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Apple banning sexual content in the App Store?
Jon Atherton, the developer behind Wobble iBoobs, has just told TechCrunch that he received an email from Apple stating his application was being removed from the App Store because of a new policy change: "We [Apple] have decided to remove any overtly sexual content from the App Store." The full email: The App Store continues to evolve, and as such, we are constantly refining our guidelines. Your application, Wobble iBoobs (Premium Uncensored), contains content that we had originally believed to be suitable for distribution. However, we have recently received numerous complaints from our customers about this type of content, and have changed our guidelines appropriately. We have decided to remove any overtly sexual content from the App Store, which includes your application. Thank you for your understanding in this matter. If you believe you can make the necessary changes so that Wobble iBoobs (Premium Uncensored) complies with our recent changes, we encourage you to do so and resubmit for review. Sincerely, iPhone App Review At this time it's unclear if Apple is removing all apps with the "over the age of 17" warning that contain sexual content, or just specific apps whose sexual content is deemed "overt" by Apple. While iBoobs has been removed, I was still able to download an app called "Sexy Screen Wash Lite" at the time of this writing. TechCrunch has also been able to download other "sexy" apps, which makes Apple's working definition of "overtly sexual content" unclear. This isn't the first time iBoobs has been removed from the App Store. In 2008, Apple rejected it on the grounds of "objectionable content." The app was later allowed back in the App Store. I wish Apple would either remove these apps, or file them all under a special "sexy" section in the App Store that remains hidden unless enabled. Of course a free T&A app is going to be a popular download, but when I'm searching for cool new free apps, it's annoying when the top list is populated by "sexy" junk apps.
'Sex Box' exposé might be the greatest news report of all time
digg_url = 'http://www.joystiq.com/2010/02/02/sex-box-expose-might-be-the-greatest-news-report-of-all-time/'; Well, we know one up-and-coming reporter who's well on her way to Pulitzer City. Posted just after the jump is one of the most hard-hitting news reports on the dangers of online gaming we've seen in years. Oh, sorry -- did we say "hard-hitting?" We meant "sensationalized, irrational, unresearched, and absolutely hilarious." We get those two phrases mixed up with surprising frequency. If we were only allowed to give you one piece of advice in our lifetime, it would be that you should watch the video posted after the jump. If we could give you two pieces of advice, they would be to watch the video, and never, ever let a reporter into your house. For any reason. Ever. Ever. [Via Kotaku]
Uncharted 2's sexual politics examined
Gamasutra has posted an interesting analysis of the treatment of sexuality in Uncharted 2. The article mainly focuses on Chloe, which the author, Tom Cross, describes as "a smart, competent, sexually aware pointedly heterosexual female character." The article further notes that Chloe, in an unusual turn for most video games, "constantly disagrees with and harries the main male character, sometimes out of self-interest and sometimes out of deeply felt connection and respect." While Cross notes that Uncharted 2 sticks to common story tropes and character arcs, he acknowledges the "incredible quality of Among Thieves' script, story, and acting," noting that the main cast are "some of the most fun, interesting, inoffensive characters in video games." We're inclined to agree. After all, Uncharted 2 didn't take Joystiq's top honors for nothing.
Drama Mamas: Time to man up
Dodge the drama and become that player everyone wants in their group with the Drama Mamas. Lisa Poisso and Robin Torres are real-life mamas and experienced WoW players -- and just as we don't want our precious babies to be the ones kicking and wailing on the floor of checkout lane next to the candy, neither do we want you to become known as That Guy on your server. We're taking your questions at DramaMamas (at) WoW (dot) com. Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we pretend to be a gender we're not. When we discussed boys playing girl characters before, we all pretty much agreed that it was cool as long as there was no deception involved. Roleplaying = yay. Experimentation = good. Hiding your true identity in a non-roleplaying environment = uh oh. Unfortunately, for One Big Liar, what began as experimentation and a wee bit of roleplaying evolved into a full-scale reputation for being a "real girl." Uh oh, indeed.
