Hit Dystopian Game 'Papers, Please' Lands on iPad Amid Publicity Over Censorship by Apple

[MacHead84]

****, I purchased it through iTunes Store on my iMac but it is not compatible with iPhone 6 (Not even the 6+)

OMG I don't have an iPad. Why I don't see this coming? I am such a Noob.

 

[DerekAndonian]

This sounds lame. But don't worry, in a few days we'll see a story about how Apple changed their mind and allowed the original app back in.

 

[pdaholic]

This sounds lame. But don't worry, in a few days we'll see a story about how Apple changed their mind and allowed the original app back in.

Guess you didn't see the bottom of the article:

"Update 11:50 AM: Papers, Please developer Lucas Pope says that he was contacted by an Apple representative who reported that the initial rejection was the result of a misunderstanding and invited Pope to resubmit with the nudity option enabled. Pope says he will restore the option (defaulted to no nudity) this weekend and resubmit to Apple."

 

[roadbloc]

Awesome game. Spent many an hour wasting time on this. Shame Apple had to castrate it a bit for it to come to iOS.

 

[69650]

No, that's not what I am referring to. I'm referring to the "face-sit in" that occurred in front of Westminster:

UK stages a mass face-sitting protest against new porn restrictions

And not it's not about "choice" in what you're talking about, it IS about fear. "OH MY GOD, A PENIS (BREASTS)!!!! That's "adult" and it MUST be hidden!!!"

And the best one (sarcasm):

"THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!!!"

Which is used to justify so many unjustifiable things.

I wouldn't call 21 people a "mass protest" but you're right this is another form of censorship by the UK government and I don't agree with it. In my view consenting adults should be free to watch whatever they want.

This law would only cover adult TV stations on cable/satellite. It doesn't cover the internet because the great thing about the internet is that it's beyond the bounds of any one government.

Regarding your second point, it's not about "fear" it's about parental choice. Parents should be free to censor what their children see.

 

[kds1]

I wouldn't call 21 people a "mass protest" but you're right this is another form of censorship by the UK government and I don't agree with it. In my view consenting adults should be free to watch whatever they want.

This law would only cover adult TV stations on cable/satellite. It doesn't cover the internet because the great thing about the internet is that it's beyond the bounds of any one government.

Regarding your second point, it's not about "fear" it's about parental choice. Parents should be free to censor what their children see.

And why would parents be afraid for their children to see penises and breasts?

 

[Col4bin]

Not necessarily. There's the possibility that they leave the nudity in but then the game gets rated 17+. We don't know if they tried this and were rejected or just decided to self-censor for wider appeal.

I'm not familiar with a 17+ age rating that allows nudity of any sort into the App Store. Are there examples where this has occurred? Either way the dev "had to" alter the game for App Store inclusion.

 

[simonmet]

"Missunderstanding" my arse.

It's a backflip pure and simple because of all the negative publicity Apple are getting across the internet.

It shows Apple as increasingly conservative, out-of-touch and with ridiculous and oftentimes extreme censorship policies with regards to its iOS platform. Now they claim it's a mistake and in major damage control.

 

[NameUndecided]

I'm not familiar with a 17+ age rating that allows nudity of any sort into the App Store. Are there examples where this has occurred? Either way the dev "had to" alter the game for App Store inclusion.

The only places I can recall seeing that rating because of sex or nudity is with browsers, or apps that include browsers in them, because depending on what the user directs themselves to in that browser, it could conceivably turn that app into a relentless rampaging pornography machine.

So outside of apps that simply allow access to… websites in general, I'm not sure of any apps that have that rating for that reason.

Apps rated 17+ for violence, though? Surrre! Have at it!

 

[Col4bin]

The only places I can recall seeing that rating because of sex or nudity is with browsers, or apps that include browsers in them, because depending on what the user directs themselves to in that browser, it could conceivably turn that app into a relentless rampaging pornography machine.

So outside of apps that simply allow access to… websites in general, I'm not sure of any apps that have that rating for that reason.

Apps rated 17+ for violence, though? Surrre! Have at it!

Interesting point about browsers, specifically. I guess any browser, being a portal to the uncensored web, is at risk of accessing adult-oriented or nefarious content--Mobile Safari included. And even Mobile Safari recently implemented a "private mode" for greater web anonymity.

 

[coolfactor]

What an absolute disgrace that game is...

I'm sure there's many people that will find "no problem" with it, including the delusional creator.

 

[Tech198]

Wait a second.....

Apple is changing their own rules, on a app by app basis ?

The most highly anticipated apps can go by censorship, while other ones can't ?

How is this fair to everyone ?

No one Apple pulls app ad clearly put them back up few days later...

Just re-write the rules.... there's a problem here. And make ALL stick.... No exceptions...

