Difference between revisions of "Brawl Stars"

From SI410
Jump to: navigation, search
Line 3: Line 3:
 
== '''Gameplay''' ==
 
== '''Gameplay''' ==
 
[[File:Gem grab.jpg|thumbnail|right|Picture from gamewith.net]]
 
[[File:Gem grab.jpg|thumbnail|right|Picture from gamewith.net]]
Brawl Stars is considered a third person hero shooter game.<ref>Hero Shooter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero_shooter</ref> Each character, also known as a brawler, has unique abilities, thus making it a hero shooter game. Even though Brawl Stars is a mobile game, it has quite a few game modes. Maps rotate occasionally for each game mode. Other special events are included periodically.  
+
Brawl Stars is considered a third-person hero shooter game.<ref>Hero Shooter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero_shooter</ref> Each character, also known as a brawler, has unique abilities, thus making it a hero shooter game. Even though Brawl Stars is a mobile game, it has quite a few game modes. Maps rotate occasionally for each game mode. Other special events are included periodically.  
 
*<b>Hot Zone</b>: Two teams compete to control several zones on the map. Matches are three minutes long and the team that controls the most zones when the timer ends wins. <ref>https://brawlify.com/gamemodes/detail/Hot-Zone</ref>
 
*<b>Hot Zone</b>: Two teams compete to control several zones on the map. Matches are three minutes long and the team that controls the most zones when the timer ends wins. <ref>https://brawlify.com/gamemodes/detail/Hot-Zone</ref>
 
*<b>Gem Grab</b>: Two teams compete to obtain 10 gems, which spawn at the middle of the map. A team wins when they obtain 10 gems and manages to keep the gems safe for 15 seconds.<ref>https://brawlify.com/gamemodes/detail/Gem-Grab</ref>
 
*<b>Gem Grab</b>: Two teams compete to obtain 10 gems, which spawn at the middle of the map. A team wins when they obtain 10 gems and manages to keep the gems safe for 15 seconds.<ref>https://brawlify.com/gamemodes/detail/Gem-Grab</ref>
 
*<b>Solo Showdown</b>: Free-for-all among 10 players. Last player standing is crowned the winner.<ref>https://brawlify.com/gamemodes/detail/Showdown</ref>
 
*<b>Solo Showdown</b>: Free-for-all among 10 players. Last player standing is crowned the winner.<ref>https://brawlify.com/gamemodes/detail/Showdown</ref>
*<b>Duo Showdown</b>: Similar to solo showdown, except players have a teammate to battle with. Last pair standing is crowned the winner.<ref>https://brawlify.com/gamemodes/detail/Duo-Showdown</ref>
+
*<b>Duo Showdown</b>: Similar to solo showdown, except players have a teammate to battle with. The last pair standing is crowned the winner.<ref>https://brawlify.com/gamemodes/detail/Duo-Showdown</ref>
 
*<b>Heist</b>: Two teams compete to protect their safe. The first team to destroy the opponent's safe is the winner.<ref>https://brawlify.com/gamemodes/detail/Heist</ref>
 
*<b>Heist</b>: Two teams compete to protect their safe. The first team to destroy the opponent's safe is the winner.<ref>https://brawlify.com/gamemodes/detail/Heist</ref>
 
*<b>Bounty</b>: Two teams compete to obtain the most stars within two minutes. Stars are obtained by eliminating opponent players. The team with the most stars after the timer ends is the winner.<ref>https://brawlify.com/gamemodes/detail/Bounty</ref>
 
*<b>Bounty</b>: Two teams compete to obtain the most stars within two minutes. Stars are obtained by eliminating opponent players. The team with the most stars after the timer ends is the winner.<ref>https://brawlify.com/gamemodes/detail/Bounty</ref>
 
*<b>Brawl Ball</b>: Two teams compete to score goals, similar to soccer. The team that scores two goals first wins.<ref>https://brawlify.com/gamemodes/detail/Brawl-Ball</ref>
 
