American Students Have Somehow Convinced Their Parents to Pay for "Fortnite" Tutors

"Muuum…." 

Baby boomers retired to their fainting couches this week, following a report from the Wall Street Journal that exposed the fact some parents in the United States are paying tutors to help their kids excel at Fortnite.

According to the report, some mums and dads are paying up to $US25 an hour to ensure their children aren’t excluded from the social aspect of school, of which Fortnite has become an integral cog.

A website like GamerSensei offers to help players get better at Fortnite, League of Legends, DOTA 2, Hearthstone and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, with each coach offering various per-hour pricing.

But these Fortnite tutors aren’t just helping kids not suck at video games for the fun of it. In the States, a number of colleges are offering eSports scholarships; so, if a student can get good enough at Fortnite, it could mean a free ride to uni.

Though there aren’t any eSports scholarships in Australia at this time, the Melbourne eSports Open in September could be a local moment of truth for the industry.

More than 10,000 attendees are expected to rock up to Melbourne & Olympic Park during the weekend-long event. If the event is as lucrative as it’s expected to be, eSports might finally earn some of that elusive respect down under. And then, maybe parents will want to hire Fortnite or Overwatch tutors, similar to how they’ll pay for sporting specialists or football camps.

In the meantime, however, mum and dad aren’t likely to be swayed.

But maybe if we all chip in, we can get an Overwatch tutor for DJ Khaled?

Header Image: Epic Games