PKTBALL- Endless Smash Sport - Laser Dog Sports

This review of PKTBALL- Endless Smash Sport was completed by the Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM) on 2 February 2017.

About the app

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

ACCM review

This review of PKTBALL- Endless Smash Sport 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 reviewer played for several hours.

App description

PKTBALL – Endless Smash Sport is a tennis style game played from a birdseye view. The game can be played either singularly or with up to four players sharing the same device. Points are scored for every hit back to the opponent. If either player misses the ball, this counts as a “Goal” for the winning player. If a player scores successive goals, the point system increases for every returned hit (e.g.; If a player wins 2 goals in a row, each hit back counts as 2 points – and so on – until the player misses a hit).

The aim of the game is to get as many points as possible before your balls run out. Coins will also appear on the playing field at random. If you hit a coin with your ball, it adds to your total coin tally. Earning enough coins wins a prize – which can include new characters. The points won will also tally up across games and will earn a crown for your character. The crown allows you to increase your successive hit rate number above the standard number of 3 (e.g.; if you now hit 4 returns in a row, each return will now count as 4 points).

Hitting the ball simply requires a left or right swipe across the screen. Therefore, gross motor skills and good reaction time are sufficient for this game. 

Reviewers comments

For the most part, the main playability of this game is completely fine. However, there are features included in this game which have gambling elements which are relatable to real life and therefore caution should be exercised.

There are a couple of features in this game which some parents may not be comfortable with.

1. When prizes are awarded to the player, a Skill Tester feature appears where players use their earned coins to play for a prize. Prizes include new characters and bags of money (see insert below).
2. Players can watch videos to earn coins. These videos are ads for other apps. The videos that were presented to the reviewer included war games and a slot machine game.

In App purchasing

• Characters can be purchased for $1.49 each.

Online information

• No online information or personal details required to download, play or interact with this app.

Gambling

As indicated above, certain features of this app have a “risk for reward” theme (skill tester, slot machine ad) and therefore parental guidance is recommended.

Advertising and product placement

• Ads for other apps can be watched to earn more coins. These ads are often not age appropriate for the developer’s age recommendation for this game.

Gender stereotypes and sexual references

None

Coarse language

None

Game playing behaviour which may be of concern to some parents

The risk for reward element portrayed in the skill tester feature may translate to real life (e.g.; children may believe that the ease at which prizes are won in the virtual skill tester in this game will be the same for real skill testers).

Other

N/A.

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