Apple Rejecting Violent App Screenshots for Infringing Long-Standing Policy

[Piggie]

Ok, let me suggest the simple blindingly obvious answer.

Create Two images. One Adult (guns) one Child (image edited to be suitable)
Then based upon the devices parental settings the correct version of the two images gets displayed.

This is too simple an answer I guess?

 

[haravikk]

Wait, so this applies even for games that have a rating that should prevent them from being presented to children in the first place?

 

[Michael Goff]

You may not be able to distinguish a real weapon from a toy, but kids do. Particularly kids who play violent video games.

If kids can determine the difference then this rule is pointless, right?

 

[apolloa]

Haha this is a funny story, I can see both sides of the argument though, on the one hand you have parents that try to reduce the violent things their children are exposed to at young ages, no violent cartoons etc, then on the other side you have the real world where people are murdered, killed, injured every single day round the world in violence in all country's.

I laugh when I watch a film on terrestrial TV and you can tell it's been edited to remove some violent images, then on the same channels news programme you can see dead bodys and killing and fighting in some warzone in real life... I even saw footage on a news report of someone being blown up, nice.

Yes censorship is a funny thing these days.

And for those who say kids know the difference, well as I seem to remember a few story's where American kids have shot their parents or siblings by their parents guns in 'accidents'. Like this one a few days ago:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-31082294

So I would argue they can't tell the difference or understand what a gun is.

 

[Lostanddamned]

It's getting a bit ridiculous. I want to see a statistic about all the lives that guns save, or all the lives that could have been saved, if someone had a gun, as in the many school shootings around the country lately, but I know I'm not going to find it, because, as we all know, guns are scary... This kind of thing boggles the mind.

-ahem-

Lives “saved” in school shootings by firearms since 2010 is unknown - I could not find a single example of a school shooter being killed by anyone other than themselves. I found a single example where an unarmed teacher was potentially responsible for shortening a shooting spree by confronting the gunman, who then shot himself.

People who have been murdered by firearms in school shootings since 2010: 105

Imagine if you will, that these guns hadn’t been so freely and lazily available? Take for example; Canada - Since 2010 there have been zero school shootings, similarly in the UK. France has seen 19 firearm murders in mass shootings and Norway saw 68 peoples lives end in a single incident in that same timeframe.

I can assure you, as a politically aware and intelligent human being, the United Kingdom has no interest in reclaiming the USA as a colony, we can barely support the few scattered islands we currently think of as an Empire.

The intention of the second amendment is to allow citizens to defend themselves from the military, should the government use them to act against the will of the populace. Tell me, how will your semiautomatic rifle protect you from a drone you can neither see or hear launching a missile which levels your entire home whilst you sleep? How will your handgun protect you from an armoured vehicle with over two feet of armour designed to protect it from anti-tank shells?

I know that shooting a gun is fun, makes you feel powerful and safe – but here is the thing, unless you live somewhere that “a coyote has got into my house and eaten my dog” (or similar) is a realistic threat, then a gun is completely unneeded. It is like using snow chains in April in New Mexico, or wearing a condom to do your laundry; these things are tools for specific tasks and have no practical purpose outside of them.

Guns are tools for making things dead, that is the only thing they do.

 

[attila]

It's getting a bit ridiculous. I want to see a statistic about all the lives that guns save, or all the lives that could have been saved, if someone had a gun, as in the many school shootings around the country lately, but I know I'm not going to find it, because, as we all know, guns are scary... This kind of thing boggles the mind.

Here:

But it's a completely different discussion from how violence in games affect people.

 

[KiwiAdventure]

So now guns are violent to look at?

Yes it is with the amount of school children killed in America by guns.

In our country New Zealand the only gun we are allowed is a single shot riffle not even knifes are allowed to be carried. Each riffle must be registered with the police and the owner must have a police licence as well the riffle must be kept locked up and the bolt and any rounds must be locked up in another secure lock up certified by the police. Our police do not carry guns and we have no ID other than drivers licence or passport.

New Zealand is the safest and freest country in the world just asked all the Americans who live here now because of this. Prostution, gay marriage and Abortion are all legal and total freedom of speech and protest.

So stop showing guns and violence in America.

 

[star-affinity]

If you really want to know what the most dangerous weapon in the world is, it's hands. Hands are involved in, and used in some way to commit the vast majority of violent crimes. Maybe we should outlaw those...

It's not good parable. Hands (and other objects you mentioned that could be used as a weapon) are not specificaly designed to kill beings in an efficient way. I think you would agree that it's a lot easier to kill person with a gun than it is with a knife or bare hands? This is the thing. I think guns shouldn't be allowed at all. Forbid them internationally. You can have guns in video games and play with them there, but in real life – I don't see the point allowing things that are strictly designed to cause injury.

I fully understand that there are situations when a gun can save lives (things are almost never just black or white), but I'm quite sure that overall they have caused more harm than good.

 

[load97]

Screw the kid friendly crap. Let them log in to a kid store. Innovation gets stifled from bad parenting.

