Fortnite is growing its physical presence with a giant, three-day sporting event that kicked off Friday and included a competition that pitted pros against amateurs.
The Fortnite World Cup brought together 10,000 attendees in the Arthur Ashe tennis stadium, and over 180,000 more viewed online. Bigger events are planned for Saturday and Sunday and may draw even more attention.
The game involves 100 players dropping onto a virtual island and battling it out until one remains standing. Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite, put various spins on the game for fun events on Friday, including a celebrity competition better known as Pro-Am, or professionals versus amateurs.
Kiwi pair 18 year old Chris Hunt and 23 year old Sam Pearson, who go by gaming name’s CoverH and Twizz, made it to the finals of the duo division. 
They are one of the top 50 duos competing for their share in the $44.5 million prize pool.
Sam and Chris are part of the Warriors eSports team, connected to the rugby league franchise. Co-founder and Head of Strategy Cameron Russell told Andrew Dickens that they didn't crack the top 10, but they still won US$100,000.
He says that the Warriors brand can be taken globally. 
"The Warriors is a strong brand that we believe can help bring culture into what we want to bring into e-sports, which is getting people out and working alongside the community." 
Russell says that Fortnite is more than just a game - it is an entertainment empire. 
"Sam is a full time streamer, he was broadcasting to an audience every day and had a loyal following of subscribers who were giving him his income through that." 
He says that one of the challenges for Australian and New Zealand players looking to go pro is that they have a smaller pool of players to compete against.

Crowds are expected to grow at Ihumātao today as protesters take a stand against the proposed housing development at the South Auckland site.
Protesters remained overnight alongside a steady police presence.
Government ministers Peeni Henare and Willie Jackson visited the site yesterday, following the announcement from Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Friday that development would not go ahead until a solution has been found.
Meetings between the two parties will be held over the next two weeks.
It comes just after Auckland councillors voted unanimously for council to facilitate a meeting between local iwi, Fletcher Building, protest group SOUL, and Government. 
Whanau Ora Minister and representative for Tamaki Makarau Peeni Henare told Andrew Dickens their main objective is for everyone to at least try and work things out. 
"If they're not at the table or we can get them to meditate, then this is going to be even more difficult."
He says that his time down there yesterday that many of the people who say they are mana whenua and spoke about their connection to their land.
However, Henare says that other people he have spoken to also say they are mana whenua and have different views. 
"This is why the Government has said that perhaps this is something for Iwi to work out themselves."
Henare says there are definitely tensions, and a hui will likely be held today for mana whenua to work out their issue. 
He tells all those who are coming to the site to protest need to remember it is a mana whenua issue.

Crowds are expected to grow at Ihumātao today as protesters take a stand against the proposed housing development at the South Auckland site.
Protesters remained overnight alongside a steady police presence.
Government ministers Peeni Henare and Willie Jackson visited the site yesterday, following the announcement from Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Friday that development would not go ahead until a solution has been found.
Meetings between the two parties will be held over the next two weeks.
It comes just after Auckland councillors voted unanimously for council to facilitate a meeting between local iwi, Fletcher Building, protest group SOUL, and Government. 
Whanau Ora Minister and representative for Tamaki Makarau Peeni Henare told Andrew Dickens their main objective is for everyone to at least try and work things out. 
"If they're not at the table or we can get them to meditate, then this is going to be even more difficult."
He says that his time down there yesterday that many of the people who say they are mana whenua and spoke about their connection to their land.
However, Henare says that other people he have spoken to also say they are mana whenua and have different views. 
"This is why the Government has said that perhaps this is something for Iwi to work out themselves."
Henare says there are definitely tensions, and a hui will likely be held today for mana whenua to work out their issue. 
He tells all those who are coming to the site to protest need to remember it is a mana whenua issue.

