The Brawl Stars parents’ guide – contact point for parents
Children and young people use apps, play games and visit websites – from waiting at the bus stop, they often have access to media and games. The game Brawl Stars hasn’t just conquered the hearts of children and young people since yesterday. It is omnipresent in conversations: From recess to the kitchen table, the action role-playing game inspires hundreds of thousands. But it still often raises questions among parents.
The Brawl Stars Parents’ Guide is a joint initiative of Deutsche Telekom AG and the esports player foundation. Together we want to help parents understand one of the most popular games among children and young people. Parents often don’t know what’s going on in games like Brawl Stars. The Brawl Stars Parents Guide aims to clear up questions and explain game mechanics and content so that parents can guide their children through the game in the best possible way.
Brawl Stars for parents - our guides
What is Brawl Stars?
Brawl Stars is an action-packed and free multiplayer game that was developed for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. You can play alone or in teams in different modes and on different maps. The respective objectives can be completely different from one another. The majority of modes are played in teams of three players.
Brawl Stars is aimed at children and young people aged 9 and over. The game is particularly popular due to the fast pace of the game and the demands on strategy and skill.
How does your child win?
What are brawlers?
In Episode 3, we deepen our understanding of maps and modes. If everyone in the team fulfills their role on the map, an orderly game structure is created. In Brawl Ball, we have to actively play the ball towards the goal in order to score.
Each mode has multiple maps with different designs that influence our play style. Walls can block shots and running paths, which requires us to constantly find new ways to succeed.
What are cards?
When talking to your children, you keep hearing different names. With El Primo & Shelly perhaps 2 of the current 82 characters in Brawl Stars have already fallen. In Brawl Stars, your children take on the role of a Brawler or character with unique abilities and skills.
So it’s no big deal if you don’t know all the Brawlers, whose numbers grow regularly and whose abilities are sometimes improved or worsened. The game’s publisher adds around 15-20 characters over the course of the year.
It is important to know that each Brawler can take on a special role in the team. This is related to their attacks and attributes, among other things.
How are the cards structured?
In the 5th episode, we go into detail. In the fifth edition of our parent guide, we discuss a card system used by experienced players.
Despite the different map layouts, a division into 3 zones has proven successful. The lanes (left and right) are more aggressive, while the center provides control, e.g. by distributing the ball in the Brawl Ball or collecting jewels in the Jewel Hunt.
Who plays which zone depends on the skills of the chosen Brawler.
What do the abbreviations mean?
If you hear strange terms when talking to your child, they often come from the gaming world. Here are some explanations:
- HP: Abbreviation for Hitpoints, i.e. the health points of a Brawler, shown as a number above a bar.
- Tanks: Brawlers with lots of health points that absorb damage for the team.
- Buff: Improvements to a Brawler, such as higher stats.
- Nerf: Deterioration, such as reduced running speed or damage.
- Meta: The strongest characters in the game, usually only a few.
- Overpowered (op): Brawlers that are significantly stronger than others.
All game modes explained
Gem Grab: Promotes strategic thinking through controlled play.
Brawl Ball: Requires quick decision-making and consideration of different perspectives.
Showdown: Popular because players can play alone; requires different strategies due to the larger map.
Hot Zone: Points are collected by controlling zones, but requires defense against opponents.
Bounty Hunt: Collect stars by defeating opponents, but the increasing bounty increases the risk.
Knockout: Everyone has only one life, the goal is to eliminate the opposing team.
Showdown mode
As we have already learned, in Showdown you have the option of playing alone or in a team of two. However, there are two factors that we have not yet discussed:
Firstly, the map that 10 Brawlers play on is significantly larger than in all other modes. That’s why you can often run away from fights.
Secondly: Power Ups give us damage and health point buffs. We get these by destroying crates or eliminating enemies and then collecting them. Because we always have an overview of the power-ups, we have to judge who we can mess with and who we are better off avoiding.
Focus hot zone - 1/3 zones, profit scenario
The aim of the focus hot zone game is to stay in one of up to 3 zones for as long as possible while playing against an opposing team. The zones are usually located in the middle of the map between the teams.
For this very reason, strategies must be developed to first defeat the opponent and then obtain the required 100% of the zone. In Hot Zone, both teams try to reach the required number at the same time and adapt their strategy depending on the map.
Mode explained: Brawl Ball
The round must go into the square! In Brawl Ball, two teams play against each other like in soccer. As in traditional sports, the ball must be moved strategically. At the same time, players have to keep their opponents under control.
Character classes: Tanks, Supporters, Throwers, Snipers, Assasins
Let’s take a look at the different classes of Brawlers:
Tanks: These brawlers have a lot of life and focus on absorbing damage, among other things.
Supporter: Supporters improve their team through the ability to heal or otherwise improve attributes.
Throwers: The rare ability to shoot over walls and obstacles with their attacks makes them unique. However, throwers are also more susceptible to attacks.
Snipers: Brawlers that require high precision, but can also deal a lot of damage when they hit.
Assassins: One of the most sought-after classes – these brawlers often use jumps that allow them to move around the map very quickly. Unfortunately, they become weaker if the fight takes a long time.
Brawl Stars is free of charge, in principle
Brawl Stars is free to play. Even though there are attractive offers in the game, no money has to be spent to unlock new characters and abilities.
How Brawl Stars is financed
Supercell, the publisher of Brawl Stars, naturally wants to earn money. This is achieved through the optional digital purchase options. Both cosmetic skins and faster game progress can be unlocked with money.
What is the Brawl Pass?
The Brawl Pass will certainly be a topic of interest for your children. Players are set various tasks via the pass, which unlock rewards when completed. The more tasks are solved by playing, the more rewards are available.
Buying an upgraded Brawl Pass gives you more tasks as well as faster progress in the game!
Spending money to be successful?
By playing regularly and taking part in events in Brawl Stars, your child can level up and unlock their account to the full extent.
Is Brawl Stars violent?
In Brawl Stars, players compete against each other with imaginative characters and unique abilities – without any violence or blood! All interactions are harmless, colorful and fun, making the game family-friendly.
Recommendations for dealing with Brawl Stars as parents
A healthy media budget is important – even when playing Brawl Stars! Decide together with your child how long the game will be played, for example half an hour or an hour a day. Use this time to talk to your child about the game: What happens there? What strategies are being used? And remember to take regular breaks – it’s good for you and keeps the fun going!
What dangers lurk online?
Chatting can be enriching, especially with Brawl Stars! Adjust the chat functions in your child’s Supercell account to ensure safety and talk about respectful communication. This way you combine control with the chance of positive experiences!