Welcome to Pixalate’s CTV & Mobile App Manual Reviews According to COPPA, a series containing the detailed factors the Trust & Safety Advisory Board educators used to assess an app’s child-directedness.
The educators manually review thousands of mobile apps available in the Google Play & Apple App Stores as well as connected TV (CTV) apps from the Roku Channel Store and Amazon Fire TV App Store using the COPPA Rule factors shown below & make those results available to the public at ratings.pixalate.com.
This post takes a look at a game which is available from the Google Play Store & Apple App Store. Our reviewer discusses how the subjective factors set forth in the COPPA Rule apply to the app and factor into the reviewer's determination as to whether the app is child-directed or general audience (i.e., it is not targeting children).
The teacher will indicate the factors they relied upon in their assessment using the 10 factors shown below that reflect the 10 child-directed factors in the COPPA Rule.
Ninja Fishing combines two different game types into a single fast-paced game. The ninja must first cast a rod and catch some fish. The goal is to go as deep as possible before the hook catches a fish, and then to hook as many fish as possible when reeling it back up. After all the fish make it out of the water they are flung into the sky and must be sliced, fruit-ninja style. The deeper the hook goes before it catches a fish, the more types of fish that appear. New fish can be unlocked by catching them which contributes to progressing to other settings in the game.
The visuals and animation are appealing to both children and adults. The large ninja is seen floating around in his boat before casting the line to catch fish. The cartoon-like fish have large eyebrows, giving them some personality and human-like traits. The slashing of the fish briefly shows blood droplets leaving faint splatter marks on the background. It is just enough gore to entertain children without parents thinking it is too graphic for young children.
Traditional Japanese-style music plays softly in the background on the home screen. While fishing, the music is still heard but bubbles and sound effects are played over the music. There are numerous sound effects to keep children engaged with the app, such as the slashing of the sword slicing the fish and the casting of the fishing line.
Each fish hooked and sliced earns coins. In addition to fish, treasure chests can also be caught that contain coins. The coins can be used to upgrade the fishing items and swords used by the ninja. New locations are also unlocked as new types of fish are caught, encouraging continued gameplay.
There do not seem to be any advertisements throughout normal game play. However, video advertisements can be viewed upon completion of a level to earn extra coins. These ads seem to be for general audience and mixed audience games and items.
Ninja Fishing is rated Everyone 10+ in the US Google Play Store, PEGI 7 in the European Google Play Stores, and 9+ in the Apple App Store. Although the description does not specifically mention children in any capacity, there are reviews indicating that children are using the app. There are also quite a few adults writing reviews after having redownloaded this game that they had played when they were minors.
Privacy
According to the privacy policy, which was last updated in 2010, the developers do not intend this app to be used by children and do not knowingly collect any personal information from children. However, there is no age gate in place to check the age of users and restrict the collection of data from minors.
Gamenauts states that their “primary objective in collecting user information is to provide and enhance the Service and to enable users to easily navigate and enjoy the Service.” They indicate that they do collect personal information such as names, social media accounts, and contact information. They also state that they collect other information that they deem “non-personal,” such as birth dates, gender, and device information including browsing activity outside of the app. They do specify that “in all cases of data access and collection, the information you provide will not be disclosed, rented, leased, loaned, sold, or otherwise voluntarily distributed to unaffiliated third parties and will be used solely to provide you with and improve the Service.”
Find Pixalate's full catalogue of reviews in our CTV and Mobile App Review Page
Screenshots of Ninja Fishing
Pixalate’s Trust and Safety Advisory Board was created to bring in individuals with experience using child-directed apps in the classroom to review and assess which apps are child-directed. This manual review process serves to quality check Pixalate’s automated review process. See our full methodology for more information.
Disclaimer
This blog post published by Pixalate is available for informational purposes only and is not considered legal advice. By viewing this blog post, the reader understands and agrees that there is no attorney-client relationship between the reader and the blog publisher. The blog should not be used as a substitute for legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in the applicable jurisdiction(s), and readers are urged to consult their own legal counsel on any specific legal questions concerning any specific situation. The content of this blog post reflects Pixalate's opinions with respect to factors that Pixalate believes may be useful to the digital media industry. Pixalate's opinions are just that, opinions, which means that they are neither facts nor guarantees; and this blog post is not intended to impugn the standing or reputation of any entity, person or app, but instead, to report findings pertaining to mobile and Connected TV (CTV) apps.