Obsidian: Sex scenes help involve players in the game world
Obsidian's Chris Avellone, creative director on the upcoming Alpha Protocol, thinks that human interaction is a very important element in RPG -- especially when it comes to the love shared between two consenting adults. Avellone recently commented to Destructoid that including sex scenes in Alpha Protocol was "an important step, and it's not sex for sex's sake, but it's part of human interaction that makes you more involved in the game world and your characters."Sometimes the act can come off more out-of-place than appropriate, which our time with Dragon Age: Origins seemed to highlight, but, on the other hand (keep it where we can see it!) the sex scene in Mass Effect was fairly tasteful. Well, unless you're one of the misinformed minds at Fox News.
Edge's sex scene of the year award goes to Overlord II
Wow, what an upset! Just seven months into the year, Edge has already picked its sex scene of the year, giving the four-way from darkly comic strategy actioner Overlord II the coveted prize over future competition like ... well, whatever's going to happen in Dragon Age: Origins. But imagine our chagrin when we found out that the game had received the honor because of how little it actually showed? How are we supposed to derive any satisfaction without the digital breasts and mons pubis that we so richly deserve? To see for yourself, check out the video just after the break ... and yes, it's fairly safe for work (FSFW).
Mass Effect 2 won't 'shy away from emotionally engaging moments'
In response to the dumb, dumb controversy surrounding the original Mass Effect's thoroughly non-erotic, two-minute-long sex scene, Bioware co-founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk recently addressed the inclusion of further intergalactic sexcapades in Mass Effect 2 during an interview with VG247. In short, they said the sequel won't "shy away from emotionally engaging moments," provided they're "contextually appropriate."Before you start planning another crusade to tear some poor psychologist's new book's Amazon rating asunder, it's important to discern what the two men meant when they said "emotionally engaging moments." While deep space lovemakin' seems a safe bet, they could just as easily be referring to a quick-time event in which you must euthanize your trusty space-dog, who has contracted a serious case of space-rabies.We're just kidding, of course. They're definitely talkin' 'bout bonin'.
MSNBC wants mature sex (and more penis!) in games
Let's be honest: The mainstream press aren't exactly known for handling sexuality in video games with any amount of couth. But hey, neither are we! And if Winda Benedetti of MSNBC gets her way, we'll all be seeing a lot more loose skin. We're finding it hard to disagree with her when she says, "Adults in movies have sex. So why shouldn't adult characters in video games get it on or, you know, appear in their computer-generated birthday suits?" Bringing up the serially sensationalized Mass Effect sex scene, Benedetti calls it, "a sexual encounter between two adults that actually furthered the story and was tastefully depicted," while pointing out, "still, it was vilified by some in the media." Though we'd argue that the sex minigame found in the original God of War is clearly the most tasteful depiction of sexuality in a video game yet, Benedetti makes a good point. Couldn't we all stand for a little more context in our video game sexuality? Benedetti surmises that the entire industry could use some maturing to help handle this kind of content going forward -- and we're inclined to agree.
Video: Sega Toys' Love Trainer says "the love making, will now begin" [update: it's a hoax!]
Look, times are hard. And since they couldn't quite tap the market with their Body Trainer / FiTrainer, Dr. Itami (pictured not training for love) and Sega Toys have repackaged their MP3 player and heart rate monitor with verbal coaching as, get this, the Love Trainer. No seriously, the company that brought you the iDog is now pushing the already questionable workout companion as a "unisex sex enhancer." Phrases like "please exercise a little bit harder" have been changed to a breathy, "Following the beat, make love much harder!" We're not sure what, "Please confirm, the heart rate sensor!" could possibly mean in the middle of the ol' somethin' somethin' but it can't be good. Fortunately for Linux fans, the $80 Love Trainer can also be used without a partner. Video foolishness after the break with mildly NSFW content.Update: We've been contacted by Dr. Itami himself about the matter... It's all an elaborate hoax![Thanks, Chris T.]
World of Warcraft listed as one of the 30 most offensive games
The conservative Christian investment firm, the Timothy Plan, has released a list of the 30 most offensive games on the market (Warning: link is to a PDF file). This list details the areas of sex, nudity, gay / lesbian, violence, cartoon violence, language, comic mischief, drugs, alcohol, tobacco, gambling, demonic, and game addiction as things that are against any "morally responsible" mutual fund to invest in.In other words they don't want you to invest, like they don't, in companies that make games which deal with any of the above areas.World of Warcraft is on the list. It has an overall score of a 9, which means it is half as offensive as Grand Theft Auto IV. According to the Timothy Plan, WoW is morally deficient in sex, violence, language, alcohol, and game addiction.Some investors will take this advice, and that's their right to do so. After the break we'll examine areas in which WoW is morally deficient, according to the Timothy Plan.
