Pocket God iPhone App sparks outrage from Pacific Islanders
And here we have another app on the iPhone that is sparking outrage, this time from a very specific group of islanders. Pacific Islanders are reportedly angered by the game Pocket God, which, according to the group, “encourages the torture and killing of characters who resemble them.”
And here we have another app on the iPhone that is sparking outrage, this time from a very specific group of islanders. Pacific Islanders are reportedly angered by the game Pocket God, which, according to the group, “encourages the torture and killing of characters who resemble them.”
Volcano Eruption: that doesn’t look too fun…
In Pocket God, the player gets to play.. well.. God over “primitive islanders.” Said the Pacific Women’s Information Network spokesperson Elaine Howard,
How do you think people would react if you created a game where you were God and you could create and kill as many Mexicans as you wanted? Or Asians? People will be outraged.
I hope you don’t decide to advertise your application in New Zealand or Australia because you will get a backlash of the same intensity.
Meanwhile, the developer of the US$ 0.99 app, Bolt Creative, released a statement saying that it was not their intention to depict any actual and particular ethnic group in Pocket God.
But Dr. Malakai Koloamatangi of the Canterbury University is not convinced:
To claim [the characters] are not Pacifici Islanders is ridiculous. Everything about them is Polynesian. How can they justify encouraging the torture of a race in this way? It’s disgusting.
I’m not saying let’s bring in the thought police but there needs to be limits on what is acceptable and this surpasses those.
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Via GamePolitics