Censorship is Censorship [Dog Wars]

[bigedward87]

Is anyone else bothered by the game "Dog Wars" being pulled from the android market after complaints from Peta, Mike Vic, etc... about its inappropriate use of violence on animals (digital animals)?

I don't especially want to play this game and I obviously do not support dog fighting but I am quite worried as a game developer in general when censorship of any degree starts happening. I realize this may be me blowing this out of proportion but I just wanted to get take a poll and see how much I am.

I for one would like the right to be able make a game like GTA (Much worse than Dog Wars) without having to worry about being able to sell it in the standard market.

Anyone?

 

[sonofaresiii]

google is a private company and has every right to decide what is and isn't released on their market. I'm happy that they have the degree of freedom they do-- they could be like Apple (or worse, RIM) and pull ANY competing products.

Nothing's stopping developers from releasing the game themselves outside of the market (amazon's done just that) and nothing's stopping you from not using the market. Google offers convenience and a built-in audience-- that's what you get for paying the price of allowing them to censor whatever they want.

Capitalism, woo!

 

[BSG75]

google is a private company and has every right to decide what is and isn't released on their market. I'm happy that they have the degree of freedom they do-- they could be like Apple (or worse, RIM) and pull ANY competing products.

Nothing's stopping developers from releasing the game themselves outside of the market (amazon's done just that) and nothing's stopping you from not using the market. Google offers convenience and a built-in audience-- that's what you get for paying the price of allowing them to censor whatever they want.

Capitalism, woo!

Right. Censorship and free speech are issues relating to how governments react to their population. They have nothing to do with the practices of private companies and consumers. It's Google's right to drop any app they want, even it it doesn't break their own terms of service. That is their right. Sure, they are coming off as less open and that ruffle's a lot of feathers. They had to make a choice.

Amazon can sell it if they want, or the developer can sell it via some other method.

Thinking about this philosophically, if it bothers you that Android is not 100%, completely open, then this is bad for you. I don't think I need them to be 100%, completely open, though. The market and platform has shown itself to be very open, with this being an extreme example that got an extreme reaction. I'm OK with this level of filtering. The platform is still open enough that you can install the app yourself (I don't think they are zapping it from phones. I would not support that type of action) if you buy/get it elsewhere.

 

[NoSpin]

Google has the right to pull anything from their market. But they also acknowledge the right for you to install anything you want. So they let you sideload apks.

 

[Verdes8891]

The app was in extremly poor taste. Was it the developers right to create it? Yes. Was it googles right to pull it from the market? Yes.

 

[KSmithInNY]

Not the first time, won't be the last.

 

[Chrisy]

I'm glad it's gone. I don't believe in much, but I'm against animal cruelty in real time or portrayed.

 

[Dark Wizard Matoya]

I say good riddance. I'm all for free speech but I also love animals and this app was in such poor taste it's beyond words.

 

[kilofoxtrot]

It never ceases to amaze me just how many people misunderstand/misapply censorship/free speech.

 

[Jalarm]

I am not a fan of animal fighting nor have I played this game, but I think it being pulled is wrong. It's a game, if you don't like it don't download it, it's not going to come back at night and haunt you. If you don't like it don't let it in your life, but if you wanna play have a good time. It's cruel, but for the last time it's a video game people.

 

[ls377]

I am not a fan of animal fighting nor have I played this game, but I think it being pulled is wrong. It's a game, if you don't like it don't download it, it's not going to come back at night and haunt you. If you don't like it don't let it in your life, but if you wanna play have a good time. It's cruel, but for the last time it's a video game people.

I used to agree with this (just quoting you so I don't have to retype it), but I've been thinking, and I'm glad it was pulled. I'm all for freedom of choice, but the fact is we have that anyway with the ability to sideload. I guarantee you that any app that gets pulled can be found with a simple Google search (oh, the irony ). Because we have this, I think Google can keep the market somewhat clean and still keep things open.

I despise censorship, but the fact that Google has given us a legal way to get around it with no hacking involved makes it worthwhile.

 

[Jalarm]

I used to agree with this (just quoting you so I don't have to retype it), but I've been thinking, and I'm glad it was pulled. I'm all for freedom of choice, but the fact is we have that anyway with the ability to sideload. I guarantee you that any app that gets pulled can be found with a simple Google search (oh, the irony ). Because we have this, I think Google can keep the market somewhat clean and still keep things open.

