Apple removes war games featuring Confederate flag from App Store (1 Viewer)

[larch]

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jun/25/apple-removes-historical-war-games-confederate-flag

Apple has removed a whole swathe of historical war games from the App Store because they feature the Confederate flag.

The games, which include Ultimate General: Gettysburg, Civil War: 1862, and Civil War the Battle Game, were removed by the firm because they feature images of the Confederate flag in offensive and mean-spirited ways, according to industry site TouchArcade.

Apple cited its app store review guidelines in a letter to affected developers, stating: Apps containing references or commentary about a religious, cultural or ethnic group that are defamatory, offensive, mean-spirited or likely to expose the targeted group to harm or violence will be rejected.

The company appears to be following the lead of retail establishments such as WalMart, which has recently announced that it will no longer sell the Confederate flag in the wake of the Charleston shooting.

But the majority of the affected games are relatively staid turn-based strategy games, using the Confederate flag in the appropriate historical context to represent the forces of the Confederate army. Were in no way sympathetic to the use of the flag in an offensive way, we used it purely because historically that was the flag that was used at the time, the developer of Civil War: 1862 told TouchArcade.

Games featuring the Nazi flag remain available on the App Store; and unlike the removed civil war games, many do not claim historical accuracy. In Wolfenstein 3D, players storm a Nazi castle before killing a robot Hitler. The game is £1.49 on iPhone and iPad.

Elsewhere on the iTunes store, Apple continues to sell Primal Screams Give Out But Dont Give Up, Legend by Lynyrd Skynyrd and all seven seasons of Dukes of Hazzard.

The Guardian has asked Apple for comment.

 

[Fat Nick]

And the irrational purge has begun.

 

[MattFancy]

So now we erase all history of the Confederate Flag and act like the Civil War never happened?

I have no problem with removing the flag from flying above state houses, but erasing it from history isn't quite the right response.

 

[grateful zed]

quick, buy some of those games. they will be collector items.

 

[Fat Nick]

So now we erase all history of the Confederate Flag and act like the Civil War never happened?

I have no problem with removing the flag from flying above state houses, but erasing it from history isn't quite the right response.

Agree 100%...this is a big step beyond the line where I think most people were. This isn't erasing it because it's being flown in a place it shouldn't be, this is purging it altogether. It's almost counter-productive because it almost pushes towards making us ignore that the Civil War ever even happened.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

quick, buy some of those games. they will be collector items.

I'm buying every General Lee car I can find.

As well as all the Daisy Duke dolls of course.

 

[Insein]

This is exactly what Germany did with the Nazi flag. You would only see the Eagle for the axis powers in any game.

 

[Kal El]

This is going too far. For all its negative connotations, it's part of history. Put it in a museum so we can learn the lesson it represents.

 

[jonessed]

This just makes Apple look ridiculous.

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

Dumb dumb dumb

 

[johnnycakes]

Thank God the Nazi stuff is still available.

 

[grateful zed]

quick, buy some of those games. they will be collector items.

I'm buying every General Lee car I can find.

As well as all the Daisy Duke dolls of course.

have at it!

 

[grateful zed]

currently 99 cents

 

[Brony]

I'll give you my Boss Hogg figurine when you pry it from my cold, dead hands

 

[Gary Coal Man]

This is going too far.

How about this?

The Thomas Jefferson Memorial, which has stood near the banks of the Potomac River in Washington for more than 70 years, is a classical tribute to the author of the Declaration of Independence and the third U.S. president.

This week, the Jefferson Memorial was drawn into the national debate about race following the shooting deaths of nine people in a predominantly black church in South Carolina last week. It joins other public statues depicting Southern or Confederate figures, including Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee, that some are arguing represent the country's racist past and should be removed.

CNN anchor Ashleigh Banfield this week questioned whether the Jefferson Memorial should be taken down because Jefferson owned slaves.

Jefferson Memorial, Confederate statues enter national race debate

 

[johnnycakes]

This is going too far.

How about this?

The Thomas Jefferson Memorial, which has stood near the banks of the Potomac River in Washington for more than 70 years, is a classical tribute to the author of the Declaration of Independence and the third U.S. president.

This week, the Jefferson Memorial was drawn into the national debate about race following the shooting deaths of nine people in a predominantly black church in South Carolina last week. It joins other public statues depicting Southern or Confederate figures, including Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee, that some are arguing represent the country's racist past and should be removed.

CNN anchor Ashleigh Banfield this week questioned whether the Jefferson Memorial should be taken down because Jefferson owned slaves.

