So my six year old daughter found these "story" games and has started playing a slew of them (like 5 or 6 different ones...(Zoo, Fashion, Restaurant, City, etc). They look like a scam to me, though as they keep asking her to spend money in order to progress.
I have no issue with the PayToPlay format (I'm a big gamer and I've dabbled in online MMO's that do it), but I can't tell if these are PTP or PayToProgress (the difference being you have to pay in order to get to the next level). Normally you can achieve whatever you want in Paytoplay if you have patience. Are these games like that?
As an example in Zoo story (her apparent favorite) you have to have "crystals" (or something like that) in order to buy the next animal (a panda in this case), but she has none. She seems to have a ton of gold, but no gems. And she can buy gems for real money (but its like $5 - $20 to do it). I won't let her spend her money on them as it seems like a bit of a scam to milk my kid out of her money.
My question is two part here. Does anyone play these games and is it possible for her to progress without paying. Or is she screwed without a larger monetary investment? Should I cut her off now and save her the pain?
And the other part of my question is are there alternatives? It seems like a fun game for her (thinking, management, puzzle solving, etc), but I don't like the idea of the cost involved. Are there other games like this that we can pay a flat fee and get (I saw Game Dev Story but I don't think that would appeal to a 6 year old girl) without the hassle? I don't mind paying for a good game...but now when I suspect its gameplan is a shady way of bilking little kids.
My daughter thanks you and awaits your answer.
K--
I have no issue with the PayToPlay format (I'm a big gamer and I've dabbled in online MMO's that do it), but I can't tell if these are PTP or PayToProgress (the difference being you have to pay in order to get to the next level). Normally you can achieve whatever you want in Paytoplay if you have patience. Are these games like that?
As an example in Zoo story (her apparent favorite) you have to have "crystals" (or something like that) in order to buy the next animal (a panda in this case), but she has none. She seems to have a ton of gold, but no gems. And she can buy gems for real money (but its like $5 - $20 to do it). I won't let her spend her money on them as it seems like a bit of a scam to milk my kid out of her money.
My question is two part here. Does anyone play these games and is it possible for her to progress without paying. Or is she screwed without a larger monetary investment? Should I cut her off now and save her the pain?
And the other part of my question is are there alternatives? It seems like a fun game for her (thinking, management, puzzle solving, etc), but I don't like the idea of the cost involved. Are there other games like this that we can pay a flat fee and get (I saw Game Dev Story but I don't think that would appeal to a 6 year old girl) without the hassle? I don't mind paying for a good game...but now when I suspect its gameplan is a shady way of bilking little kids.
My daughter thanks you and awaits your answer.
K--