together during hard times like COVID-19.