Barefoot World Atlas - Barefoot Books Inc.

This review of Barefoot World Atlas was completed by the Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM) on 8 August 2019.

About the app

This section contains details about the app provided by an ACCM Reviewer.

ACCM review

This review of Barefoot World Atlas contains the following information:

• The level to which the game was reviewed
• App description
• Reviewers comments
• In App purchasing
• Online information
• Gambling
• Advertising and product placement
• Gender stereotypes and sexual references
• Coarse language
• Game playing behaviour which may be of concern to some parents
• Other

The level to which the game was reviewed

The app was explored for several hours.

App description

Barefoot World Atlas is an educational app, allowing the user to easily navigate around the globe and zoom in to explore facts, with optional narration. The Globe and its features are illustrated with an interesting, changing soundtrack and once selected each feature has a corresponding photograph and sound effect. Alternatively, the menu may be used for selection, divided into Regions, Countries, Features and 5 other categories that are introductions to additional packs. Each Region is further subdivided to provide information about terrain, weather, resources, sustainability, animal/marine life and transport. Each Country has a paragraph of information, Map, Flag, current time, Capital City, statistics for Land Area, Population, Highest point, Currency, transport per 1000 People and Average CO2 Emissions. There are also 'search' and 'favourites' options.

Reviewers comments

The globe and features are brightly illustrated with a changing soundtrack, sound effects and supporting photos. The Country list is comprehensive. Narration is optional, selected by a speaker button. The features presented are varied; from industry, buildings of interest, historical buildings, explorers to fruits, animal life, and much more. In addition, the app presents a sustainability element, offering information about CO2 emissions and resources, etc.

Of concern are the following elements:

• Use of the painting in the Artwork menu, “Liberty Leading the People” by Victor Eugene Delacroix, depicting the July Revolution of 1830 in Paris. The scene is one of violence and injury/death with guns, dead bodies and a woman holding the flag with her breasts exposed. This classic artwork may be confronting to young users.
• Gambling sound effects accompany one feature representing a hotel in Las Vegas.
• There is a feature on winemaking which has the soundtrack of a cork popping followed by liquid being poured.

In App purchasing

  There is In-app purchasing in this game, examples include:

• 100 Great Cities of the World $1.49
• Starter Atlas Puzzles $1.49
• North America $1.49
• World Art $1.49
• World Football $1.49
• 9 puzzle packs @ $1.49 each
• These appear on the home page on a download icon or a puzzle icon. They also appear if a related feature is selected under the globe icon, e.g. selecting one of the 5 cities available will offer, “Like this icon? It’s from our Great Cities Pack! FIND OUT MORE”, then you are taken to a description of the pack with a store button. When clicked the user is asked to hold one of three shapes with written instructions and, “To go further, you will need the help of an adult”, then you are taken to purchasing and then to the App Store. The app can be used without connectivity once downloaded, so access to the App Store will not be available.
• Occasional pop-ups do appear that offer links to the other packs with the same adult protections as above. These may also be deselected and will not appear after this.

Online information

There is no online information required to play this game.

Gambling

There are some gambling elements in this game, for example:

• Sound effects of gambling accompany the feature of the Bellagio Hotel to represent Las Vegas.

Advertising and product placement

There is advertising in this game, including:

• Advertising of ‘more packs’ and ‘puzzles’ by the developer, via icons on the home page, in the menu and pop-ups which can be disabled.

Gender stereotypes and sexual references

None noted

Coarse language

None noted

Game playing behaviour which may be of concern to some parents

Please see reviewer’s comments above.

Other

N/A.

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