About 800,000 cancer sufferers are expected to benefit from a $200 million fund over four years dedicated to cancer drugs if National win the 2020 election.
At the annual conference in Christchurch this morning, National leader Simon Bridges also pledged an expert-led Cancer Agency, independent from the Ministry of Health and district health boards.
It would be tasked with getting rid of the "postcode lottery" system that currently provides different treatment to different patients, depending on where they live.
The move is likely to be welcomed by the Cancer Society, which has been calling for just such an agency, and Southland dad Blair Vining, whose petition to Parliament called for one too.
"New Zealanders shouldn't have to pack up their lives and go to other countries for cancer treatment, " Bridges told the party's annual conference his morning.
"New Zealanders shouldn't have to set up Givealittle pages just to stay alive. The next National Government will fund and dedicate an extra $200 million for Pharmac to fund cancer drugs."
Bridges said the previous National Government put an extra $220 million into Pharmac over nine years, which benefited about 820,000 people.
He said the agency would be set up within 100 days of National taking power and cost $10 million a year, which would be funded within Ministry of Health baselines.

Blair Vining, who has bowel cancer, and his wife Melissa were invited to Bridges' announcement today, but couldn't make it as Vining's cancer has spread to his pelvis, hips and spine. Photo / Facebook
The agency would be involved in prevention, screening and treatment. DHBs would be held accountable to the agency for the targets and indicators the agency set.
National would ring-fence an extra $50 million a year for four years to go to Pharmac for cancer drugs.
If Pharmac didn't use the money, it wouldn't get it.
Implementation would be key. The British Medical Journal said that the UK's Cancer Drugs Fund was overhauled after it failed to deliver "meaningful value" to cancer patients and may have exposed them to "toxic side-effects of drugs".
About 9500 people die from cancer and more than 22,000 are diagnosed in New Zealand every year.
Pharmac currently chooses how it spends its money and does not have a dedicated cancer fund.
In the year to June 2017, it spent $204 million of its $850 million budget on cancer drugs.
The Government is expected to announce a cancer care plan soon, though Labour is yet to move on its 2017 election pledge to set up a national cancer agency and Health Minister David Clark has expressed reservations about an agency.
Dr Chris Jackson, medical director for the Cancer Society of New Zealand, said the current system, developed over the last 10 to 15 years, was a "post-code lottery".
"Waiting times to see specialists vary wildly around the country. Access to genetic testing varies wildly around the country. The type of radiation treatment you get, even the types of operations, can vary wildly, depending on where you are around the country."
The result was that people had died when they shouldn't have, he said. If New Zealand had the cancer survival rate of Australia, 2500 fewer people would die over five years.
An independent agency was also key, Jackson said.
"When you have cancer care under the watch of politicians, things go in political cycles and you don't get the long-term strategic planning that you need.
"The bowel-cancer screening programme, the experts said it should have been done much quicker with a much higher investment, and politicians didn't want to invest the money."
Bridges signalled his support for an agency on Thursday when he presented a petition calling for one from Blair Vining, who has bowel cancer.
The Vinings were invited to Bridges' announcement today, but couldn't make it as Vining's cancer has spread to his pelvis,...

About 800,000 cancer sufferers are expected to benefit from a $200 million fund over four years dedicated to cancer drugs if National win the 2020 election.
At the annual conference in Christchurch this morning, National leader Simon Bridges also pledged an expert-led Cancer Agency, independent from the Ministry of Health and district health boards.
It would be tasked with getting rid of the "postcode lottery" system that currently provides different treatment to different patients, depending on where they live.
The move is likely to be welcomed by the Cancer Society, which has been calling for just such an agency, and Southland dad Blair Vining, whose petition to Parliament called for one too.
"New Zealanders shouldn't have to pack up their lives and go to other countries for cancer treatment, " Bridges told the party's annual conference his morning.
"New Zealanders shouldn't have to set up Givealittle pages just to stay alive. The next National Government will fund and dedicate an extra $200 million for Pharmac to fund cancer drugs."
Bridges said the previous National Government put an extra $220 million into Pharmac over nine years, which benefited about 820,000 people.
He said the agency would be set up within 100 days of National taking power and cost $10 million a year, which would be funded within Ministry of Health baselines.

