Common Sense Media Review
By Dana Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Fun, but full-court press for in-app purchases, gambling.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
Basketball Stars
Privacy Rating Warning
Privacy Rating
Our expert evaluators create our privacy ratings. The ratings are designed to help you understand how apps use your data for commercial purposes.
Pass
Meets our minimum requirements for privacy and security practices.
Warning
Does not meet our recommendations for privacy and security practices.
Fail
Does not have a privacy policy and should not be used.
Privacy Rating
Our expert evaluators create our privacy ratings. The ratings are designed to help you understand how apps use your data for commercial purposes.
Pass
Meets our minimum requirements for privacy and security practices.
Warning
Does not meet our recommendations for privacy and security practices.
Fail
Does not have a privacy policy and should not be used.
What's It About?
BASKETBALL STARS starts with a city street ball scene and a challenge: "Hey, let's see if you can shoot." A tutorial follows, and teens can choose whether they want to stay in practice mode or play against real people, either in a shoot-out or a one-on-one game. Shooting is made easy for beginners, as they simply swipe up to the "Perfect Power" level displayed on the app's visual meter and let it fly. Players get different points for various shots. It's also easy to find someone to play against; the app shows how many players are online at the time of play and matches you to an opponent. Players have to pay an entry fee to get into each game, and the winner takes all. Choose a player and customize his look with what you win in the gym bag, with in-game currency you win, or with real money. Play the Spin & Win game (once daily) to get more in-game currency.
Is It Any Good?
Hoops fans will appreciate the two fast-paced games on this app, but it gets a technical foul for the heavy push for in-app purchases, the pay-to-play sports premise, and the Spin & Win casino-style game. Even though the easy swipe gameplay and 3-D graphics are obviously attractive to kids, this app seems geared toward an older audience. Though it may score lots of fun points for many sports games enthusiasts, the gambling and purchases make it better for teens.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about spending real money on games. What are your rules for in-app purchases?
Discuss gambling and its risks. Why do people bet? How do you know when to stop?
Talk about the Spin & Win mini-game, which can only be played once a day and requires no gameplay skill to earn pretend money. Why would the app's developers make a lottery-style game such as Spin & Win part of a basketball app?
App Details
- Devices : iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android
- Pricing structure : Free (optional in-app purchases from $0.99 to $99.99)
- Release date : March 16, 2016
- Genre : Sports Games
- Publisher : Miniclip.com
- Version : 1.0.4
- Minimum software requirements : iOS 7.0 or later; Android 4.0.3 and up
- Last updated : November 11, 2020
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate