By Brett Lee / 04/03/2019
Coin Master is taking the world by storm. The game was actually developed in 2010 but since the new trailer was released mid last year it’s gone viral on social media and in particular on Facebook. Although the game is cartoon style in nature and the App Store gives it an age rating of 12+ , it also notes that there is “Frequent/Intense Simulated Gambling” so we’ve done the research for you to make an informed decision as to whether you feel comfortable letting your children play.
The Premise
Coin Master is an iOS/Android app where players spin slot machines to win coins, shields and weapons so that they can attack and raid villages and build their viking village. The characters travel through time and magical lands building their village to be the best pirate, hippie, king, warrior or viking. The application uses Facebook to connect players to their friends and encourage more users.
Game Rundown
The Slot Machine Function
The game is essentially a virtual slot machine. You collect ‘spins’ as you progress throughout the game and when you have amassed enough you can spend them to spin a slot machine. This allows you to win coins (the ultimate goal), attacks, raids, shields or more spins.
Earning coins and raiding villages
The coins that you earn from playing the slot machine allow you to build and upgrade your village which allows you to win stars and progress up the leaderboard. The attacks and raids gained from the slot machine feature allow you to attack and raid other players’ villages for more coins. It should be noted that the graphics aren’t violent or bloody in nature when raiding the village.
Time spent playing the game
When you run out of spins the game encourages you to continue playing the game for longer. Five free spins are given each hour, which means that it can take several hours to generate enough coins to buy the next building for your village.
Social media aspect
The game encourages players from the very start to connect the game with their Facebook account and to invite their Facebook friends to play against them. There is also the option to continue as a guest and not connect social media. With regard to a messaging service within the app, while you can see the avatars of the players who you are playing against, you can’t actually communicate with them (in the app). That said, if you are inviting friends from Facebook you would be able to communicate via Facebook about the game.
Cost and in App purchases
While the game itself is free you are encouraged (if you run out of spins or coins) to buy more with actual money in the game to circumvent the earning coins process (min $7.99 AUD).
The Takeaways
The main idea of the game is to use a slot machine feature to earn coins. There are a lot of reviews online imploring parents to band together to ban this game as it encourages gambling for children. Parents also need to be considerate when monitoring time spent playing along with any in app purchases with this game as there are frequent prompts for money to progress. The fact that there is currently no in app messaging service and there is no way to contact other players (unless their own Facebook friends) can be regarded as a positive.