Jefferson Memorial, Confederate statues enter national race debate

We keep going this route, we might just as well throw all the Southern states out of the union!

 

[Kal El]

This is going too far.

How about this?

The Thomas Jefferson Memorial, which has stood near the banks of the Potomac River in Washington for more than 70 years, is a classical tribute to the author of the Declaration of Independence and the third U.S. president.

This week, the Jefferson Memorial was drawn into the national debate about race following the shooting deaths of nine people in a predominantly black church in South Carolina last week. It joins other public statues depicting Southern or Confederate figures, including Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee, that some are arguing represent the country's racist past and should be removed.

CNN anchor Ashleigh Banfield this week questioned whether the Jefferson Memorial should be taken down because Jefferson owned slaves.

Jefferson Memorial, Confederate statues enter national race debate

Here's an idea: Realize that there's jack all we can do to change our nation's history, for good or bad, and try to learn from the examples they provide, while moving forward to a future where we can actually learn to appreciate whatever our different cultures bring to the table.

 

[Jobber]

This is going too far.

How about this?

The Thomas Jefferson Memorial, which has stood near the banks of the Potomac River in Washington for more than 70 years, is a classical tribute to the author of the Declaration of Independence and the third U.S. president.

This week, the Jefferson Memorial was drawn into the national debate about race following the shooting deaths of nine people in a predominantly black church in South Carolina last week. It joins other public statues depicting Southern or Confederate figures, including Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee, that some are arguing represent the country's racist past and should be removed.

CNN anchor Ashleigh Banfield this week questioned whether the Jefferson Memorial should be taken down because Jefferson owned slaves.

Jefferson Memorial, Confederate statues enter national race debate

Eerily similar to when radical Muslims destroy historic sites and treasures. Yes. I went there.

 

[Kal El]

This is going too far.

How about this?

The Thomas Jefferson Memorial, which has stood near the banks of the Potomac River in Washington for more than 70 years, is a classical tribute to the author of the Declaration of Independence and the third U.S. president.

This week, the Jefferson Memorial was drawn into the national debate about race following the shooting deaths of nine people in a predominantly black church in South Carolina last week. It joins other public statues depicting Southern or Confederate figures, including Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee, that some are arguing represent the country's racist past and should be removed.

CNN anchor Ashleigh Banfield this week questioned whether the Jefferson Memorial should be taken down because Jefferson owned slaves.

Jefferson Memorial, Confederate statues enter national race debate

Eerily similar to when radical Muslims destroy historic sites and treasures. Yes. I went there.

It's a valid comparison. Some people want to remove everything from history they don't agree with.

 

[Scoresman]

This is going too far.

How about this?

The Thomas Jefferson Memorial, which has stood near the banks of the Potomac River in Washington for more than 70 years, is a classical tribute to the author of the Declaration of Independence and the third U.S. president.

This week, the Jefferson Memorial was drawn into the national debate about race following the shooting deaths of nine people in a predominantly black church in South Carolina last week. It joins other public statues depicting Southern or Confederate figures, including Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee, that some are arguing represent the country's racist past and should be removed.

CNN anchor Ashleigh Banfield this week questioned whether the Jefferson Memorial should be taken down because Jefferson owned slaves.

Jefferson Memorial, Confederate statues enter national race debate

We keep going this route, we might just as well throw all the Southern states out of the union!

If that's the end game here, it has my full support.

 

[mquinnjr]

Can't wait for all movie outlets to pull the Dukes of Hazzard series and movies.

 

[larch]

Good for Game Labs!!

http://www.ultimategeneral.com/blog/our-game-has-been-removed-from-appstore

As you may have been already informed, Apple has removed our game from AppStore because of usage of the Confederate Flag. Ultimate General: Gettysburg could be accepted back if the flag is removed from the game's content.

We accept Apple's decision and understand that this is a sensitive issue for the American Nation. We wanted our game to be the most accurate, historical, playable reference of the Battle of Gettysburg. All historical commanders, unit composition and weaponry, key geographical locations to the smallest streams or farms are recreated in our game's battlefield.

We receive a lot of letters of gratitude from American teachers who use our game in history curriculum to let kids experience one of the most important battles in American history from the Commander's perspective.

Spielberg’s "Schindler's List" did not try to amend his movie to look more comfortable. The historical "Gettysburg" movie (1993) is still on iTunes. We believe that all historical art forms: books, movies, or games such as ours, help to learn and understand history, depicting events as they were. True stories are more important to us than money.

