“Cabined” is a word you probably don’t see every day unless you’re in a couple of specific industries, but the rest of us should just know that it’s the adjective form of cabin – something turned into or confined within in a small room. The word’s about to come into common gaming usage now as Epic Games’ Fortnite has co-opted it to describe a new type of reduced-access parental-control-driven account for younger players of its games – one that is frankly long overdue.
“Today, December 7, 2022, Epic will begin the rollout of Cabined Accounts, a new type of Epic account providing a tailored experience that is safe and inclusive for younger players while maintaining access to the gameplay you love in Fortnite,” the company says.
“Players around the world will see a one-time request for their age when they log into Fortnite. If you are a younger player, your Epic account will be a Cabined Account and you will be asked to provide a parent or guardian’s email address to begin the parental consent process. With a Cabined Account, you will be able to play Fortnite with full access to previously purchased or earned content in-game but will need Parental Controls to be set in order to access certain features. Once your parent sets up Parental Controls, your experience will respect the settings they select and your account will no longer be a Cabined Account.”
So what are the restricted features cabined accounts can’t touch without parental approval? It’s everything from voice chat and free text chat to buying items with money and downloading non-Epic games to receiving push notifications and two-factor auth and even to trades in some games. These gamers will need to have their parents tweak their settings accordingly.
