Baby Shaker (lost banned iOS game; 2009): Difference between revisions
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'''Baby Shaker''' was a controversial game released on the App Store in 2009 by Sikalosoft for $0.99. As the name suggests, the game has you shake your | '''Baby Shaker''' was a controversial game released on the App Store in 2009 by Sikalosoft for $0.99. As the name suggests, the game has you shake your iPhone to stop a crying infant until two X marks appear on their eyes. | ||
==History== | ==History== | ||
The game was released on the App Store on April | The game was released on the App Store on April 21st, 2009. At 10:00 pm, a website called KRAPPS discovered the app and published an article on their website. They would later announce the article on Twitter. The following day at 9:18 am, a founder of a non-profit organization (Stop Shaken Baby Syndrome, Inc.) named Jennipher Dickens saw the article. She would later tweet about it and send the article for press release to 30,000 media companies about the game. | ||
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Unless someone with a messed up sense of humor still has the app installed on their old | Unless someone with a messed-up sense of humor still has the app installed on their old iPhone, all that is left of the game is one gameplay footage and a few screenshots. | ||
There are news articles and reports talking about the app that also exists. It even got its own section | There are news articles and reports talking about the app that also exists. It even got its own section on the iPhone page on the parody site, Encyclopedia Dramatica. | ||
Considering the app's treatment of the subject matter and how fast it was pulled from the App Store, it's safe to say that the game is lost. | Considering the app's treatment of the subject matter and how fast it was pulled from the App Store, it's safe to say that the game is lost. | ||
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|description1 =Gameplay footage of the app in action. | |description1 =Gameplay footage of the app in action. | ||
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| | |description2 =A news report about the game and it's controversy. | ||
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Revision as of 21:19, 25 May 2022
This article has been tagged as NSFL due to its subject matter.
The game's description.
Status: Lost
Baby Shaker was a controversial game released on the App Store in 2009 by Sikalosoft for $0.99. As the name suggests, the game has you shake your iPhone to stop a crying infant until two X marks appear on their eyes.
History
The game was released on the App Store on April 21st, 2009. At 10:00 pm, a website called KRAPPS discovered the app and published an article on their website. They would later announce the article on Twitter. The following day at 9:18 am, a founder of a non-profit organization (Stop Shaken Baby Syndrome, Inc.) named Jennipher Dickens saw the article. She would later tweet about it and send the article for press release to 30,000 media companies about the game.
Once both the media and the public became aware of the app's existence, people were outraged. Many child advocacy groups accused the app of both making fun of and glorifying Shaken Baby Syndrome, a form of brain injury that occurs when a baby or a toddler is shaken (Ironic or not, the game was even released around the same time of Shaken Baby Syndrome Awareness Week and National Child Abuse Prevention Month). Several people even contacted Apple to remove the app, which they did.
Two days after the app was released, Apple pulled Baby Shaker from the App Store. They would later issue an apology in a Macworld interview with an Apple spokesperson with the following statement:
This application was deeply offensive and should not have been approved for distribution on the App Store. When we learned of this mistake, the app was removed immediately. We sincerely apologize for this mistake and thank our customers for bringing this to our attention.
Availability
Unless someone with a messed-up sense of humor still has the app installed on their old iPhone, all that is left of the game is one gameplay footage and a few screenshots. There are news articles and reports talking about the app that also exists. It even got its own section on the iPhone page on the parody site, Encyclopedia Dramatica.
Considering the app's treatment of the subject matter and how fast it was pulled from the App Store, it's safe to say that the game is lost.
Gallery
An off-color review of the game on the app's page.
Screenshot of the app (1/3).
Screenshot of the app (2/3).
Screenshot of the app (3/3).
KRAPPS' tweet about the article.
Jennipher's retweet of KRAPPS' article, sharing their disgust of the game.
A different user's retweet of the same article sharing the same opinion.
A message showing that the app has been removed (1/2).
A message showing that the app has been removed (2/2).
References
KRAPPS article about the game. Retrieved 25 May '22
KRAPPS article talking about the backlash and aftermath. Retrieved 25 May '22
News article featuring an apology from a spokesperson. Retrieved 25 May '22
NBC article about the game. Retrieved 25 May '22
An article detailing how the game inspired an SBS prevention effort. Retrieved 25 May '22
An article detailing how the game inspired an SBS prevention effort. Retrieved 25 May '22
Encyclopedia Dramatica article about the IPhone that features a section about the game and the events surrounding it. Retrieved 25 May '22