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Apple Removes American Civil War Games from the App Store

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Re: Apple Removes American Civil War Games from the App Store

#61

Post by refurb »

Someone1234 wrote: post #34
TillE wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple is quite explicitly uninterested in artistic expression on the app store. From the second paragraph in their guidelines: "We view Apps different than books or songs, which we do not curate. If you want to criticize a religion, write a book. If you want to describe sex, write a book or a song, or create a medical App." Their stance makes very little sense (arbitrarily dividing games away from books or films), bu…

I strongly suspect they wrote that expressively in case a court ever looks at Apple's policies, and needs to decide if Apple is silencing art/freedom of speech. Essentially they want to separate themselves from most existing legal precedent.

I strongly suspect they wrote that expressively in case a court ever looks at Apple's policies, and needs to decide if Apple is silencing art/freedom of speech

Why would that end up in court? Apple is a private company. It's free to include/exclude whatever content it wants. Consumers don't have a right to force a company to provide the content they want.

Re: Apple Removes American Civil War Games from the App Store

#63

Post by nmrm2 »

TillE wrote: post #23
Mithaldu wrote: post #3

Germany has a law about this, with some exceptions that would specifically apply to cases like this one: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strafgesetzbuch_§_86a When a movie like Iron Sky has no problem being shown in German cinemas with the swastika left untouched, because it's clearly art, then it should be fairly obvious to Apple that banning historically accurate representations in historically accurate interactive a…

Apple is quite explicitly uninterested in artistic expression on the app store. From the second paragraph in their guidelines: "We view Apps different than books or songs, which we do not curate. If you want to criticize a religion, write a book. If you want to describe sex, write a book or a song, or create a medical App." Their stance makes very little sense (arbitrarily dividing games away from books or films), bu…

Their stance makes perfect sense. The App Store is not a commons, it is the private property of Apple, in which they curate the works of others at their convenience. But unlike a book store or a music store, they can closely associate what they stock with the brand becaues the "App" medium is so new.

It's pretty similar to a local coffee shop maintaining a few book cases for customers to borrow or buy, but being pretty strict about what books can be put in their selection.

Ultimately, I suspect they are more controlling about apps than about books or music because apps are (or were) a new medium that, for both financial and marketing reasons, they wanted to think about differently. Apple probably feared (and/or hoped) that Apps would have a more intimate connection to their brand than e.g., the tracks in iTunes.

(edit: 1. Not saying I agree; 2. this post is a descriptive conjecture about why/how Apple treats apps differently, not an advocacy that they continue to do so. Jeesh.)

Re: Apple Removes American Civil War Games from the App Store

#65

Post by yequalsx »

paulhauggis wrote: post #41

Political correctness has gone way too far in this country. When the Boston Bomber was on trial, there was a point made that his actions, because it was in the name of Islam, in no way reflects the actions of the entire religion or culture. Yet in South Carolina, the actions of one crazy person somehow now reflects on the entire culture and we need to remove the confederate flag. I don't see Amazon and Ebay removing…

From Mississippi's Declaration of Secession:

"Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery-- the greatest material interest of the world. Its labor supplies the product which constitutes by far the largest and most important portions of commerce of the earth. These products are peculiar to the climate verging on the tropical regions, and by an imperious law of nature, none but the black race can bear exposure to the tropical sun. "

The Confederate flag represents the desire to maintain slavery and oppression. The Confederate flag represents a the desire by white Southerners to maintain dominance of another race. Over 600,000 people died in the U.S. Civil War as a result of what the Confederate flag represents. No where near this many Americans have died at the hands of 'crazies in that religion (Islam)'.

Removing the Confederate flag and what it represents is an actually important issue to many. Especially those of that race of people who alone can bear exposure to the tropical sun.

Re: Apple Removes American Civil War Games from the App Store

#66

Post by HarryHirsch »

Mithaldu wrote: post #30
DasIch wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These exceptions might apply to cases such as this one, whether they do is unknown and no publisher has dared to find out. In practice all games that contain forbidden symbols get a German version in which these are replaced for example in the Wolfenstein franchise (that were not censored due to violence).

Only because the german government, like any government, is old and slow, and as of yet does not classify computer games as art, citing the interactive aspect as an enabler of contextual reinterpretation; AND because many foreign game creators simply censor themselves proactively instead of taking this matter to court. There is a very reasonable expectation of this changing at some point in the future.

What the German courts are doing is enforcing the taboo on swastikas and anything else H*tler-related. I can understand why they are doing it and would like them to continue.

Re: Apple Removes American Civil War Games from the App Store

#67

Post by tempodox »

involute1344 wrote: post #56
infimum wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

yes, they actually are. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika#Germany

Where is Apple mentioned on that page?

If you would take the strain to read the article's title you might get a clue.

Re: Apple Removes American Civil War Games from the App Store

#68

Post by Mithaldu »

nmrm2 wrote: post #63
TillE wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple is quite explicitly uninterested in artistic expression on the app store. From the second paragraph in their guidelines: "We view Apps different than books or songs, which we do not curate. If you want to criticize a religion, write a book. If you want to describe sex, write a book or a song, or create a medical App." Their stance makes very little sense (arbitrarily dividing games away from books or films), bu…

Their stance makes perfect sense. The App Store is not a commons, it is the private property of Apple, in which they curate the works of others at their convenience. But unlike a book store or a music store, they can closely associate what they stock with the brand becaues the "App" medium is so new . It's pretty similar to a local coffee shop maintaining a few book cases for customers to borrow or buy, but being pre…

Your simile is completely off. It's not like a local coffee shop with book cases, it's like a (fictitious) company that has a monopoly on stocking the book cases in all coffee shops nation-wide. Your cellphone is the coffee shop.

Re: Apple Removes American Civil War Games from the App Store

#69

Post by RyanZAG »

jameskilton wrote: post #15
rrss1122 wrote: post #13

Why is everyone trying to erase history all of a sudden? Because somebody felt bad?

Please don't hyperbolize. Removing the Confederate flags from public places like government buildings and refusing to sell merchandise with the flag is not erasing history. And I'd call the regular terrorizing and murder of black people under this flag far more than "someone felt bad". Apple simply took a way-to-heavy-handed approach here.

It's the flag that is terrorizing people, or people doing it? Will the terrorizing be better if it happens under a different flag? I have a hard time believing the flag is at fault and not the people, or that removing a flag will stop people from doing the same acts.

Re: Apple Removes American Civil War Games from the App Store

#70

Post by falcolas »

nmrm2 wrote: post #63
TillE wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple is quite explicitly uninterested in artistic expression on the app store. From the second paragraph in their guidelines: "We view Apps different than books or songs, which we do not curate. If you want to criticize a religion, write a book. If you want to describe sex, write a book or a song, or create a medical App." Their stance makes very little sense (arbitrarily dividing games away from books or films), bu…

Their stance makes perfect sense. The App Store is not a commons, it is the private property of Apple, in which they curate the works of others at their convenience. But unlike a book store or a music store, they can closely associate what they stock with the brand becaues the "App" medium is so new . It's pretty similar to a local coffee shop maintaining a few book cases for customers to borrow or buy, but being pre…

The stance doesn't make sense because it prevents a particular type of symbol in media they sell - it doesn't make sense because they treat Books, Music and Movies as somehow different - perhaps they consider it a higher form of art - from Games and Apps.
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