Brian X Chen
Gear

School-Shooting iPhone Game Removed From App Store

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Update 3 p.m. PDT: Developer Retarded Arts posted a statement regarding the removal of Zombie School: “Zombie School is not promoting school shooting; it’s rather promoting elimination of zombies to protect the humans.”

Apple appears to have banned Zombie School, an iPhone game that involved shooting zombie students on an infected campus.

This morning, Zombie School was stirring controversy among some blogs, who found the game’s content potentially offensive. But as of 10:30 a.m. PDT, the game was no longer available for download.

3739255753_d451cdcbefApple did not immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment on the app’s disappearance.

Developed by Retarded Arts, Zombie School‘s game description reads:

Your local campus has been infected by the Zombie Virus!!! Every one is infected!!! Will you run or will you fight to eliminate all the Zombies? We figured, you would like to fight? We figured, you would like to fight? You have the control over the Zombie shooting tower that your supporters have made you. Starting with a single bow and arrow start eliminating the Zombies. As you progress, you can buy Grenades, Gun or even upgrade your bow to shoot double or triple arrow at a time!

Apple’s initial approval of Zombie School highlights the company’s inconsistent policy regarding applications submitted to the App Store. For the most part, Apple has leaned on the conservative side with its App Store, rejecting apps containing profanity or defamation of public figures. But occasionally, Apple has let some questionable apps slip by, such as Baby Shaker, a game whose objective was to shake a baby to death — which the company later banned amid parental outrage.

One wonders whether Retarded Arts is familiar enough with the stories of the Columbine and Virginia Tech shootings to foresee that Zombie School would inevitably strike an unpleasant chord among some iPhone customers. The developer was not immediately available for comment.

Most interesting is the story that Retarded Arts posted about Zombie School‘s approval. The developer claims the game originally involved shooting Wall Street bankers, but Apple rejected the app because of its content. Then, Retarded Arts revised the app, changing the targets into zombie students instead, and the app was approved, the developer claimed on the “news” tab of its website:

Apple didn’t like the Idea and rejected the game, they said its Objectionable. We still don’t know why. But Anyhow, a great man has said – “I have been hurt, but have not been slain; I should lay myself down and bleed a little, then I’ll rise and fight again.” This is exactly what we did at Retarded Arts… we created Zombie School!

If the developer’s story is true, it’s strange that Apple would approve a game that involved shooting students (zombie or not) while rejecting the idea of killing bankers. Also notable is that there is a game approved in the App Store called Squash the $treet, whose premise is to kill bankers — by squashing them with your finger rather than gunfire.

Here at Gadget Lab we’re undecided on whether we find Zombie School offensive, given its cartooney, absurdist nature. How do you feel about the app’s content and its fate? Submit your comments and vote in the poll below.

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