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Has censorship on the App Store gone too far? (NSFW)

The App Army Answers

Has censorship on the App Store gone too far? (NSFW)
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iOS

With last week seeing several games removed from the App Store for historical usage of the Confederate flag, has Apple censorship gone too far?

We've previously seen games rejected for parodying other titles (Kill The Plumber), censored for having guns in App Store screenshots (Tempo), and delisted for teaching sex education (HappyPlayTime).

A big issue is how inconsistent these removals are. Do Apple need more manpower on their censorship team, or just more common sense?

We asked our App Army, and here's what they had to say...


I believe that games should not be censored, no matter what platform they are on. Different people have different tastes and rates at which they can be offended.

Censoring games doesn't help, because no matter what Apple or any other storefront owner does, they can't make everyone happy.

I think that having staff check games and keep a high quality standard on a store is important. Otherwise marketplaces would be crammed with shovelware and rip-off games rife with copyright infringements.

If Apple feels they need to censor, which they have the right to do as it's their storefront, they need to be consistent in their choices. Inconsistent censorship can, at times, be even worse than censorship itself.


Apple should at least give a reason if they pull something from the App Store. Developers' livelihoods are being messed with here, so they should at the very least explain why they remove each app.

In the case of the Confederate flag issue last week, that appeared to just be a knee-jerk reaction to the removal of the flag from South Carolina Statehouse Grounds.

It probably never got past some "dudley do-right" middle manager who probably had no experience of any of the games that were using the flag for historical accuracy.

I do believe though that some things should be censored. There is some really atrocious stuff out there from deeply disturbed people. There should be no platform for truly offensive games and apps.

Then there's also the copyright infringement issues. If something has been blatantly copied, it should also be removed without question.


It's very difficult to blame Apple, as they establish their own rules. Developers need to have a real dialogue with Apple to be able to challenge any misconceptions.

Kill The Plumber is really fun to play, so it's a real shame iOS users are missing out.


Apple are going to far with their censorship. If they ban anything else it's going to get so bad that devs might as well forget the App Store and go straight to Google Play or Windows where these levels of restriction don't exist.

It took me a while to decide to buy Tempo because of the blurred out guns shown in its screenshots and video on the App Store. I assumed that was in the game too, dissuading me from picking up the game.

Gettysburg is a great strategy game that was struck down by Apple. What's next? World War 2 games for showing Nazis? The Modern Combat series for depicting war and killing? Will Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars be removed because you can deal drugs in it?


I think censoring guns on the App Store is absolutely ridiculous. It almost feels as if Apple is only targeting apps made my smaller developers. Look at Modern Combat 5. I don't see any censorship there... do you?

What is the point of this sort of censorship anyway? We all know there's a gun under there, and it won't scar someone for life if they see it.


My biggest issue is Apple being inconsistent. Some games skate by while others are blocked for having the same content.

Apple should force game developers to post a huge disclaimer at the top of the description that content contained within the game may be considered offensive / sexist / racist / violent, as well as contextualising it. This way at least the consumer has a choice in what they're purchasing.

Better yet, create a category in the store for "controversial" games, and have an icon that distinguishes them. You'd be surprised how many people would purchase a game that could be considered as taboo.

I'm sure parents would be happy if they could block certain types of games from being downloaded to their kids' devices.


I personally don't care about the rebel flag, but I do think removing Civil War games simply because they contain it is going way too far. Yes, the flag is in those games and yes, it is considered offensive.

However, these games are showing the history of America, and that flag is a part of it. I don't think Apple should censor history like that; are they going to take down games like Wolfenstein 3D because they have swastikas?


The Confederate flag, in the context of its historical significance in the American Civil War, I believe, is exactly that and nothing more: historical.

I don't think it's meant to be offensive, insulting, or shocking in the simulation games that I've seen - only accurate. Apple's stances on these sort of things are fickle at best.

One of my favourite iOS games, The Wolf Among Us, has some frontal nudity. Within the context of this game, the nudity was unnecessary to the actual story and gameplay, and so to me seemed like it had been put there simply to shock or as an edgy artistic choice.

It was unnecessary, and yet Apple let it slide, despite its own fairly strict rules on the matter. From my perspective, Apple's guidelines seem like they're dependent more on current social temperature and trends than any ethical or moral stance.

This is disappointing and often unfair, like In the case of these perfectly justified Civil War games and their representation of the Confederate flag.


I think this is a tricky one. It's difficult to please everyone. I think a lot of people don't realise that Apple do actually engage quite openly with developers on app rejections and are open to reasonable debate during the process. However, as soon as the developer goes to the press Apple tend to clamp down.

