If your kids liked the Clash of Clans and Clash Royale, they might have fallen in love with another blockbuster from the Supercell game company: the Brawl Stars. The free-to-play real-time strategy for mobile devices has been on the market since 2018, and is still very popular among young players, especially the 9-year-olds to 11-year-olds. Here’s what you should know about the game.
Free-to-play does not mean free-to-boost
Not only are online games fun, but they can also develop children’s skills, help them socialize, communicate with each other, and improve their creativity. Anyway, there are also many challenges connected to online games, including Brawl Stars. This cartoon look of this real-time strategy game is really appealing to young players. The game itself can be downloaded for free, but kids can buy additional equipment via the so-called in-app purchases. In some cases, parents can be surprised by unexpected payments via their payment cards. Why do kids buy extra features in the game? Because if they want to proceed to the next level, they must be endowed with enough trophies, tokens and gems. It's faster if they just buy the things they need – with real money.
When gaming gets toxic
In-game purchases aren't the only problem with Brawl Stars. Short playing rounds tempt the kids to continue playing and it’s more difficult for them to stop. According to experts, there are even some similarities to gambling in the reward system based on the opening of random boxes, which can – again – be either earned by playing or bought for real money. Kids gain valuable objects, but also useless stuff – the virtual surprise bag is unpredictable in terms of content.