*<b>Brawl Ball</b>: Two teams compete to score goals, similar to soccer. The team that scores two goals first wins.<ref>https://brawlify.com/gamemodes/detail/Brawl-Ball</ref>
*<b>Siege</b>: Two teams compete to destroy the opposing team's turret. The team that does so first is the winner. <ref>https://brawlify.com/gamemodes/detail/Siege</ref>
+
*<b>Siege</b>: Two teams compete to destroy the opposing team's turret(a tower that can attack the opposing team within a certain range). The team that does so first is the winner. <ref>https://brawlify.com/gamemodes/detail/Siege</ref>
*<b>Big Game</b>: Five players battle one player, who is a bigger brawler. The objective of the bigger brawler is to survive and the goal of the five players is to eliminate the bigger brawler. The single player wins if they stay alive for two minutes, and the five players win if they destroy him before the time runs out. <ref>https://brawlify.com/gamemodes/detail/Big-Game</ref>
+
*<b>Big Game</b>: Five players battle one player, who is a bigger brawler. The objective of the bigger brawler is to survive and the goal of the five players is to eliminate the bigger brawler. The bigger brawler wins if they stay alive for two minutes, and the five players win if they destroy him before the time runs out. <ref>https://brawlify.com/gamemodes/detail/Big-Game</ref>
  
 
== '''Brawlers''' ==
 
== '''Brawlers''' ==
Through 5 seasons, the game has gone from its original 15 brawlers to 45 brawlers<ref>https://brawlify.com/brawlers/</ref>. While each brawler has their own unique abilities, they all fall into certain class types. The different class types are: sharpshooter, thrower, support, heavyweight, fighter, and assassin. All of these classes have their own strengths and weaknesses. Because most game modes are played in teams, the different classes of brawlers allows players to combine different traits to find a beneficial group synergy.  
+
Through 5 seasons, the game has gone from its original 15 brawlers to 45 brawlers<ref>https://brawlify.com/brawlers/</ref>. While each brawler has its own unique abilities, they all fall into certain class types. The different class types are Sharpshooter, Thrower, Support, Heavyweight, Fighter, and Assassin. All of these classes have their own strengths and weaknesses. Because most game modes are played in teams, the different classes of brawlers allow players to combine different traits to find a beneficial group synergy.  
 
[[File:Brawlermenu.jpg|thumbnail|right|Example menu of brawler selection screen]]
 
[[File:Brawlermenu.jpg|thumbnail|right|Example menu of brawler selection screen]]
  
 
===Sharpshooter===
 
===Sharpshooter===
Sharpshooters are essentially the snipers of Brawl Stars. All Sharpshooters have incredibly long range, but have a below average amount of health points. Sharpshooters also have one of the highest damage output of all the class types.<ref name = "brawlers">https://owwya.com/brawl-stars-brawler-list-all-characters-list-stats/</ref>
+
Sharpshooters are essentially the snipers of Brawl Stars. All Sharpshooters have incredibly long range, but have a below-average amount of health points. Sharpshooters also have one of the highest damage outputs of all the class types.<ref name = "brawlers">https://owwya.com/brawl-stars-brawler-list-all-characters-list-stats/</ref>
  
 
===Thrower===
 
===Thrower===
Throwers are brawlers that throw projectiles. Similar to Sharpshooters, they have great range, but have very little health points. What sets Throwers apart from Sharpshooters is their ability to throw projectiles over walls. This makes throwers very versatile and playable on almost any map. <ref name = "brawlers"></ref>
+
Throwers are brawlers that throw projectiles. Similar to Sharpshooters, they have great range, but have very few health points. What sets Throwers apart from Sharpshooters is their ability to throw projectiles over walls. This makes throwers very versatile and playable on almost any map. <ref name = "brawlers"></ref>
  
 
===Support===
 
===Support===
This class type has the most variety in terms of unique skills. Some Support brawlers can heal their teammates while one brawler can create a sandstorm and make his teammates invisible within a certain area. Support brawlers compliment any other type of teammate, but they typically lack in their attack power.  
+
This class type has the most variety in terms of unique skills. Some Support brawlers can heal their teammates while one brawler can create a sandstorm and make his teammates invisible within a certain area. Support brawlers compliment any other type of teammate, but they typically lack in their attack power. <ref name = "brawlers"></ref>
  