I'm speaking as a developer having gone through this process - there's even a section in the App Store terms and conditions that say if you go whining to the press at the first hint of a problem then they aren't going to look very favourably on you.

I'd agree with the others though: consistency is key, and Apple needs to work on this. Then again, we really only hear half the story, and that's usually from agitated devs.


I'm sure that most, if not all of people who are not bothered by the Confederate flag would have an objection to a game with a plane crashing into two towers while a huge ISIS flag is displayed in the background. The planes did hit those towers, so it would be historically accurate, wouldn't it?


I like your argument Dreadnok - it's a very fine line!

When you submit your game you're asked quite clearly if there's anything that should be flagged to the reviewers which might be offensive

In terms of censorship itself, I kind of agree with not putting offensive imagery in the app icon or screenshots as all apps can be seen by kids. The actual content itself should be rated and enforced accordingly.


Take MechaNika as an example. Its icon looks cute and the screenshots shown look like a nice game for kids. However, it's rated 17+ for sexual content and crude humour in the information section.

Most people don't read that far in the description. There are no details on how the grandma talks about foul things or how there are transexual prostitutes that flash you in the game. Time to slap an age rating on the icons and a warning in the description.


An age rating on the icon would be a great idea Quincy! It is right next to the app title though...


It's definitely gone too far, especially for these history-based games. If one censors and bans history, how is one supposed to learn about it or from it?

If future generations have no knowledge of the Confederate flag, how are they supposed to know what that flag stood for and why it's highly frowned upon? Plus, I like kicking the Confederacy's butt, and I can't do that if they don't even exist in my games!


Apple needs some more common sense. Apple doesn't allow for emulators on the App Store, but Android is riddled with them.


I prefer the way Apple does it to Google. There have been so many dodgy apps on Google Play that you often don't know what could be mining your data. At least with Apple you get some sense of security.

The problem with these devices is that you can't see what's going on in the background, and even with process checking apps you need to know what you're looking for. I prefer safe and secure every time.


Apple has always been like this, but perhaps we're just noticing it more now. In the past, mobile gaming was not such a big deal, so fewer people cared about these issues. Now that everybody is talking about mobile it's becoming an issue.

In a way I think Apple is right. In the case of the recent Confederate flag issue I think Apple tends to take extreme measures whenever a new law is adopted.

As for the other games that have had trouble I think that it's just ridiculous. If I recall correctly Apple rejected Papers, Please for a nudity related issue, which was later resolved.

Sometimes Apple do stupid things and go too far. They need to get a hold of themselves or soon there may be no FPS games left on App Store.


This all seems like an attention seeking ploy from Apple. The recent news about removing iOS games with the Confederate flag even reached places like Polygon and TotalBiscuit (who usually speaks about major platform games).

The other issues mentioned by Danny are simply are not discussed with major audiences. The truth is that we simply don't know much about how Apple reviews iOS games.


My opinion of the Confederate flag is the same as the Swastika. They both garner all sorts of negativity, however they're both pieces of history. Neither represent the ideals behind them any more, but rather the tragic ordeals we endured.


I agree with Luke, just banning and ignoring a symbol because it once meant something is a poor choice. We need to remember why it was bad to make sure that we do everything we can to not let it happen again.

It has to be portrayed in a way that does not promote its original meaning - educational apps and media should not be censored. Anything however that promotes and incites the ideals that those symbols stand for should be removed and the creators made to answer for their reasons behind producing such work.


The app censorship team needs more common cens... orship. If flags and guns exist in a game, they should be allowed to be seen in screenshots or icons.

Just because I don't like shooting people in games or playing historical games doesn't mean I'm going to be offended if you do.

Unfortunately, I don't think that this censorship will prevent the next evil act from happening. I guess their reasoning comes from good intentions though... right?


I think Apple goes a bit too far sometimes. Guns are all over the TV, the news, and the Internet. If you blur them in a screenshot it won't have make a difference. A simple flag can't be the reason to pull a game from the store either.

There must be limits though. If Apple did the same as Google, there would be loads more piracy and games using copyrighted content, which isn't an ideal situation either. I think Apple did well rejecting Kill The Plumber, because it's so heavily influenced by Mario games.

As long as games don't incite violence, hatred, or contain copyrighted content, Apple shouldn't be rejecting it.

The App Army have spoken! If you'd like to sign up, please have a gander at our App Army application article.

How do you feel about censorship on the App Store? Let us know in the comments below!

Danny Russell
Danny Russell
After spending years in Japan collecting game developers' business cards, Danny has returned to the UK to breed Pokemon. He spends his time championing elusive region-exclusive games while shaking his fist at the whole region-locking thing.