I despise censorship, but the fact that Google has given us a legal way to get around it with no hacking involved makes it worthwhile.

The side loading fact of it does make everything a lot fairer, but their is no reason to ban the app. Pocket Legends you can have birds, bears, and some rat type creature attack each other, yes it's animated but if someone wanted to make a big deal out of that app they could. People just can get bugs up their butt, it's the world not everyone will agree with everything that is in it, we just have to get used to it and live with it.

Sorry I am not trying to be an ass to anyone's opinions, but things like this just get obnoxious.

 

[ls377]

The side loading fact of it does make everything a lot fairer, but their is no reason to ban the app. Pocket Legends you can have birds, bears, and some rat type creature attack each other, yes it's animated but if someone wanted to make a big deal out of that app they could. People just can get bugs up their butt, it's the world not everyone will agree with everything that is in it, we just have to get used to it and live with it.

Sorry I am not trying to be an ass to anyone's opinions, but things like this just get obnoxious.

I agree. I wouldn't complain if PETA just vanished into thin air (seriously, the have an issue with the UGA mascot being in the heat at football games. First, he has an air conditioned house, and second, there are 92,000 humans in the same heat, some of us in black band uniforms dying of heat exhaustion. They can shove it. Sorry, mini rant). I just think Google needs to keep up appearances a bit. There's a lot of bad publicity involved with dogfighting (trust me, I watched an entire fan base turn on Mike Vick overnight), and Google wants nothing to do with that.

 

[Chrisy]

I'm a PETA member. I'll be watching the Market.

As for the mascot issue: the humans made the choice, the animals did not.

 

[srkmagnus]

google did good by pulling the application from the market. It's by no means censorship because the developer can distribute it through other means as already mentioned.

It's easy to say just don't download or play it. But with the popularity of the platform, policing who can download and play it is next to impossible. To Google, this issue is just as political as it is moral. They had no choice but to remove the application.

 

[r-nice]

There was nothing wrong with the app. As I understand it the game was basically Mafia Wars except with a dog fighting theme. I don't condone dog fighting but as someone stated in the comments in a story on Android Central - it's not like they made doggy Mortal Kombat. Do you people really believe this game promotes dog fighting? It's a damn game.

Why doesn't Google use it's power to clean up their trash, messy Market?

 

[Chrisy]

Google should be focusing on world hunger instead.

I'd be happy if just updated Google Talk.

 

[Verdes8891]

It never ceases to amaze me just how many people misunderstand/misapply censorship/free speech.

All i have got to say in regards to this statement is this.

Back when Call of Duty Black OPS was about to come out, here in illinois, it was up in arms wether or not it was going to be sold. IN the supreme court, it was being argued that video games that were too violent were going to be removed off the shelf within state limits. Games to be included being pulled would have been Call of Duty, Halo, Gears of War, Fallout, Donkey Kong, Super Mario (no i am not kidding about those last two) so on and so forth. Anything that portayed any cartoon or animated violence could not and would not be sold. Only games that were deemed family friendly could be sold, i.e DDR, Sports games, tv show games stuff like that.

HOWEVER, it was rulled by the supreme court that the video games in question are protected BY THE FIRST ADMENDMENT. For concerned parents that brought this to the courts attention, were told to be better parents and moniter what their children do.


Again, this app Dog wars is a very bad app, poor choice for development. But it was their choice to develop it and market it. But it was also Googles choice to pull it from their market in fear it would tarnish their reputation. But still, the app falls in being protected from prosocutuion. Who cares that it is about animal fights, IT IS A VIDEO GAME, YOU CAN GET OVER IT AND MOVE ON.

Rant over.

 

[Chrisy]

Well, no, I don't have to get over it. I can take action and help get it removed if I feel strongly about it. That's the beauty of it all.

 

[Verdes8891]

Just because you feel strongly about it, doesnt mean your word is law. There are thousands of things in the world that are going to be worse then a video game, let alone an app for a phone. Why not put your time and energy into doing something about that stuff instead?

And no i am not saying that you dont have a right to your own opinoin, becasue i have my own as well. But to continue complaining about this app is pointless seeing as it is already removed from the market.