 
===Heavyweight===
 
===Heavyweight===
The Heavyweight brawlers all have a considerable amount of health points, but have extremely short range. Most can only hit a smaller range in front of them. They are great for soaking up damage on a team. Because of this, Heavyweights heavily rely on hiding in bushes and sneaking up on the opposing team.  
+
The Heavyweight brawlers all have a considerable amount of health points but have an extremely short range. Most can only hit a smaller range in front of them. They are great for soaking up damage on a team. Because of this, Heavyweights heavily rely on hiding in bushes and sneaking up on the opposing team. <ref name = "brawlers"></ref>
  
 
===Fighter===
 
===Fighter===
Fighters are the all-around class type. Most Fighters have above average health points and are above average in terms of damage output or attack range. While a Sharpshooter fighting a Heavyweight would heavily favor the Sharpshooter because of their superior range, a Fighter has no matchups where they clearly lose when in melee range. A Fighter is always a reliable class type to strengthen your team.
+
Fighters are the all-around class type. Most Fighters have above-average health points and are above average in terms of damage output or attack range. While a Sharpshooter fighting a Heavyweight would heavily favor the Sharpshooter because of their superior range, a Fighter has no matchups where they clearly lose when in melee range. A Fighter is always a reliable class type to strengthen your team. <ref name = "brawlers"></ref>
  
 
===Assassin===
 
===Assassin===
Assassins are high mobility brawlers that generally focus on jumping onto valuable targets. Assassins typically have medium to low health and good damage, but make up for it with their ability to engage and disengage in fights at important times with fast burst damage, as their time between shots is often lower than other brawlers.
+
Assassins are high mobility brawlers that generally focus on jumping onto valuable targets. Assassins typically have medium to low health and good damage, but make up for it with their ability to engage and disengage in fights at important times with fast burst damage, as their time between shots is often lower than other brawlers. <ref name = "brawlers"></ref>
  
 
== '''Transactions''' ==
 
== '''Transactions''' ==
 
== Currency ==
 
== Currency ==
There are 3 different types of currency in the game: gems, coins, and star points. All types of currency are obtainable through the game without the need for in-app purchases. However, players may purchase gems with money for their account. These gems can be used to buy things like vanity, coins, and loot boxes. Coins and loot boxes can be used to upgrade brawlers and give paying gamers an advantage over those who don’t. Consumers can also support their favorite Brawl Stars content creators only when making in-app purchases.  Brawl Stars also includes a seasonal free pass which players can upgrade to a premium version with gems. This premium version gives more and bigger loot boxes to players as well as guaranteed vanity gear, coins, brawlers, etc. assuming the player plays enough to unlock all the possible rewards.
+
There are 3 different types of currency in the game: gems, coins, and star points. All types of currency are obtainable through the game without the need for in-app purchases. However, players may purchase gems with money for their account. These gems can be used to buy things like vanity, coins, and loot boxes. Coins and loot boxes can be used to upgrade brawlers and give paying gamers an advantage over those who do not. Brawl Stars also includes a seasonal free pass which players can upgrade to a premium version with gems. This premium version gives more and bigger loot boxes to players as well as guaranteed vanity gear, coins, brawlers, etc. assuming the player plays enough to unlock all the possible rewards.
 
== Purchases ==  
 
== Purchases ==  
 
Since Supercell games are rated G or PG, there is generally no age limit to their games including Brawl Stars.  Any in-app purchases made through the game are non-refundable. Supercell games like Brawl Stars do not offer any method for parents to restrict spending like disabling in-app purchases.  
 
Since Supercell games are rated G or PG, there is generally no age limit to their games including Brawl Stars.  Any in-app purchases made through the game are non-refundable. Supercell games like Brawl Stars do not offer any method for parents to restrict spending like disabling in-app purchases.  

