Epic Games and TIME Studios (with reported cooperation with Eric D. Tidwell, Esq., Managing Director & General Counsel of the King Estate) have collaborated to host a special Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.-themed event within Provided‘s creative mode, and the internet has been quick to react with memes, confusion, and a rather interesting debate over the relationship between context, intentions, and implementation of an idea.
“TIME Studios, the Emmy Award®-winning television, film and immersive division of TIME, in collaboration with Epic Games’ Fortnite, has launched March Through Time, a new year-long Fortnite Creative experience to celebrate the anniversary of The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom,” reads a statement from TIME regarding the event. “Inspired by TIME Studios’ groundbreaking immersive project The March, which brought Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic ‘I Have a Dream’ speech to virtual reality for the first time, March Through Time, was developed to introduce a new audience to this historic event and explore pivotal moments from the Civil Rights Movement.”
Before you assume the worst and start picturing Fortnite players running the game in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. character skins, you should know that the event is at least a bit more tasteful than that. Instead, the March Through Time event sees players explore “D.C. 63, a reimagined Washington, DC” and “learn first-hand the civil rights teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. like never before.”
To be more specific, March Through Time allows Fortnite players to watch a video of MLK’s “I have a dream” speech as well as tour a virtual museum (and other nearby digital landmarks) filled with information about MLK and the Civil Rights Movement. The event also includes cooperative challenges that not only teach players more about the history of that time but reward participants with a special “D.C. 63 spray” upon completion.
