Blek - 3BCubed

This review of Blek was completed by the Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM) on 23 June 2014.

About the app

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

ACCM review

This review of Blek 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

This review focuses on levels 1-20.

App description

Blek is a creative swipe-based game that enables players to test their brain and utilise their creativity. The objective of the game is to create a line that collects all of the colours dots, whilst avoiding the black and white ones. The skills needed to play include spatial/visual, hand-eye coordination, as well as strategy and problem solving skills.

Reviewers comments

At the beginning of the app, a full-screen video pop-up advertisement appears randomly – it advertises a range of external games. Once the video finishes playing, it is followed by a still-screen pop-up which contains links to the Play Store where other apps may be purchased – this must be manually closed. The advertisements are for fantasy games, simulated gambling games such as ‘My Vegas’, and a range of others. Players may also elect to skip a level within the game, but as a result, they must watch a 30 second video advertisement.

When the app is initially opened, players are instructed to swipe across the screen. There is a large white circle on the left-hand side, and a small blue dot on the right. This transforms into two blue dots, and players must swipe a black line across the screen so that it hits both of the dots. As the levels progress, more dots are involved and all of them must be hit in order to complete the level. However, players may swipe in straight lines, curved lines, or lines of any shape that may be repeated – and these will rebound off the edges of the screen’s device if they reach it, meaning that it can be quite challenging to hit all of the dots when there are obstacles (in the form of white dots of varying sizes) in the way. Players may use the existing white or black dot obstacles to help mentally formulate the line pattern they wish to draw, which will enable them to hit all of the coloured dots and none of the obstacles.

Players may use the arrows along the bottom of the screen to move backwards and redo a previous level, or move forwards into currently unlocked levels. They may also use the small circle icon near the bottom of the screen to reset a level. Players may utilize as many attempts at a specific level as they wish. 

The app does not appear to pose any risk to players, but rather, it encourages players to utilise problem solving skills and spatial/visual reasoning in order to complete the challenging levels. In this sense, it may be quite educational. 

In App purchasing

The app opens with a full-screen video pop-up advertisement – it advertises a range of external games. Once the video finishes playing, it is followed by a still-screen pop-up which contains links to the Play Store where other apps may be purchased – this must be manually closed. The advertisements are for fantasy games, simulated gambling games such as ‘My Vegas’, and a range of others. Players may also elect to skip a level within the game, but as a result, they must watch a 30 second video advertisement of other external apps.

Online information

N/A.

Gambling

No gambling content was found during the review.

Advertising and product placement

N/A.

Gender stereotypes and sexual references

N/A.

Coarse language

N/A.

Game playing behaviour which may be of concern to some parents

No game playing behaviours which may be of concern to parents were found during the review.

Other

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