Revision as of 17:54, 25 March 2021

Brawl Stars is a multiplayer mobile game created by Supercell.[1] Supercell has made many successful mobile games in the past, such as Clash of Clans[2], Clash Royale[3], Hay Day[4], and Boom Beach[5]. Brawl Stars had its beta release on June 14, 2017 and was released worldwide over a year later on December 12, 2018.[6] It is Supercell's most recent release and has been met with overwhelming success. In the four months after its release, the game amassed over 87 million players and 200 million dollars in revenue.[7]. By the end of December 2020, two years after its worldwide release, Brawl Stars earned a lifetime gross revenue of over $1 billion[8].

Gameplay

Picture from gamewith.net

Brawl Stars is considered a third-person hero shooter game.[9] Each character, also known as a brawler, has unique abilities, thus making it a hero shooter game. Even though Brawl Stars is a mobile game, it has quite a few game modes. Maps rotate occasionally for each game mode. Other special events are included periodically.

  • Hot Zone: Two teams compete to control several zones on the map. Matches are three minutes long and the team that controls the most zones when the timer ends wins. [10]
  • Gem Grab: Two teams compete to obtain 10 gems, which spawn at the middle of the map. A team wins when they obtain 10 gems and manages to keep the gems safe for 15 seconds.[11]
  • Solo Showdown: Free-for-all among 10 players. Last player standing is crowned the winner.[12]
  • Duo Showdown: Similar to solo showdown, except players have a teammate to battle with. The last pair standing is crowned the winner.[13]
  • Heist: Two teams compete to protect their safe. The first team to destroy the opponent's safe is the winner.[14]
  • Bounty: Two teams compete to obtain the most stars within two minutes. Stars are obtained by eliminating opponent players. The team with the most stars after the timer ends is the winner.[15]
  • Brawl Ball: Two teams compete to score goals, similar to soccer. The team that scores two goals first wins.[16]
  • Siege: Two teams compete to destroy the opposing team's turret(a tower that can attack the opposing team within a certain range). The team that does so first is the winner. [17]
  • Big Game: Five players battle one player, who is a bigger brawler. The objective of the bigger brawler is to survive and the goal of the five players is to eliminate the bigger brawler. The bigger brawler wins if they stay alive for two minutes, and the five players win if they destroy him before the time runs out. [18]

Brawlers

Through 5 seasons, the game has gone from its original 15 brawlers to 45 brawlers[19]. While each brawler has its own unique abilities, they all fall into certain class types. The different class types are Sharpshooter, Thrower, Support, Heavyweight, Fighter, and Assassin. All of these classes have their own strengths and weaknesses. Because most game modes are played in teams, the different classes of brawlers allow players to combine different traits to find a beneficial group synergy.

Example menu of brawler selection screen

Sharpshooter

Sharpshooters are essentially the snipers of Brawl Stars. All Sharpshooters have incredibly long range, but have a below-average amount of health points. Sharpshooters also have one of the highest damage outputs of all the class types.[20]

Thrower

Throwers are brawlers that throw projectiles. Similar to Sharpshooters, they have great range, but have very few health points. What sets Throwers apart from Sharpshooters is their ability to throw projectiles over walls. This makes throwers very versatile and playable on almost any map. [20]

Support

This class type has the most variety in terms of unique skills. Some Support brawlers can heal their teammates while one brawler can create a sandstorm and make his teammates invisible within a certain area. Support brawlers compliment any other type of teammate, but they typically lack in their attack power. [20]

Heavyweight

The Heavyweight brawlers all have a considerable amount of health points but have an extremely short range. Most can only hit a smaller range in front of them. They are great for soaking up damage on a team. Because of this, Heavyweights heavily rely on hiding in bushes and sneaking up on the opposing team. [20]

Fighter

Fighters are the all-around class type. Most Fighters have above-average health points and are above average in terms of damage output or attack range. While a Sharpshooter fighting a Heavyweight would heavily favor the Sharpshooter because of their superior range, a Fighter has no matchups where they clearly lose when in melee range. A Fighter is always a reliable class type to strengthen your team. [20]

