BlockStarPlanet

This virtual social space is an enticing offer for kids who love to mine and build, but the pressure to spend is intense. BlockStarPlanet has a lot of things kids like to do -- exploration, fighting, mining/crafting, building -- but it offers them in a chaotic, overstimulating environment. Some kids will thrive on this, while others will be overloaded by the colors, the constant appearance and disappearance of other players, the overwhelming number of things you can do, and the occasional power-ups that do things like briefly change everyone into a pet. It could use a more cohesive tutorial introduction that slowly guides kids to meet NPCs so kids have a better sense of what they can or should be doing and why. The individual tutorials for parkour, mining, and fighting are all helpful, but first kids need to find and recognize the NPCs who offer them. Likewise, the ability to report problematic content falls with an NPC who kids may or may not stumble across when they start. Also, the pressure to join VIP is overwhelming and irritating. Everywhere you look, there's a gift box dangling that requires VIP to unlock. The shops have VIP materials mingled with the freebies. There's a line between enticing people to upgrade and making them feel like they're really playing a free demo. BlockStarPlanet dances right on the line. This social networking-building-RPG hybrid offers some great features, but poor mobile controls, a chaotic on-screen environment, pressure to buy, and a lack of solid introduction to the universe keep it from really shining.