 

[ScottishDuck]

It's getting a bit ridiculous. I want to see a statistic about all the lives that guns save, or all the lives that could have been saved, if someone had a gun, as in the many school shootings around the country lately, but I know I'm not going to find it, because, as we all know, guns are scary... This kind of thing boggles the mind.

I agree, we gave lots of weapons to the mujahideen and they're still going strong stopping foreign invaders in their countries

 

[NachoGrande]

Image

Of course it doesn't, it just desensitize you to those things and there are certain people that can't handle that. That is a poor example.

 

[Col4bin]

Guys relax, Apple knows what's best when it comes to your viewing habits. (Sarcasm)

 

[a0me]

what are they selling!!!

Game of Thrones commercials.

 

[roadbloc]

The words LONDON IS RIGGED TO BLOW spells more violence than that gun in the guy's hand in my mind. This is a weak violation of the rule Apple. Very weak.

This is in a world where anybody can jump online and watch ISIS, IS, ISIL whatever they're called now decapitate people.

 

[0098386]

Image

Well, because like books and films that inspire or promote violence, it can push people with pre-existing conditions or violent tendencies to cause trouble. But it's not the game causing it. I say as a rational person, a pacifist who enjoys ruining people's GTA Online.

Personally I'm more confused as to why violence is okay and sex is not, in Apple's right wing world.

 

[Xiroteus]

Here:

Image

But it's a completely different discussion from how violence in games affect people.

It is still quite high yet the examples would need to be based on population as well. California has more people then Canada by a couple million. Even adjusted it would still be too high.

 

[JosephAW]

Maybe they'll finally start pixelating cleavage now. So many developers use sex to sell their apps.

 

[apolloa]

Well, because like books and films that inspire or promote violence, it can push people with pre-existing conditions or violent tendencies to cause trouble. But it's not the game causing it. I say as a rational person, a pacifist who enjoys ruining people's GTA Online.

Personally I'm more confused as to why violence is okay and sex is not, in Apple's right wing world.

Phew, I thought for a moment there you were going to talk about in violence in games causes real life violence.
I agree with your post, not allowed to say naughty words or show sex, yet violence is OK and America seems to have a huge porn industry? Don't they even have their own Oscars or something? I don't get the thinking behind it. Still America is a free country mostly compared to others.

 

[viorelgn]

Someone tell Tim Cook that the majority of Apple customers are adults and teenagers! Not 4 years old little kids.
Why don’t they just enforce parents restrictions on titles and that’s it?
Not allowing products to be sold like this it’s the best way to hurt Apple business, disappoint customers, developers and investors.
So Tim Cook wants the App Store to have only apps and games for little kids and nothing else ?

 

[jc1350]

Am I the only one who thinks of that 8-year-old kid who got suspended for biting his Pop-Tart into the shape of a gun after reading this?

The funny part of that situation - it happened in Maryland, a state shaped like an EBR (evil black rifle).

 

[BvizioN]

If kids can determine the difference then this rule is pointless, right?

So just because kids can determine the difference between say, toys and weapons, food and drugs, love and violence, etc... its quite alright to expose them to images containing violence and have them grown up used to it? Perhaps parents should be more concerned about educating their kids instead of worrying about some images of weapons being blurred from the app screenshots on the AppStore. Wtf is it wrong with people here?

 

[Kar98]

Changing the way we live our lives...

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So just because kids can determine the difference between say, toys and weapons, food and drugs, love and violence, etc... its quite alright to expose them to images containing violence and have them grown up used to it? Perhaps parents should be more concerned about educating their kids instead of worrying about some images of weapons being blurred from the app screenshots on the AppStore. Wtf is it wrong with people here?

It's up to Apple to make sure customers only see age appropriate content, and for me that's a naked one-eyed whore taking a crap in an outhouse, while holding an assault rifle.

 

[BvizioN]

Changing the way we live our lives...

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It's up to Apple to make sure customers only see age appropriate content, and for me that's a naked one-eyed whore taking a crap in an outhouse, while holding an assault rifle.

Yes, and wrightly so Apple is making that sure. Good for them. If people love so much weapons, let them have it on their dinner table but not into something that is shared with the world. Or even better, you make your AppStore and have in it whatever you want.

 

[H2SO4]

Where have you been living.... for like the last 5 decades or so? Movies are age restricted and movies that contain violence have 18 restriction. A very clear warning shows up at the beginning of the movie too.

You’ve not read the topic title have you? This is to do with screenshots. So what if they’re age restricted so are a lot of apps.
The screenshots, (read FRONT COVERS), are being censored. They poster you replied to was right. They can do the same for movies, (if they didn’t stand to lose money of course).
Front cover of the new Equalizer movie, on the iTunes Store;

 

[Michael Goff]

So just because kids can determine the difference between say, toys and weapons, food and drugs, love and violence, etc... its quite alright to expose them to images containing violence and have them grown up used to it? Perhaps parents should be more concerned about educating their kids instead of worrying about some images of weapons being blurred from the app screenshots on the AppStore. Wtf is it wrong with people here?

Nothing is wrong with people simply because they find the pointless.