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.
Contest:
11:00 AM on 04.23.2009
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Shaking babies to shut the fuck up = not okay
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.
Haha wow.
@zombiekiller, you have no idea how hard I'm trying to not laugh at that story.
right-o!
On a side note, the iPhone totally looks like a feasible gaming system...
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.
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.
I play Samba de Amigo for practice in my daily baby shaking.
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.
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.
only wanted to point that out because that movie is fucking brilliant, and needs to be praised at all times
Get Chad-Concelmo on the phone.
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...
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.
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.
Then again, those don't particularly offend anyone. ...maybe.
FUCK APPLE 4 EVEN THINKING ABOUT THAT STUPID ASS GAME!