Let’s play a silly game, dear reader. Let’s take a trip to the video game store—I would say Gamestop, but those aren’t high quality enough. So we’ll go to “Game Store” and pretend that it’s a place where you can play Dungeons & Dragons, collect Funko Pops (those creepy things with big heads), and post clown memes without the risk of being publicly shamed. It’s a great place, but it’s even better when you realize you can have get-togethers with people from all around your town/city. You can play games locally; couch-style co-op and what have you. All in the safe, comfy location that is Game Store.
However, there’s one thing that sticks out. In a secluded room, there are the sounds of younger folks; children. They’re screaming, laughing, and calling each other vulgar names that would get me unindexed faster than you could say “Vert, please post more often.”. Or heck, just say the first word. Anyways, you peer into this room and see cheetos, piss stains on a toilet, and it smells of things that would get me unindexed yet again. It reminds you of when you were 10-years-old and lived with your parents. Now you’re 25-years-old and live with your parents, but you wear a mask because of a novel virus and insist on playing Dungeons & Dragons; your mage that has PTSD will someday get that legendary staff from the warlock!
Anyways, there are numerous Xbox Ones, PS4s, and PCs. In the distant corner, you see a broken Nintendo Switch because apparently, kids these days don’t enjoy Nintendo consoles. Against your better judgement, you enter and are immediately swarmed by kids asking you to play one game: Fortnite.
Indeed, today’s story centers on Fork Knife (better known as Fortnite to anyone who isn’t me and isn’t amused like a little child at insipid things). That global phenomenon that was made by Epic Games (which is totes bad because China). Every Twitch streamer has played it; heck, everyone who isn’t me has played it. It’s a Battle Royale game that’s wildly popular and I don’t really get the appeal. However, I’m not a big fan of PvP games. A lot of others are though and to that I say: good on them. I hope they keep having fun.
Alas, today’s story features another icon: Jeffrey Edward Epstein. The man who ran a global child sex trafficking ring. A truly vile, reprehensible figure, Epstein’s name is one that will earn looks of disgust to anyone familiar with him who has an iota of a soul. Though if you pair the two together, a conundrum appears. How on Earth could these two things go together? Well, that’s where the story begins. Let’s ask ourselves one very simple, peculiar question: did Jeffrey Epstein create Fortnite?