Apple has removed Phone Story, a game satirising the unethical processes in the manufacture of gadgets like the iPhone, from the App Store.
The app is the work of serious games developer Molleindustria, and tasks players with completing a series of minigames while a voiceover lifts the lid on working conditions in foreign factories and, in one case, the reliance of smartphone manufacture on Coltan, a mineral sourced from war-torn Congo, with players controlling soldiers tasked with ensuring child workers meet production guidelines. Another requires players to catch workers who have jumped from the top of a factory, satirising the high suicide rates among overworked staff in Chinese factories.
Apple has told Molleindustria that the game violates four clauses in its terms and conditions. One prohibits depictions of child abuse; another "objectionable or crude" content. The other two are harsh at best, and prohibit charitable donations using in-app purchasing; Molleindustria pledged to donate its share of the sales proceeds to anti-corporate abuse campaigners.
Company founder Paolo Pedercini told Gamasutra: "Most of the adults in the western world are somewhat aware that most of our objects are manufactured far away, in conditions that we would consider barbaric. With Phone Story, we wanted to connect all these aspects and present them in the larger frame of technological consumerism.
"I'm very familiar with the App Store policy, and the game is designed to be compliant with it. If you check the guidelines, Phone Story doesn't really violate any rule except for the generic 'excessively objectionable and crude content' and maybe the 'depiction of abuse of children.
"Yes, there's dark humour and violence but it's cartoonish and stylised - way more mellow than a lot of other games on the App Store."
Pedercini has asked Apple if he is permitted to resubmit the game, and was told he could do so if it adheres to the guidelines, but he remains dissatisfied with what he deems to be censorship. "The unanimous reaction from [the development] community has been: 'Wow, it's incredible Phone Story made it through Apple's review process'," he said. "To me, this signals a full acceptance of a regime of censorship, the equivalent, for developers, of what journalists call 'the chilling effect.'
"I'm sure that Apple doesn't spend that much time policing its marketplace, because developers are already censoring themselves."
Source: Gamasutra
Comments
10Phone Story will appear on Android Market with zero restrictions. Yet another feather in Apple's already overstuffed cap. /sarcasm
Play properly or Apple will take its ball home.
Yeah funny that they already have an Android version that goes up after they get banned on the iphone. Only an idiot would have thought it would have lasted on the iphone. Imo it was clearly a stunt to get loads of attention for what is no doubt a poor game.
They even tried to make it out like it was Apple that was causing the problems forgetting that any issue with theiphone manufacturing process applies to all electronics. After all a lot of people use Foxconn too for their products but they wanted to wind up Apple imo.
This is why I don't like Apple running things. Censorship sucks and I don't like to have one corporation control content that I consume. It doesn't matter that I wouldn't have boughtit anyway; the fact that I can't pisses me off.
O.K Apple are guilty here but are you really entertaining the idea Nintendo, Microsoft or Sony would allow a similar title on their hardware?
In fact if HTC and the like COULD block this from Android I'm sure they would in a second.
The only shocking thing here is how slack Apple were on letting this through in the first place.
It's not like Apple are blocking anyone from reading articles or watching videos on the subject using their Apple hardware is it?
The objective here clearly wasn't to make a 'good game', but to make people think. Unlike with my consoles which are ultimately (grown up!) toys, I regard my phone as a computer where I should be able to install whatever I like - no matter whose interests it may conflict with. It's my main communication device and free speech and action is inextricably tied up with it.
It's therefore worrying that Apple have this degree of power over customers' choices and also that they are prohibiting in-app charity payments. Hopefully the developers will use the rejection to further their cause and maximise publicity, particularly against Apple for their censorship. I appreciate that the game won't be welcome news to other phone manufacturers too though.
I like that. A game highlighting key issues around the world and all Apple cares about is how it makes them look. Feh, just another reason as to why they are on... THE LIST!
What fucking list?
Grow up, please. Apple are no more or less exploitatitve than any other electronics company.
Not to mention the massively skewed statistics On foxconn. I wish people would either accept the world as it is or take some real action, this whole armchair activist bullshit pisses me off.
Embrace it, physically act on it or get the fuck out.
What a piece of shit thing to say. Grow up or gtfo out basically.Its great that someone actually gives a shit and would use thier time to promote the fact that slavery builds our lavish lifestyles while they earn fuck all money. Your the one that needs to grow up and not miss the point you scumbag.What is it with this self survival, self sufficient, self serving bullshit world we live in.These 'slaves' are human beings. Put yourself in thier position and you wouldn't like it.Your just as bad for saying what you say.Do something about it or stfu? whats that?I'll buy the game, i'll tell everyone i meet that this shit is going on, and putting them on 'THE LIST' is part of it. I'm defending someone i don't know but for a reason.That reason is that i know i am one of the lucky ones and your a fucking moron.
You cannot swear at me, write in such an aggressive manner, and then tell me to grow up.
It makes you angry that all people that care, do not physically try to stop the issues they appear to be against; armchair activists you call them. But physically being there and stopping these issues isn't always possible. You know that full well.
Personally, I donate money to organisations that can physically do something, I sign petitions, I boycott the products of those companies or countries whose practices I know to be unethical, or I do not agree with (that is "the list"), and I support those that are the opposite, by buying their products.
By doing little things like that I make little impact, but when combined with the actions of others it can make a difference. So to refer to it as armchair activism, which makes it sound like all talk and no action, is a mistake in my opinion.
Oh and I'm sorry that my post sounds a little self righteous, it wasn't my intention. I just felt that I had to say what I did, otherwise I would have proved your point.