appcolumn

All these design changes are done to increase revenue. When they talk about streamlining the experience, it's about giving ads a more prominent position across all their products and not just search.

Thanks for the concern. I already see a psych once a fortnight. Just so it's clear, nothing I said was a cry for help or suicide threat.

Interesting that this post comes up after I watched the CCC video about depression/suicide and geeks.

I train 5 days a week - Monday to Friday. I'm not being dramatic by saying I'd probably kill myself if I didn't do this. Usually by Sunday afternoon, thoughts start to creep in about how I'm a failure and should just end it now.

I'd love to train 7 days but it's overkill.

Link works fine for me as well.

I just wanted to add that there is a common ground solution here that doesn't involve removing such apps from the App Store while at the same time will minimise the harm done to children.

In a real casino, children are not allowed to play slots/pokies nor are they allowed in the vicinity of them. The fact parents are not even allowed to bring along their children while they play is an obvious sign that exposure to these machines do children harm whether they actively play or simply watch.

It seems to me it makes common sense for Apple to create an adult section in the App Store that requires a secondary password to access. That would at least prevent some children (who's parents don't monitor what they do) from accessing this type of material. There is little you can do and there are bigger issues at play for the children of parents who are allowed to access adult content after such features are in place but it would assist in protecting the majority IMO.

Of course, common sense approaches rarely work because people on the fringe of either side will either want gambling apps banned for adults as well or think it's the sole responsibility of the parents and therefore no changes should be made.

I don't know anyone that would classify slots as a "card game" and "suitable for ages 12 and up" so why is it acceptable for Apple to do this? The fact you can't win money doesn't change anything; players rarely have an edge in real casino games anyway. It's fucking worse than children playing slots in a real casino as far as I'm concerned.

Why does it always fall to those who stand to make no financial benefit either way to call for these changes to be made while Apple/Playtika/Caesars can take a fuck it approach until they are forced to change by which time large profits have been made and the damage done.

I don't have any data but I think it's safe to assume that people with gambling addiction problems are prone to play slots/pokies instead of black jack & poker (as in traditional poker while ignoring online poker).

We both accept parents have a responsibility to monitor their children's activities online but in reality, it doesn't always happen.

I can't place the blame solely on parents either when Apple guidelines state these games are suitable for ages 12 and up. You could almost forgive parents for taking Apple guidelines at face value.

The cocaine example isn't that different considering compulsive gamblers also have a disease. My point was that children don't need to experience something personally to learn it's a bad thing.

For you, gambling is about managing risk. For me, it's the occasional flutter for a bit of fun. Winning, fun etc has nothing to do with it for a compulsive gambler.

I don't have kids but when my girlfriend and I start a family, I'll do my best to prevent them from playing games such as this nor will I allow them to use these devices until much older when they won't require 24/7 supervision and some trust is established.

You're right that we don't have enough responsible parents in the world and if they want to gamble, it's their right to make such a decision. What I take issue with is companies such as Caesar's Entertainment taking advantage of this lack of parental supervision to line their coffers.

With Apple facilitating and taking a 30% cut of the earnings, they're complicit in such shenanigans.

and what happens to the children that don't learn that lesson because they don't understand the implications of gambling addiction?

It's not fair to compare a NES game to one which has been designed with gambling psychology at it's core - one that surpasses even the slot machines available to adults.

I guarantee you didn't need to delay gratification for 4 hours while waiting for additional coins. Nor did you have the option to spend real dollars (with zero chance of winning; now the house has 100% chance to win! you know they're loving that!) to get that gratification in an instant instead.

Would you rather your son or daughter be coked up in order to learn about the perils of drug use or is that different and something that makes sense to teach through observation?

I have no issue with these games being made to available to adults and I'd even support real money wagering but Apple need to reclassify these games as adult only and not as a "card game" which is "suitable for ages 12 and up".

This isn't anything new and it's disturbing. I wrote an article about Caesars Entertainment (who own Playtika) and how they are coaching children on how to gamble. They own the #1 grossing app on the App Store. Apple is complicit in this because they rate the "simulated gambling" apps as suitable for children aged 12 and up.

http://www.appcolumn.com/games/slotomania-brings-the-casino-...

I see your point but the title was really just a lead into what I feel is the best Chess app for the iPad. I've only just started on my new app review site and writing isn't my strong point either. I'm sure I'll improve with time but thanks for the feedback.