Therefore we are not going to amend the game's content and Ultimate General: Gettysburg will no longer be available on AppStore. We really hope that Apple’s decision will achieve the desired results.

We can’t change history, but we can change the future.

The Game-Labs Team

 

[Fat Nick]

This is going too far.

How about this?

The Thomas Jefferson Memorial, which has stood near the banks of the Potomac River in Washington for more than 70 years, is a classical tribute to the author of the Declaration of Independence and the third U.S. president.

This week, the Jefferson Memorial was drawn into the national debate about race following the shooting deaths of nine people in a predominantly black church in South Carolina last week. It joins other public statues depicting Southern or Confederate figures, including Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee, that some are arguing represent the country's racist past and should be removed.

CNN anchor Ashleigh Banfield this week questioned whether the Jefferson Memorial should be taken down because Jefferson owned slaves.

Jefferson Memorial, Confederate statues enter national race debate

We keep going this route, we might just as well throw all the Southern states out of the union!

If that's the end game here, it has my full support.

The irony of this is hilarious...150 years later, the South succeeds in succeeding because the North gets tired of them not letting go of the past.

 

[rockaction]

This is going too far.

How about this?

The Thomas Jefferson Memorial, which has stood near the banks of the Potomac River in Washington for more than 70 years, is a classical tribute to the author of the Declaration of Independence and the third U.S. president.

This week, the Jefferson Memorial was drawn into the national debate about race following the shooting deaths of nine people in a predominantly black church in South Carolina last week. It joins other public statues depicting Southern or Confederate figures, including Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee, that some are arguing represent the country's racist past and should be removed.

CNN anchor Ashleigh Banfield this week questioned whether the Jefferson Memorial should be taken down because Jefferson owned slaves.

Jefferson Memorial, Confederate statues enter national race debate

I posted over in the other thread last night that Jefferson High vs. Madison High would now be essentially an aggression that cannot withstand the logical extension of the left (at least as far as being sacrosanct and protected from overwrought debate).

For all the assurances we hear about how these logical extensions will never happen or that they'll be done on a case-by-case basis (under what premises or terms of debate is never specified), there sure seems to be a lot of rhetoric about this stuff floating around in pundit land.

 

[Homer J Simpson]

So stupid.

Somehow even more stupid than flying that rag over your state house.

 

[matttyl]

quick, buy some of those games. they will be collector items.

I'm buying every General Lee car I can find.

As well as all the Daisy Duke dolls of course.

Warner Brothers (who apparently owned the rights) halted production of them a few days ago.

 

[GoFishTN]

This is going too far.

How about this?

The Thomas Jefferson Memorial, which has stood near the banks of the Potomac River in Washington for more than 70 years, is a classical tribute to the author of the Declaration of Independence and the third U.S. president.

This week, the Jefferson Memorial was drawn into the national debate about race following the shooting deaths of nine people in a predominantly black church in South Carolina last week. It joins other public statues depicting Southern or Confederate figures, including Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee, that some are arguing represent the country's racist past and should be removed.

CNN anchor Ashleigh Banfield this week questioned whether the Jefferson Memorial should be taken down because Jefferson owned slaves.

Jefferson Memorial, Confederate statues enter national race debate

We keep going this route, we might just as well throw all the Southern states out of the union!

If that's the end game here, it has my full support.

 

[Slapdash]

So now we erase all history of the Confederate Flag and act like the Civil War never happened?

I have no problem with removing the flag from flying above state houses, but erasing it from history isn't quite the right response.

So we're all cool here?

 

[timschochet]

Virtually nobody likes this decision.

 

[Gr00vus]

Virtually nobody likes this decision.

It's funny because it's about video games.

 

[matttyl]

Virtually nobody likes this decision.

It's funny because it's about video games.

Next could be books. That's actually a very good book for anyone interested.

 

[FlapJacks]

Thank God the Nazi stuff is still available.

And the communist stuff...

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

PBS is selling the wickidniss, PBS is selling the wickidniss, get it away, begone unclean symbol!

https://twitter.com/JohnRiversToo/status/614159279537418240/photo/1

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Virtually nobody likes this decision.

Virtually.

 

[jon_mx]

Virtually nobody likes this decision.

Virtually.

Literally virtually!

 

[Gary Coal Man]

This is going too far.

How about this?

The Thomas Jefferson Memorial, which has stood near the banks of the Potomac River in Washington for more than 70 years, is a classical tribute to the author of the Declaration of Independence and the third U.S. president.