Assassin

Assassins are high mobility brawlers that generally focus on jumping onto valuable targets. Assassins typically have medium to low health and good damage, but make up for it with their ability to engage and disengage in fights at important times with fast burst damage, as their time between shots is often lower than other brawlers. [20]

Transactions

Currency

There are 3 different types of currency in the game: gems, coins, and star points. All types of currency are obtainable through the game without the need for in-app purchases. However, players may purchase gems with money for their account. These gems can be used to buy things like vanity, coins, and loot boxes. Coins and loot boxes can be used to upgrade brawlers and give paying gamers an advantage over those who do not. Brawl Stars also includes a seasonal free pass which players can upgrade to a premium version with gems. This premium version gives more and bigger loot boxes to players as well as guaranteed vanity gear, coins, brawlers, etc. assuming the player plays enough to unlock all the possible rewards.

Purchases

Since Supercell games are rated G or PG, there is generally no age limit to their games including Brawl Stars. Any in-app purchases made through the game are non-refundable. Supercell games like Brawl Stars do not offer any method for parents to restrict spending like disabling in-app purchases. [21]

Ethical Concerns

Business Model

Like Supercell’s previous hit games, Brawl Stars follows the freemium game model [22]. The word freemium is a combination of the word “free” and “premium.” These games are free to begin playing with in-app purchases as you play the game. These in-app purchases revolve around purchasing in-game items or currency that gives the user an advantage over users who do not buy in-app purchases. In Brawl Stars, an in-app purchase can be used to obtain one of the three in-game currencies, gems. Using gems, a player can exchange for gold, buy loot boxes, or even buy a new brawler.

At first glance, the freemium model seems mutually beneficial for both the consumers and the creators. Consumers can still play the game free of charge but can purchase items to make the game more fun. However, the hidden motives behind this business model are what makes it dangerous. Freemium games rely on microtransactions, which is another word for in-app purchases. Since the player is not paying for the game, the creators of the game earn revenue through microtransactions. Recently, Brawl Stars has accumulated over $1 billion in lifetime revenue and around $526 million in revenue from 2020 alone. [23]

Exploitation of User

If the creators of the game have the sole intention of monetizing as much as they can from these microtransactions to increase revenue, it becomes likely that the user may get exploited monetarily by the company. Supercell has released many top-selling mobile games in the past. On Jan 1, 2014, Supercell released Clash of Clans which has not generated over $7 billion today. The company has also released other popular mobile game titles like Clash Royale, Hay Day, and Boom Beach which have combined total revenue of over $5.2 billion. [24] One item that many freemium games have, including Brawl Stars, is the loot box. These boxes contain a collection of items and the user receives random items from the collection upon purchasing it. Loot boxes contain inherent ethical issues with them. [25] An issue relating to these loot boxes is the algorithm used to determine what item the player receives and how transparent the company is with the algorithm to the user. There is a great deal of transparency in this aspect as the percentages of what tier item the user will receive is listed in the app. [26] Game monetization practices are now coming under scrutiny like the ethics of attracting players to spend money on in-game items. [27]

Gambling Addiction

Even when percentages are explicitly listed, loot boxes can be very easily compared to slot machines as they offer a random prize to the user of varying worth. With slot machines, the outcome is a range of money values while in Brawl Stars the outcome is a range of items with the corresponding value in virtual currency. Then, the concern of gambling addiction is raised. Gambling addiction, also called problem gambling, is "the urge to gamble continuously despite negative consequences or a desire to stop". Gambling addiction occurs because the actions "activate the same reward circuits in the brain as drugs and the clinical characteristics of gambling disorder are the same as those of drug addictions or alcoholism"[28] Over 50% of the top 100 mobile games offer in-app purchases for loot boxes. Out of that portion of mobile games, less than 10% allow a cash-out option to convert in-game items back into currency. Although this is not gambling in the traditional sense, studies show that adults that made bets on esports or video games have also made bets with money. [29]

