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Baby shaking game pulled from iPhone store photo

A $0.99 iPhone game has been pulled from the Apple Store after generating a wave of controversy for its tasteless (yet undeniably righteous) subject matter. The App's called Baby Shaker and is, as you may already have guessed, a game in which you must use the iPhone's motion sensitivity to shake babies in a bid to stop them crying.

"On a plane, on the bus, in a theater," reads the App's description. "Babies are everywhere you don't want them to be! They're always distracting you from preparing for that big presentation at work with their incessant crying. Before Baby Shaker, there was nothing you could do about it. See how long you can endure his or her adorable cries before you just have to find a way to quiet the baby down!"

The game, unsurprisingly, generated outrage from various biased parties, including Jennipher Dickens from the Stop Shaken Baby Syndrome group: "As a mother of a child who was violently shaken at 7 weeks old, causing a severe brain injury, and the founder of a national organization for Shaken Baby Syndrome prevention ... I don't have to tell you how much this horrifies me!"

As well as anger over the game's release, Apple has been criticized for pulling the game. Saul Hansell of the New York Times suggested the company "caved in to pressure" and admits to being troubled over the censorship. It's true that the idea for the game is sick, but then, plenty of things are sick and hilarious at the same time. I find myself agreeing with Hansell here. It's a shame that Apple decided to pull the plug just because some people got upset. 

Personally, I find the idea of Baby Shaker brilliant, and more than justified, since babies are generally rubbish. To quote Smash TV, I'd buy that for a dollar.


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34 comments | showing # 1 to 34

MrSadistic's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/23/2009 11:05
MrSadistic
The better question is, what kind of group gives a syndrome such a hilarious name.
Jon2309's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/23/2009 11:09
Jon2309
SSBS: Brawl!
PappaDukes's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/23/2009 11:12
PappaDukes
great, so now how am I supposed to brush up on my baby shaking skills now!? I have a baby shaking tourney in 3 weeks!
Chronic Logic's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/23/2009 11:23
Chronic Logic
Shooting babies in the face because babies are squishy = okay
Shaking babies to shut the fuck up = not okay
zombiekiller13's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/23/2009 11:25
zombiekiller13
Somewhat related: when my son was born, we had to sign a document saying we wouldn't shake him. I asked the nurse if she was serious. She was. We then had to attend an hour long training session...in the hospital...on how to care for a baby. The nurse holding the class demonstrated what baby shaking is on a doll and why it is harmful.

I had to keep myself from laughing when she shook the baby.

But, to the story: I can see why, in our litigious society, Apple pulled the game. 'Cause you know that in a few weeks, there will be a baby-shaking story where the parent blames the iPhone game for their actions.
Cuban B's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/23/2009 11:25
Cuban B
I might just jail break my phone to get this.
Sam Spectre's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/23/2009 11:35
Sam Spectre
Wait, I thought they liked it when you shook them?
Magnalon's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/23/2009 11:35
Magnalon
Call me horrible but I think everything written up about this was hilarious, especially zombiekiller13s recant.

Haha wow.
Char Aznable's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/23/2009 11:36
Char Aznable
I'm surprised that there is an actual syndrome named after this. I thought it was just called "getting fucked up by your asshole parents/caretakers."
Jack Maverick's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/23/2009 11:40
Jack Maverick
Maybe if the game was under a different name, it probably would have been released, then eventually more people would have gotten pissed off. Shame, they could have easily made a lot of money with this. Money from the pockets of insane and deranged people. Like me.

@zombiekiller, you have no idea how hard I'm trying to not laugh at that story.
kidko's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/23/2009 12:00
kidko
"since babies are generally rubbish"

right-o!
CocoJambo's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/23/2009 12:05
CocoJambo
Awesome game, but Jesus Christ, Americans name everything! There must some cultural myths behind this that I don't know.

On a side note, the iPhone totally looks like a feasible gaming system...
zombiekiller13's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/23/2009 12:42
zombiekiller13
And I just realized...I don't remember signing anything when my daughter was born 2 years ago, 3 years after my son's birth. I know we didn't take another class (I would've pissed myself if I saw the baby-doll shaking again). So, maybe they made it okay to shake a baby and people are getting upset over this game for no reason.

Oh, no...wait. They asked us if we did the class and signed the form before. I said we did. And we had to verbally agree not to shake our newest addition. Because that'll stop you from doing it.

I need to ask other parents if they had to go through this, or if the hospital we went to actually thought a piece of paper and witnessing the hilarity of a woman shaking a doll would stop someone from shaking their own baby.

Seriously...it looked like she was having fun shaking it.
brainderailment's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/23/2009 12:47
brainderailment
Goddamnit! I wish I could've caught this before it got pulled. Also, I only have a touch so it can't be hacked for this kind of stuff. Give the game to adultswim, they'll pick it up.
MechaMonkey's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/23/2009 12:55
MechaMonkey
I'm all for off-color jokes, but this one is more than a bit tasteless. This game isn't going to sound nearly as funny when some bimbo babysitter shakes your infant child to death because she can't hear "Flavor of Love 14" over its crying.