This week, the Jefferson Memorial was drawn into the national debate about race following the shooting deaths of nine people in a predominantly black church in South Carolina last week. It joins other public statues depicting Southern or Confederate figures, including Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee, that some are arguing represent the country's racist past and should be removed.

CNN anchor Ashleigh Banfield this week questioned whether the Jefferson Memorial should be taken down because Jefferson owned slaves.

Jefferson Memorial, Confederate statues enter national race debate

Here's an idea: Realize that there's jack all we can do to change our nation's history, for good or bad, and try to learn from the examples they provide, while moving forward to a future where we can actually learn to appreciate whatever our different cultures bring to the table.

The Federal Government should close both the Gettysburg and Antietam National Battlefields. Just pretend they never happened.

 

[PatsWillWin]

Pretty funny how much people care about Apple games with Confederate flags.

 

[Gr00vus]

Pretty funny how much people care about Apple games with Confederate flags.

It's funnier how Apple cares about games with Confederate flags.

 

[PatsWillWin]

Pretty funny how much people care about Apple games with Confederate flags.

It's funnier how Apple cares about games with Confederate flags.

At least Apple has something to do with games with Confederate flags. What's your favorite Apple game with the Confederate flag?

 

[Gr00vus]

Pretty funny how much people care about Apple games with Confederate flags.

It's funnier how Apple cares about games with Confederate flags.

At least Apple has something to do with games with Confederate flags. What's your favorite Apple game with the Confederate flag?

All of them. Every. Single. One.

 

[bagger]

This is going too far.

How about this?

The Thomas Jefferson Memorial, which has stood near the banks of the Potomac River in Washington for more than 70 years, is a classical tribute to the author of the Declaration of Independence and the third U.S. president.

This week, the Jefferson Memorial was drawn into the national debate about race following the shooting deaths of nine people in a predominantly black church in South Carolina last week. It joins other public statues depicting Southern or Confederate figures, including Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee, that some are arguing represent the country's racist past and should be removed.

CNN anchor Ashleigh Banfield this week questioned whether the Jefferson Memorial should be taken down because Jefferson owned slaves.

Jefferson Memorial, Confederate statues enter national race debate

We keep going this route, we might just as well throw all the Southern states out of the union!

+1

 

[GoFishTN]

Virtually nobody likes this decision.

It's funny because it's about video games.

Next could be books. That's actually a very good book for anyone interested.

Movies first.

 

[Fennis]

The invisible hand moved Apple to do this. A lot of people hating on the free market.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

About the free market, I think the weird concern for eBay & amazon was that sales were skyrocketing (like 3000x in a morning?), and they were embarrassed to be in those news stories. How that info got out I have no idea. However the flags and games will likely end up on discount, clearance and other sites and do just fine there. Amazon & eBay & Apple & walmart won't be totally eating that inventory, it will go somewhere.

 

[Sinn Fein]

currently 99 cents

$100 now...

 

[matttyl]

The invisible hand moved Apple to do this. A lot of people hating on the free market.

You mean the free market that had Confederate flags on Amazon selling at 3000% their typical volume? You can also bet that if/when these games are allowed back on the iTunes stores that their sales will also skyrocket. Here is a screen shot of one of the games in question. Yeah, that's horrible.....

 

[NCCommish]

So stupid.

Somehow even more stupid than flying that rag over your state house.

Yep

 

[GoFishTN]

The invisible hand moved Apple to do this. A lot of people hating on the free market.

You mean the free market that had Confederate flags on Amazon selling at 3000% their typical volume? You can also bet that if/when these games are allowed back on the iTunes stores that their sales will also skyrocket. Here is a screen shot of one of the games in question. Yeah, that's horrible.....

All of these marketplaces will have "forgotten" these rules within a year, if not six months.

 

[matttyl]

The invisible hand moved Apple to do this. A lot of people hating on the free market.

You mean the free market that had Confederate flags on Amazon selling at 3000% their typical volume? You can also bet that if/when these games are allowed back on the iTunes stores that their sales will also skyrocket. Here is a screen shot of one of the games in question. Yeah, that's horrible.....

All of these marketplaces will have "forgotten" these rules within a year, if not six months.

Meaning that the flag (and it's likeness) will be available again on ebay, amazon, and others - and itunes will cave and allow these games (unaltered) back in their stores? Doubt it. Well, maybe the later, but not the former.

 

[Guest]

The invisible hand moved Apple to do this. A lot of people hating on the free market.

Did Apple do this because of outside pressure, or because of "Hey, we're Apple. We're doing the right thing too!"?