Is TSTO appropriate for a 9 year old?

suetopia

I wouldn't let anyone under the age of 11 or 12 play it...some of the content and jokes are a bit too mature for a 9 year old but not so much for an 11 or 12 year old.

9d51ca2b37f2d94f

Interesting. Well, for starters, if she is anything like me and has serious attention issues, she will likely just skip through the dialogue. She would probably find the dialogue boring and not understand half of the jokes anyway.

Besides the whole MrBurns/Clockwork Orange thing, may I ask which characters you find to be inappropriate for youngsters?
I ask because you should be able to control which characters she is able to get, with limited donuts. If she doesn't have donuts, she can't buy the character. Unless she has the password for the mobile device, (in which case you should be prepared to start seeing charges on the credit card).

And she may get bored with it, too. These kind of games may appear flashy, but aren't for everyone.

rosesgirlnz

I voted not sure, because I think it depends on the child.

My 10 y/o son plays tapped out (sporadically at best). He was the one who initially introduced the game to me.

However he has much older siblings (like he is younger by 9 yrs than the next up one) so is pretty grown up in attitude and what he's exposed to.
To be honest a lot of the stuff that raises my eyebrow, in terms of dialogue, seems to go completely over his head. He just enjoys building and buying new things and taps through the story lines so fast, he doesn't even seem to really read them.

I won't let him advertise for friends though, or read the forum.

suetopia

moxxee wrote:

Interesting. Well, for starters, if she is anything like me and has serious attention issues, she will likely just skip through the dialogue. She would probably find the dialogue boring and not understand half of the jokes anyway.

Besides the whole MrBurns/Clockwork Orange thing, may I ask which characters you find to be inappropriate for youngsters?
I ask because you should be able to control which characters she is able to get, with limited donuts. If she doesn't have donuts, she can't buy the character. Unless she has the password for the mobile device, (in which case you should be prepared to start seeing charges on the credit card).

And she may get bored with it, too. These kind of games may appear flashy, but aren't for everyone.

Well, off the top of my head the Strippers come to mind... And I realize one is premium, but I don't think Mrs. Muntz was premium, and some of the dialogue is slightly PG...

suetopia

rosesgirlnz wrote:

I voted not sure, because I think it depends on the child.

My 10 y/o son plays tapped out (sporadically at best). He was the one who initially introduced the game to me.

However he has much older siblings (like he is younger by 9 yrs than the next up one) so is pretty grown up in attitude and what he's exposed to.
To be honest a lot of the stuff that raises my eyebrow, in terms of dialogue, seems to go completely over his head. He just enjoys building and buying new things and taps through the story lines so fast, he doesn't even seem to really read them.

I won't let him advertise for friends though, or read the forum.

She is a smart one for her age and would definitely notice the dialogue - she is an avid reader, and an advanced one for her age. This is part of my issue. If I thought the dialogue would go over her head I might not be so worried.

9d51ca2b37f2d94f

suetopia wrote:

moxxee wrote:

Interesting. Well, for starters, if she is anything like me and has serious attention issues, she will likely just skip through the dialogue. She would probably find the dialogue boring and not understand half of the jokes anyway.

Besides the whole MrBurns/Clockwork Orange thing, may I ask which characters you find to be inappropriate for youngsters?
I ask because you should be able to control which characters she is able to get, with limited donuts. If she doesn't have donuts, she can't buy the character. Unless she has the password for the mobile device, (in which case you should be prepared to start seeing charges on the credit card).

And she may get bored with it, too. These kind of games may appear flashy, but aren't for everyone.

Well, off the top of my head the Strippers come to mind... And I realize one is premium, but I don't think Mrs. Muntz was premium, and some of the dialogue is slightly PG...

Gotcha. Confirmed! The strip club is Freemium but and appears late in the game.

rosesgirlnz

suetopia wrote:

She is a smart one for her age and would definitely notice the dialogue - she is an avid reader, and an advanced one for her age. This is part of my issue. If I thought the dialogue would go over her head I might not be so worried.

My son is also a very good reader and can devour a book quickly. I must ask him what he thinks Nelson's mum is? He only unlocked her the other day. He's currently out playing with friends in the fresh air.
Mind you he watches the Simpson's on TV - the content is no better than the game. It's really not intended for children.

At the end of the day you have to make decisions based on your values and beliefs, not what anyone else thinks.

suetopia

efin98 wrote:

I wouldn't let anyone under the age of 11 or 12 play it...some of the content and jokes are a bit too mature for a 9 year old but not so much for an 11 or 12 year old.

This is sort of what I was thinking too... I guess I would like to get different perspectives to see how others feel too, and why. I want to try to make as an informed decision as possible (within reason) as I realize I might be a little too over protective where both my neices and my nephew are concerned. As always, thank you for your input, efin!

Jax001100

Would you let her watch The Simpsons? If so, I see no reason for her not to play the game. I have a 7 year old as a neighbour. Her Dad asked for people to add her in the forum when I first started playing and she was 6 back then. I have never had the heart to unfriend her, even though her progress is slow and she rarely visits.

smohqy

Jax001100 wrote:

Would you let her watch The Simpsons? If so, I see no reason for her not to play the game. I have a 7 year old as a neighbour. Her Dad asked for people to add her in the forum when I first started playing and she was 6 back then. I have never had the heart to unfriend her, even though her progress is slow and she rarely visits.