Unfortunately, people are stupid, and this is one game at least where I can definitely see people thinking that reenacting it is a good idea.
Exquisitor's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/23/2009 12:59
Exquisitor
I got banned from Kotaku about a year ago for making baby shaking jokes. Although it's their fault for publishing a flame bait article about a man who shook his baby to death because it kept crying while while he was gaming.

I play Samba de Amigo for practice in my daily baby shaking.
MrSadistic's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/23/2009 13:02
MrSadistic
@brainderailment

Touches can be jailbroken.

Also, I hope somebody out there bought it before it was pulled so it could be cracked and released for download.
Harris Hatsworth's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/23/2009 13:09
Harris Hatsworth
@ zombiekiller

Could they keep the baby from you if you didn't attend the class/sign the form? I mean, it's not like someone needs to spring a signed contract on you to prosecute you for shaking a baby to death.
fetusmilk's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/23/2009 13:25
fetusmilk
i want an app that lets you shake the iphone to knock down old people.
triclops41's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/23/2009 13:44
triclops41
not to be pendantic, but isnt "ill buy that for a dollar" from robocop before smash tv?
only wanted to point that out because that movie is fucking brilliant, and needs to be praised at all times
The-Excel's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/23/2009 13:46
The-Excel
@fetusmilk:
Get Chad-Concelmo on the phone.
Holyetheline's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/23/2009 13:51
Holyetheline
Stop the babies from crying FOREVER.
zombiekiller13's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/23/2009 13:54
zombiekiller13
@Harris Hatworth

Honestly, I don't remember. I think it was like the pledge that schools have kids sign (or at least did when I was there) that says they'll stay drug free. They work off the honor system.

Though, in the hospital's case, I guess they could pull it out and tell the judge that they told the parents not to shake their baby, should the parents pull some stupid defense blaming the nurses and doctors.

Sorry for hijacking the comments about actual baby shaking info...
Draconianviper's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/23/2009 14:06
Draconianviper
Or they could just ignore and not buy the app...you know just because it's there, doesn't mean you have to acknowledge it. Kind of like that pet I should be taking care of...oops.
LilJimmyNordin's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/23/2009 15:38
LilJimmyNordin
Just rename it "Michael J. Fox Child Care Simulator" and resubmit. Done.
UltraKyu's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/23/2009 17:32
UltraKyu
@triclops41

Indeed, Robocop came out 3 years before Smash TV, and indeed, it's praises should be sung across the land, being one of the most hilariously badass movies ever created.

Oh, right, babies. Ummmm, they should be shaken and not heard.
boatorious's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/24/2009 04:39
boatorious
Games should operate in this marvelous and magical vacuum, where they are still part of respected society (like other forms of entertainment) but totally immune from outside criticism (unlike other forms of entertainment).
Korolev's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/24/2009 06:12
Korolev
This game was obviously made in very poor taste - but is it harmful? I don't think anyone with an I.Q above 90 (border-line retarded) would actually believe this is a good way of getting a child to be silent, and if they have an I.Q less than 90, then I would say - "why the hell are they allowed to parent their child without supervision?!". Anyone dumb enough to be influenced by this game wouldn't be smart enough to operate an iPhone in the first place.

So this game won't result in a significant increase in the amount of shaken (and no longer stirring) offspring.

However - 1 dollar for THAT?! Not only is it in poor taste, I wouldn't pay a dollar for a "game" that involves shaking an iPhone up and down to stop the annoying shrill of a fake, digital baby. There are loads of better things to spend 1 dollar on - like discount candy, or a soft drink, or on a better, DECENT game.
Korolev's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/24/2009 06:16
Korolev
Oh and those that would shake a baby, would shake a baby, game or no game. This game can only influence the mentally retarded or ill, and they have no business being around children without supervision. So, even thought not all baby-shakers are retards, anyone who could be influenced by this "game" is obviously a retard.
Noah's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/24/2009 07:09
Noah
I'd think it was more funny if i didn't know a baby that died from Shaken baby syndrome, but I won't complain and rain on all of your morbid fun ;)
Doomsday Forte's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/24/2009 09:04
Doomsday Forte
To post a different comment, THIS is what Apple decides to pull? Not the billion fart generators or other crap paid downloads?

Then again, those don't particularly offend anyone. ...maybe.
ShadowKirby's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/24/2009 14:37
ShadowKirby
To everyone supporting this game or making baby shaking jokes.... die in a fire.
4knuckleshuffle's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/25/2009 11:23
4knuckleshuffle
Isn't this going to be a minigame in Bonerquest 2: Consequences?
J-W33ZY's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/28/2009 19:37
J-W33ZY
FUCK ALL OF YALL IM GLAD THAT THEY PULLED THIS STUPID ASS GAME!!!!!
FUCK APPLE 4 EVEN THINKING ABOUT THAT STUPID ASS GAME!
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