Summary
Rocket League is a physics-based soccer video game that features a fast-paced gameplay style. The action takes place on rocket-powered automobiles playing a friendly game of football! Players attempt to score goals against the opposing team by pushing, jumping, and utilizing boosters to obtain control of the ball and score goals. Because it does a wonderful job of combining sports with vehicle chaos, the game is fun to play and simple to learn for both casual gamers and players who play it competitively. Rocket League is great for younger kids because it allows players to personalize their vehicles with customizations and the game offers a number of game modes to select from. There are a variety of different game modes, including casual and competitive, as well as various offline and online game modes making there plenty of options for your little ones to try. Rocket League is free to play and downloadable from the developer Epic Games and the gamer itself is available on all major platforms. Overall, the game is very kid friendly and would surely be entertaining and safe for children of all ages as long as the parental settings are in force.
Gameplay
In this fast-paced multiplayer game, players drive rocket-powered cars and try to score goals by hitting a big ball into the other team's goal. There are a number of game modes to try but typically games last around 5 minutes unless there is a draw then the game will go into overtime! In Rocket League, each team will generally consist of three players. A 3v3 (3 players on each team) format is the standard team size for most game modes, however, you can also play alternative game modes like 4v4, 2v2 and 1v1. The best part about this game is that it is a high paced game in a short amount of time. It certainly quenches that thirst for gaming, while keeping game play time minimal. There is the option to play ranked or competitive mode, however you need to be at least level 10 before unlocking this mode. This makes sure that players are well introduced into the game before going into competitive modes.
One fun option is the customizations available in the car and player banner/portrait. Throughout the game you can earn rewards and customization to personalize your cars. This adds a fun little touch to the game and personalization.
The gameplay can become quite repetitive as even the stages are all very similar. There is the option to learn advanced strategy, but I do not think younger player will be able to keep up with it. For younger players it is simply the enjoyment of the chaos and rocketing into the ball and other cars. So while this game could be played from any age, it may be more popular with younger audiences as older player may get board of the game.
Education
Rocket League does wonders for hand eye coordination. To be able to successfully score a goal (or even just HIT THE BALL!) you need some serious hand eye coordination. So this is a great game to teach younger kids this skill and develop slowly. Teamwork and unity are also encouraged because players have to work together to win games. This improves communication and teamwork skills. The game also requires players to think strategically by guessing where the ball will go and how their opponents will move, which improves their ability to solve problems.
The physics-based gaming in Rocket League makes learning about things like momentum, velocity, and angles fun. While there is strategy to be learned in this game, there is not much emphasis on this throughout the game. Strategy would be more utilized for older players or players in the competitive mode.
Violence/ Adult Themes
We do not consider that there is any violence or adult themes throughout Rocket League. If we had to be nit picky, you can turbo boost into an enemy car on the other team and demolish them, but you don’t see anything other from the animation of a small explosion. There are no damages to the car if you bump into each other and there are no people in the cars that you can see so it just looks like cars driving themselves. We wouldn’t consider this concerning at all and completely kid friendly in this regard.
Monetization
Rocket League is free to play, and once you purchase, you have access to the whole game (other than those earned through leveling up). There is an in-game currency used throughout the game called 'Credits'. These can buy you skins, decals, wheels, and other customization choices. You can even buy scoring animations where you get a special replay action shoot of your character when they score! You can get credits by playing the game, or you can also buy credits with real money.
Its good to know that with Rocket League the monetization is not so in you face and not necessary at all to enjoy the game. Players can choose from default colours and customizations so they can personalize their cars right from the beginning. You can then earn more free customizations from loot boxes which are earned by game play and leveling. Loot boxes provide you with a randomly selected customization of different rarities. While there are these monetization components, they are not in your face or required to play the game so not there so not too much cause for concern.
Safety
Rocket League does have an in-game voice chat system that lets players talk to each other (either on their own team and enemy team) during games. This can be used in online mode but can also be used in offline mode if you are in a team with other real life players. Text chat is also available but there is the ability to type anything or use quick-chat commands that let you send pre-defined texts quickly. You can use these quick-chat phrases to say things like "thank you," "please," and "tactical information."
The good news is that the chat settings can be altered throughout the games settings. There are multiple options which include reducing contact to teammates only, friends only, or no one. Because the game is run through the developer Epic Games, there is also the ability to utilize the Parental Control function which is fantastic. The Epic Games parental support allows you to be emailed updates on the players play time, confirm before they make a purchase and eve confirm before they can accept a friend request. Even though there are these options, in our experience, not many people used these features of the game. It is not really a game where strategy can be used by lower-level players so communication is not as necessary. During our gameplay, no one even use the text chat. Because of this and the available features, we consider that game to be pretty safe for all ages but do look into using the Parental Controls just to be safe.
Tips and Tricks
Rocket League has a lot of training options to help both new and experienced players learn how to play. While it may seem obvious to do the tutorial, Rocket League really helps players to understands the games mechanics through the tutorials and can even teach you more advanced skills. In these tutorials, you can learn how to strike, defend against goals, and make aerial shots. These lessons are a great way to brush up on your skills, even if you already know the basics.
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