Blair Vining, who has bowel cancer, and his wife Melissa were invited to Bridges' announcement today, but couldn't make it as Vining's cancer has spread to his pelvis, hips and spine. Photo / Facebook
The agency would be involved in prevention, screening and treatment. DHBs would be held accountable to the agency for the targets and indicators the agency set.
National would ring-fence an extra $50 million a year for four years to go to Pharmac for cancer drugs.
If Pharmac didn't use the money, it wouldn't get it.
Implementation would be key. The British Medical Journal said that the UK's Cancer Drugs Fund was overhauled after it failed to deliver "meaningful value" to cancer patients and may have exposed them to "toxic side-effects of drugs".
About 9500 people die from cancer and more than 22,000 are diagnosed in New Zealand every year.
Pharmac currently chooses how it spends its money and does not have a dedicated cancer fund.
In the year to June 2017, it spent $204 million of its $850 million budget on cancer drugs.
The Government is expected to announce a cancer care plan soon, though Labour is yet to move on its 2017 election pledge to set up a national cancer agency and Health Minister David Clark has expressed reservations about an agency.
Dr Chris Jackson, medical director for the Cancer Society of New Zealand, said the current system, developed over the last 10 to 15 years, was a "post-code lottery".
"Waiting times to see specialists vary wildly around the country. Access to genetic testing varies wildly around the country. The type of radiation treatment you get, even the types of operations, can vary wildly, depending on where you are around the country."
The result was that people had died when they shouldn't have, he said. If New Zealand had the cancer survival rate of Australia, 2500 fewer people would die over five years.
An independent agency was also key, Jackson said.
"When you have cancer care under the watch of politicians, things go in political cycles and you don't get the long-term strategic planning that you need.
"The bowel-cancer screening programme, the experts said it should have been done much quicker with a much higher investment, and politicians didn't want to invest the money."
Bridges signalled his support for an agency on Thursday when he presented a petition calling for one from Blair Vining, who has bowel cancer.
The Vinings were invited to Bridges' announcement today, but couldn't make it as Vining's cancer has spread to his pelvis,...

Venice police have fined two German tourists for making coffee on the steps of the Rialto bridge. 
The backpackers had to pay almost NZ$1600 for preparing a caffeine hit on their travel cooker. 
The pair, believed to be in their mid-30s, were also asked to leave the city. 
Venice has introduced a law against picnicking at some sites in the city and against not wearing a shirt in public places.
Crackdowns on tourists have become common amongst European cities struggling with over-tourism.
Rome earlier this year introduced a series of harsh rules to limit what can be done in the city's centre.

Venice police have fined two German tourists for making coffee on the steps of the Rialto bridge. 
The backpackers had to pay almost NZ$1600 for preparing a caffeine hit on their travel cooker. 
The pair, believed to be in their mid-30s, were also asked to leave the city. 
Venice has introduced a law against picnicking at some sites in the city and against not wearing a shirt in public places.
Crackdowns on tourists have become common amongst European cities struggling with over-tourism.
Rome earlier this year introduced a series of harsh rules to limit what can be done in the city's centre.

“We seem to have stumbled backwards into a digital life we didn’t sign up for”
Let that quote sink in. 
Whether it be your smartphone, social media, Netflix or email, our digital lives have changed at a rapid pace over the last ten years but who’s really in control?  Is what we have now, what we signed up for when we bought our first smart phone or signed up to Facebook?
The quote is from a new book, Digital Minimalism by Georgetown University Computer Science Professor, Cal Newport.
Newport researches and writes about technology and society – particularly the impact new technologies have on our ability to perform and lead satisfying lives.
He joined Francesca Rudkin to talk through his research and how to live a digitally minimal life.

“We seem to have stumbled backwards into a digital life we didn’t sign up for”
Let that quote sink in. 
Whether it be your smartphone, social media, Netflix or email, our digital lives have changed at a rapid pace over the last ten years but who’s really in control?  Is what we have now, what we signed up for when we bought our first smart phone or signed up to Facebook?
The quote is from a new book, Digital Minimalism by Georgetown University Computer Science Professor, Cal Newport.
Newport researches and writes about technology and society – particularly the impact new technologies have on our ability to perform and lead satisfying lives.
He joined Francesca Rudkin to talk through his research and how to live a digitally minimal life.

Whisper Network by Chandler Baker. Kind of a #metoo novel, about a group of women working at a corporation who are outraged when a guy on the staff is promoted into the CEO role, given some of his behaviours towards them in the past – and what they do about it.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41555931-whisper-network?from_search=true
You’ll Never See me Again by Lesley Pearse. Really popular author of big, epic women’s commercial fiction with a huge following.
After years of misery Betty Wellows discovers she has psychic powers, but her gift may be a terrible curse as it becomes ever harder to hide from the truth about who she once was - and the tragic life she left behind.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44657116-you-ll-never-see-me-again?from_search=true