My daughter is 7 years old, and I would never, never,

EVER

dream of unfriending her. No matter how infrequently she plays. She earned a $10 donut purchase about 8 months ago by a beautiful act of kindness, and she still has most of them. She's moving very slowly, but Molzpink and I decided that with as much time as she sees, AND hears us Tapping, that she should be able to as well.

She watches The Simpsons and Bob's Burgers with us (but never Family Guy or American Dad, for obvious reasons). Also, as rosesgirlnz posted, she is not allowed to read the forums (too boring for her, no need to worry there), or have any Neighborinos besides Mom, Dad, and Other Springfield.

I don't think it's an issue unless the child doesn't have a filter between what is heard and what is said. Our girl has heard things that would make a sailor blush, but knows that it's not to come out of her mouth (we'll see about that when she's a teen, however). But above all, since it's your niece, just make sure her parents know about the game, trusting your judgement or not. The last thing you want is for her to tell daddy that her "imaginary friend thinks you're stupid."

NOVA_POLARI

Ya in my opinion its fine for a 9 year old. My sister is the one who got me into this game and at the time she was 8 lol. The only dialogue I think could be inappropriate is the level with Nelson's mom but she probably wont get that far and even if she does its not that bad. Plus she most likely wont get that far in the first place. Also the game is not as inappropriate as the show and I personally think the show is appropriate enough to watch once you turn 8. Since all the "adult" jokes go over your head but you can still appreciate the comedy. Also some shows on Nick and Cartoon network makes some pretty dirty jokes including Spongebob cursing, Spongebob making a prison * joke, and an Easter egg in Invader Zim indirectly telling people to do drugs. So ya just my opinions but in the end its up to you and what you think is right.

AJtheboss1

Let's be real. What we thought was a big deal when we were that age is in some instances the complete opposite with this generation. I see kids that are 8-9 years old talk about things I only found out when I was 13-14 so hiding things from them seems pointless. They'll get exposed to things regardless of how much we try shielding them. The best thing to do is moderate how much they know, or try to figure out and when they ask, just explain it respectfully without making the kid feel stupid or "too young"

It's always a good idea to be proactive about teaching things and exposing things to kids instead of pushing it off until you feel it's the right age. You need keep in mind the generational gap, and the fact that we live in a very open society. That's why I'm of the mindset of teaching the child something on my terms, rather then them hearing it from people who won't be is proper about certain things.

Of course every child needs his/her own approach depending on their sensitivity, matureness, and sometimes even age.

Just use your better judgement, and always assume they've heard worse, because chances are they did.

smohqy

Also, she's your niece. It's your duty to corrupt her! If you don't do it, someone else will, and then they'll be the cool one.

Be the cool one now, and then you'll be the one to guide her through real moral dilemmas later.

thatdonald845

I voted yes as I've recently been working with a drama group of kids around that age. I don't think that the content of TSTO is problematic - there is no really bad language (like you would find on television) or disturbing stuff like you would find in a newspaper (or on the internet).

I'd rather that kids of that age found more beneficial pastimes than gaming, but if they are going to waste their time gaming it is better to play TSTO than those death, blood, gore and horror kill-fests that the kids I know like.

suetopia

Wow - some really interesting discussion going on! Thank you - I hope more people add to the discussion as it is interesting to see what people think and feel about this. So far, it's given me a lot to think about, so a big thanks to those who have voted and those who have participated in the discussion thus far

ultratim78

I voted no, only because I'm pretty sure when you start a new account it asks for your age.

I don't know what the age restriction is though and I go along with people that have said if she watches the show then she would be fine with the game.

I've just checked, it's 12+

JimJ321

I let my 2 year old tap on building ps and look at the Hlmer gorilla fall off the building. I watch closely so as it not spend donuts.

billdoors1533

To be honest I think a lot of children would play this game but suffer attention span problems if starting from scratch. Kids like to see a game where there are a lot of things going on as in a level 50 game where lots of tapping goes on but they aren't likely to be on it constantly especially starting from scratch. My nephew and niece are more interested in minecraft or moshi monsters to be honest. With reference to appropriateness some of the script would go above their heads and some of the themes are for older childen 12 plus. Our children are exposed to so much more at even younger ages the key in any online activity is parental monitoring. I would allow an 9 year old to download the game and play but encourage them to ask questions if they need help. As much as we try we can't shelter children but we can help them to understand the world around them and how to deal with it

Ningyo42

I realize that this may be a bit vague, but this is how I see it: Would you let someone that young watch the TV show? If yes, you can let them play the game. If no, then no to the game.

JimJ321

Ningyo42 wrote:

I realize that this may be a bit vague, but this is how I see it: Would you let someone that young watch the TV show? If yes, you can let them play the game. If no, then no to the game.

That actually makes a lot is sense. Happy tapping!

sith9er696

I voted yes, but as others have said if she is allowed to watch the show then it's all good. If not then no