Its no wonder why this all happens in the first place...

I would have easily re-written, and re-enforced the rules ages ago, and make sure every Apple employee were sticking to them. not making up their own minds on the spot....

Besides, i thought Apple had an ""explicit" tag in the store.... I guess that's not for apps.


If these are the graphics on iPad, with a game like this, then i'm ashamed already to own one. However nostalgic games are fine.

 

[kingtj]

Yeah... I get that ....

And actually, I wasn't talking so much about this particular game title and how it uses nudity (the airport scanner situation). I think in THIS case, it's probably an unfortunate victim of a sweeping Apple policy meant to control nudity used in other ways.

I wasn't advocating censorship of frank discussion of talk about sex. I'm saying that in most cases, it's used in our entertainment industry (TV shows, movies, video games, etc.) to depict sex as "cool and fun", without dealing with the topic of the responsibilities that come along with it.

Teens are still going to have sex, regardless of how much society attempts to stamp out all discussion of it. Usually stifling discussion of sex just makes "accidents" much more likely, both because they are uneducated about it, but it also seems more cool and something to rebel against your parents with. Many Nordic cultures are very open to nudity and sex, and I don't see Sweden and Norway descending into chaos and babies in the streets.

Anyway, in this particular case Papers, Please is about as far from making sex "cool" as possible. You play a border immigration agent for a dystopian, totalitarian state in the vein of old Soviet bloc countries. The whole purpose of scanners to check people for contraband mirrors the same discussion we've had about the TSA's scanners in airports. It's supposed to make you feel like you're intruding upon others' privacy. It's definitely not suppose to be arousing.

 

[PracticalMac]

The world will be a much friendlier and happier place with the FCC regulating the Internet and premier technology companies like Apple proactively doing their part to block and filter (potentially) controversial content.

First Amendment

----------

I wasn't advocating censorship of frank discussion of talk about sex. I'm saying that in most cases, it's used in our entertainment industry (TV shows, movies, video games, etc.) to depict sex as "cool and fun", without dealing with the topic of the responsibilities that come along with it.

so maybe Apple should allow publications like Playboy that do talk about sex and its responsibilities openly.

 

[PracticalMac]

I presume you're referring to the recent debate regarding the "erotic" pictures on the front cover of certain tabloid newspapers which are then displayed for sale within the eye line of young children in supermarkets. Personally I don't see the problem with moving them to a more appropriate position.

You're confusing "fear" with choice. Personally I like the US TV approach of keeping adult material off mainstream broadcast TV so that it's family friendly. That's not censorship. You can always watch the adult content on cable channels or on the internet.

"That which is denied becomes that which is most desired, and that which is hidden becomes that which is most interesting. Consequently, a great deal of time and energy is spent trying to get at what is being kept from you."

~John Denver.

Agree with having magazines in a higher location.
But at least full nudity on late night TV, where children are least likely and least interested to watch.

I also want to see programs for adults to help parents talk to children about sex on TV.


It was much easier to convince certain people the earth was not the center of the universe (few dozen executed) than a common activity is normal.

 

[vampyr]

Good ole Apple

Thanks Apple... for allowing profanity and violence into the App Store, but preventing a game that has a pixelated picture of a naked person.
I know our society would fall apart had we actually gotten a game that has some form of nudity in it, no matter how non-sexualized it may be.

Because we all know that violent people with guns is much better for our society than naked people.

 

[SixtyK]

Apple won't let me look at 8-bit pixellated faux-eastern European cartoon boobs? Somebody should sue them.

 

[69650]

~John Denver.

Agree with having magazines in a higher location.
But at least full nudity on late night TV, where children are least likely and least interested to watch.

I also want to see programs for adults to help parents talk to children about sex on TV.

It was much easier to convince certain people the earth was not the center of the universe (few dozen executed) than a common activity is normal.

I've no objection to nudity or porn on TV but I would prefer if it wasn't on mainstream network TV. It's not just about children. I don't particularly want to watch adult content when I'm sitting watching TV with my parents.

I like the US model where the networks broadcast family friendly TV but the cable channels are free to broadcast whatever they want. At least that way you have make a conscious choice.

 

[PracticalMac]

I've no objection to nudity or porn on TV but I would prefer if it wasn't on mainstream network TV. It's not just about children. I don't particularly want to watch adult content when I'm sitting watching TV with my parents.

I like the US model where the networks broadcast family friendly TV but the cable channels are free to broadcast whatever they want. At least that way you have make a conscious choice.

Seem its same in UK, no?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_adult_television_channels
http://store.virginmedia.com/digital-tv/channels/adult.html

But I think even US cable is neutered these days, anything above "R" is focused to specific channels. Also not all channels are available where one lives too.