Choices: Stories You Play
Common Sense says
- iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
- Free
- Simulation Games
Parents say
Kids say
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A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this app.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Choices: Stories You Play is an interactive storybook app for teens like High School Story (made by the same developer) or Episode -- Choose Your Story. As the stories progress, readers choose between pre-written scenarios to move the stories in different directions. Characters earn points for saying or doing things that make people like them, and readers get reward points for finishing chapters. Some series-based stories are updated weekly, in-app purchases are required to access some story options, and ads appear between chapters. In many stories there's some sexual innuendo and swearing, and there are some messages around dating and appearance that some parents may not love. Read the app's privacy policy to find out about the types of information collected and shared.
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User Reviews
- Parents say
- Kids say
Most expensive way to read a story!
Far Too Expensive
Overpriced & mostly boring, with few merits
Pixelberry at its finest
What's it about?
To play CHOICES: STORIES YOU PLAY, first choose your genre and book. Read the information on the screen and tap one of the optional choices. Or, once you've completed reading text with no choices, tap anywhere on the screen to move to the next scene. All dialogue and choices appear on-screen.
Is it any good?
Teens looking for some interactive stories may find this fun, but the cheesy lines, sexual innuendo, consumerism, lack of positive messages, and inability to create content make it a lesser choice. Choices: Stories You Play includes different genres of books -- Romance, Fantasy, Mystery -- and some come in series of books updated weekly, which is nice for fans who get hooked on certain storylines. Because the visuals don't change much, a lot of what's happening in the stories has to be described in the written text ("Dom is attracted to you." "You knock the sword out of his hand.") without any corresponding visuals. This often feels stilted and weird. And getting from one piece of dialogue to the next can be slow. The points come slowly, and some choices are off-limits until the player earns enough points or purchases them via in-app purchase. If the messages were more positive or teens could contribute stories, there would be more to recommend. As it stands, though, there are better choices for this type of app.
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about the concept of making choices that change the outcome of a story in Choices: Stories You Play. Are choices in real life as clear cut as they are on this app?
Talk about earning points for making choices that cause other characters to like your character. When does it make sense to make a choice based on how others will feel about you, and when shouldn't that matter at all?
Discuss the ways dating and appearance are portrayed, since girls at the target age are especially susceptible to messages around body image and healthy/unhealthy relationships.
Encourage teens to create their own stories with apps like StoryCorps.
App details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
- Subjects: Language & Reading: storytelling
- Price: Free
- Pricing structure: Free (in-app purchases $1.99 to $99.99)
- Release date: July 11, 2017
- Category: Simulation Games
- Size: 111.00 MB
- Publisher: Pixelberry Studios
- Version: 1.9.1
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 7.0 or later; Android 4.0.3 and up
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