Scientists research sex chip to stimulate pleasure in the brain
Would you implant a chip into your head to augment your sex drive? That's exactly what scientists are currently looking into: a device that sends tiny shocks to the part of your brain that is said to control the feelings of pleasure you get from both sex and eating. The neural stimulation is said to provoke physical stimulation, and according to Oxford Neurosurgery professor Tipu Aziz, such a device was successfully tried a few years ago, but removed when the subject complained about her constantly supercharged sex drive. He predicts future versions of the technology will let you turn the chip on and off when needed. Sure, sure -- but can you overclock it?[Via Tech Digest, Switched]
Breakfast Topic: To re-customize or not
Paid customization has come to the game, and with it, some big decisions for a lot of players. We've asked for a long time to be able to change our gender or look in the game, and now that we can, we have to decide if we will or not.Personally, I'm torn -- way back when I first started the game, I created a female Night Elf Hunter, thinking along the old classic lines of "if I'm going to stare at someone's backside for hours and hours, it might as well be a woman." But since then, I've gotten a lot of flak for being a dude playing a female character, and since I've played all male characters since then, I think I better identify with male characters anyway, even if the view isn't as good.But on the other hand, I'm used to my Hunter now -- she's looked the same for almost 80 levels, and it would be weird to suddenly see a Night Elf guy on the screen in her place. So I'm torn -- change my character to a male and make being social in game much easier, or stay the same and keep my character familiar to me?What do you all think? Are you facing the same situation or is the choice easier (or even harder) for you?
Wii a winner in love (hotels)
Another demographic conquered! Straight from the streets of Shibuya, Anoop Gantayat reports that the Wii has become a big hit with Japan's love hotels, establishments designed for couples interested in booking a little business time. Some of the more expensive examples contain ceiling mirrors, rotating beds, S&M gear, and now ... probably Wii Sports! Horses for courses, and all that.And get this: Anoop reckons that the Wii has usurped the PlayStation 2 as the preferred choice of love hotels up and down the land, thus landing a crucial blow in the console wars for Ninty. Head here for more details and a couple of pictures (just of the signs, obviously).See also: Porn for Wii: Dark Room Sex Game and Why the Wii and sex don't mix.
London teacher contacts 14-year-old student through World of Warcraft
This story is really only tangentially related to our game, but we'll mention it anyway: a London teacher has been accused of sending sexually-related text messages to a 14-year-old student that she contacted while they were playing World of Warcraft together. Apparently the woman met up with the student in Azeroth, and then was able to somehow get his phone number from him. Later, the boy's father discovered explicit text messages from her on his son's phone, and she now faces jailtime as a result.Of course, this says nothing at all about World of Warcraft -- there are man, many ways of communication on the Internet, and the game happens to be just one of them (and shame on the Escapist for even suggesting this is an argument against games in education -- the fault here lies with the teacher, not the game). You should be cautious about who your children are corresponding with no matter where they are or what they're doing, and in fact, this boy's father was.
Industry vets sound off on sex, violence, ratings and design
Peter Molyneux, Greg Zeschuk, Cliff Bleszinski and David Jaffe are four of the industries most respected, creative developers working today and also have the distinction of creating some of the industry's most controversial titles. From the over-the-top violence in Gears of War to the sexual content found in Mass Effect, this quintet of creators know their way around industry hot-buttons.Over the past few months the team at the content knowledge site What They Play have interviewed each of the creators for their distinctive views on the sex, violence, ratings and design in videogames."If the blood is graphic, exploding out and all over the screen, you instantly know you're successful. I'd use flowers and confetti but I don't think it would be nearly as effective," Bleszinski said of the violence level found in the upcoming Gears of War 2. "You know, there's a huge M on the freaking box. If your eight year-old kids can acquire $60 and you're not aware what they're doing with it, you've got bigger problems than your kid playing God of War. You're a sh*tty parent," adds Jaffe.BioWare president Greg Zeschuk, whose 2007 role-playing title Mass Effect was lambasted by the mainstream media for its sexual content, pointed out how our society is dictating content. "It's all obviously a reflection on society," says Zeschuk. "The bottom line is that violence is just more acceptable than sexual content in the U.S., which makes an interesting situation for game developers. You have to really balance these tolerances."Check out the entire feature at What They Play and let us know what you think about sex, violence, ratings and design of videogames in the comments.
