App Of The Week: Hollywood U

By Ally Lilly, Reporter

If you have ever wondered what it would be like to live the high life of a Hollywood star, then it is time to check out the Hollywood U:Rising Star app. The player gets the chance to become a movie star, director or fashionista. The goal of the game is relatively simple, but the story around it is what keeps it fresh and complex enough to keep playing. The basic goal of the game is to complete as many quests as possible and to have a big entourage, or group of friends, that will gain the player more experience and fame. This can be expanded into a more complex goal as dating becomes available and players strive to earn more diamonds and cash to help speed up quests, upgrade the campus, and go on dates.

Sophomore McKenzie Brose, an avid player of Hollywood U, enjoys the idea of having her own customizable world.

“It lets me create my own world where I can make anything happen that I want,” said Brose. “You get to create your own college campus, and you get to go through college life.”

Brose downloaded the app after playing a similar app by the same makers of Hollywood U, called Highschool Story, and finds the app to be very entertaining.

The game starts with a brief set up to introduce the storyline and shows the player’s character arriving at Hollywood University with a mysterious benefactor who has paid their tuition. From there, the game develops a full fledged storyline with interweaving situations and multiple story lines all happening at once. The game contains minor differences for each player, depending upon which character the player initially chooses to be, along with how they choose to respond when given the chance to provide their own answers in certain conversations.

Senior Haley Jacque likes how personal the game is and how it is different for each player.

“It’s not a set… storyline. I get to choose what happens and that’s unique to me,” said Jacque. “It’s not [going to] be the same for other people.”

Jacque started playing the app after hearing about it from a friend and finds the aspect of having to wait for quests to be able to advance in the game to be an exciting motivation to continue playing.

Hollywood U is free, and with over one million downloads already and a four star rating, it proves to be worth downloading.