Video Game Addiction

Similar to gambling addiction, Video game addiction, or problematic, compulsive use of video games that results in significant impairment to an individual's ability to function in various life domains over a prolonged period of time, is prominent in apps such as Brawl Stars. The app follows a design that allows for constant play as there are short matches(under five minutes) and constant upgrades to the users' brawlers and account as a whole. Additionally, the user can make microtransactions, as specified above, to further gain progress in their game or account. This encourages playing the game for longer, potentially leading to video game addiction. Video game addiction can lead to a sedentary lifestyle, lack of social engagement, problems with concentration and attention, avoidance of developmental tasks, and increased aggression or violence. [30]

References

</references>
  1. Supercell https://supercell.com/en/our-story/
  2. https://supercell.com/en/games/clashofclans/
  3. https://supercell.com/en/games/clashroyale/
  4. https://supercell.com/en/games/hayday/
  5. https://supercell.com/en/games/boombeach/
  6. Asarch, S. (2018, November 20). 'Brawl Stars' Game Lead Talks Lessons Learned After 522-day Soft Launch. Retrieved from https://www.newsweek.com/brawl-stars-interview-release-game-director-spike-supercell-mobile-1224546
  7. Valdes G. (2019, April 16). Sensor Tower: Supercell’s Brawl Stars earns $200 million in its first four months. Retrieved from https://venturebeat.com/2019/04/16/sensor-tower-supercells-brawl-stars-earns-200-million-in-its-first-four-months/#:~:text=So%20far%2C%20Brawl%20Stars%20has,South%20Korea%20(%2438%20million)
  8. https://sensortower.com/blog/brawl-stars-revenue-one-billion
  9. Hero Shooter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero_shooter
  10. https://brawlify.com/gamemodes/detail/Hot-Zone
  11. https://brawlify.com/gamemodes/detail/Gem-Grab
  12. https://brawlify.com/gamemodes/detail/Showdown
  13. https://brawlify.com/gamemodes/detail/Duo-Showdown
  14. https://brawlify.com/gamemodes/detail/Heist
  15. https://brawlify.com/gamemodes/detail/Bounty
  16. https://brawlify.com/gamemodes/detail/Brawl-Ball
  17. https://brawlify.com/gamemodes/detail/Siege
  18. https://brawlify.com/gamemodes/detail/Big-Game
  19. https://brawlify.com/brawlers/
  20. 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 20.5 https://owwya.com/brawl-stars-brawler-list-all-characters-list-stats/
  21. “Parent's Guide × Supercell.” Supercell, supercell.com/en/parents/.
  22. Li, Keyan Kelly. “Why Freemium Games Are Ethnical Problematic.” Medium, Medium, 29 Jan. 2017, medium.com/@haishili0105/why-freemium-games-are-ethnical-problematic-8582ffff77b4.
  23. Ahmed, W. (2021, January 30). Brawl stars surpasses $1 billion in revenue. Retrieved from https://dotesports.com/mobile/news/brawl-stars-surpasses-1-billion-in-lifetime-revenue
  24. Strategist, Craig Chapple Mobile Insights. “Clash Royale Crosses $3 Billion in Lifetime Player Spending.” Sensor Tower Blog, sensortower.com/blog/clash-royale-revenue-three-billion.
  25. Neely, Eric L. “Come for the Game, Stay for the Cash Grab: The Ethics of Loot Boxes, Microtransactions, and Freemium Games.”
  26. Brawler (and items) drop RATE (2019 Updated): Brawl Stars up! (2021, January 26). Retrieved from https://brawlstarsup.com/brawler-drop-rate/
  27. Earp, Jeffrey, and Francesca Pozzi. “Ethical Issues in Gaming: A Literature Review.” Academia.edu, www.academia.edu/37733245/Ethical_Issues_in_Gaming_A_Literature_Review.
  28. Chóliz, M. (2018, January 31). Ethical gambling: A necessary new point of view of gambling in public health policies. Retrieved March, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5797763/
  29. Khonych, Alena (2019). "Ethical and Legal Dimensions of Microtransactions in Videogames"
  30. Edited by Meredith Watkins, M. (2021, February 08). Video game addiction symptoms and treatment. Retrieved from https://americanaddictioncenters.org/video-gaming-addiction