Joystiq interview: Spooning with Dark Room Sex Game creators
One of the more unique finalists in this year's IndieCade International Festival, Dark Room Sex Game was a student project from the IT University of Copenhagen that require players to cooperatively "reach climax" by finding a mutual rhythm (by shaking a Wii remote) and speeding it up. We had a chance to speak with with developers Douglas Wilson and Dajana Dimovska about the origins of the game (and some its more humorous promotional material):Douglas Wilson: So let me introduce myself more formally - I'm DougDajana Dimovska: And I am Dajana%Gallery-32382%
PAX 2008: Sex and Violence in Videogames Panel
The last panel at PAX 2008 was the highly anticipated discussion on Sex and Violence in Videogames between former Nintendo executive Perrin Kaplin, Grand Theft Childhood co-author Dr. Cheryl K. Olson and What They Like Inc., president John Davison. Moderated by Newsweek tech writer N'Gai Croal, the trio attempted to dissect the mainstream media misnomer that "videogames are toys" with both informative and hilarious results.
PAX 2008: Family Feud not so family friendly
The 2008 edition of PAX's Family Feud could have easily followed the "Sex and Violence in Video Games" panel, because it too had a healthy dose of sex and violence. Really, PAX Family Feud (or should we say Family Freud?) could best be described with three adjectives: entertaining; intense; and overly sexual. As attendees clapped to the Feud's theme song music, both teams (sans Joystiq readers, for shame!) answered questions ranging from, "Name a power-up used by Mario," (yay for fire flower!) to "What's your favorite Penny Arcade character?" Fruit "lover" got our vote. Everything was quite tame, albeit a bit verbally violent as the show's host received constant heckling from the audience due to his sometimes ... questionable hosting abilities. But then things turned towards sex, sex, sex when Feud players were asked, "What do you do when the electricity goes out at home?" We thought it to be an innocent enough question, but then we remembered that PAX attendees answered the questions. As a result, things got interesting.
Age of Conan GM fired amidst in-game sex scandal
An Age of Conan player tricked a naïve, Funcom-employed Game Master (an in-game customer service representative) into pursuing cybersex with him. The player posed as a female playing a male character and enticed the male GM with flirtatious remarks and innuendos. After the GM fully threw himself into the moment, the player revealed that he was male, and that the conversation had been a prank.Friends of the player posted screenshots of the conversation on MMORPG's forums, and the ensuing controversy led Funcom to fire the GM for unacceptable behavior and violation of the customer service guidelines. Destructoid then interviewed the prankster and hosted the unedited version of the conversation screenshots.Frankly, we're not sure who is the bigger jackass -- the GM for his unprofessional behavior, or the player for baiting him into it. Everyone seems to have his or her own unique interpretation of this fiasco.[Via Big Download]
Porn for Wii: Dark Room Sex Game
No, you didn't misread the title of this post; it's not another edition of Born for Wii for today. Yet, the title is still a bit misleading, as we really should have said that the Dark Room Sex Game is "Porn for Wii Remote."Created for the Nordic Game Jam at the IT University at Copenhagen (which had a theme of "taboo" this year), players can either use Wiimotes or a keyboard to play this PC title. Even though it's a "sex" game, there are no visuals in Dark Room (only audio). The objective is to find a "mutual rhythm" with your partner, and then gradually speed up until -- well, we probably don't need to spell out the rest. Four players can also take part simultaneously in Orgy Mode, during which you "swap partners randomly and compete to reach orgasm the fastest."Part of the inspiration behind Dark Room, apparently, was the phallic shape (and rumble) of the Wiimote. The team behind it hoped to make players feel embarrassed but satisfied, and believes that the use of imagination in the game is more erotic than using raunchy graphics. We're not so sure, though, that some hormone-driven teenagers would agree.Note: The audio (and audio only) in the video above is NSFW. Also, the reaction of the person watching Dark Room Sex Game is absolutely hilarious.[Via MTV Multiplayer]
