Apple: "If You Want To Criticize Religion, Write a Book"

[briankoontz]

It makes me sad that so many companies spend years taking risks and exploring new ideas... for the right to play it safe. Remember the 1984 ad? That ad is really awkward nowadays.

Never trust a corporation to have artistic integrity. The almighty dollar usually proves far more powerful an influence, and controlling the consumer to the greatest possible extent to maximize those dollar inflows is the preferred technique.

Game developers we (well, I can only speak for myself) respect like CD Projekt Red, Valve, Gearbox, and Derek Yu all have the potential to turn on us, just as Bioware lost their heart after being bought by EA.

Many artists sell out when they feel they have lost the ability to create great works, justifying the selling out by thinking that "this is for all the times when I sacrificed so much to produce something which gained me so little compensation". Warren Spector's move to Disney may well have followed such a thought.

This is partially why the corporate publisher system needs to be dismantled and game developers need to be funded directly by consumers. This won't create a utopian paradise, but it will help greatly.

Never trust a corporation.

 

[Milanezi]

as much as most books and movies do.

You had me until that point. I think you're overestimating the depth of the majority of the literary market. I'll repeat the same for film, too.

And you got me there, indeed I OVERestimated both markets. BUT, I was thinking of great respectable works which study the subject deeply before writing it down, not the usual bestseller that tends to be filled with "conspiracies" or "undeniable facts". Same goes for movies, even more so I dare say.

 

[Zeren]

This has solidified my decision to buy an Android the next time I buy a phone.

 

[Ishal]

And that's why I've been ranting about fucking Steve Jobs and Apple for neigh on 10 years.

Nice going, all you consumerist sheep who bought their products. Think different my ass. None of you ever thought an independent thought. You just wanted the shinies.

Right right, because I bought something that you don't approve of, I'm a sheep. Could you be any more insulting. God, sheep is turning into such a generic buzzword that it's slowly losing all meaning.

That being said, Apple IS basically saying that they're going to be a nanny state now, so maybe you can see where people are coming from in this case?

either way it seems rather strange that they're now trying to close the barn door years after it would have made any difference, as if now they suddenly have standards or something

They're saying that they're not going to let some apps onto the app store based on their own judgement, but didn't people get angry at Valve for letting that crappy zombie game onto Steam? And considering how just about everyone who calls people who buy apple products "sheep" considering that I'm very content with my Ipod, you'll forgive me if I'm a little less than sympathetic towards them. It's not like Apple has a monopoly on computers, smart phones and tablets, there's plenty of others out there, and I like what I get from Apple. God, every single time I go onto the Escapist the less I want to be here, I only ever get insulted here for (not being a PC gamer/buying from Apple/not being an atheist/not jumping on the backs of video game companies for every last little mistake they make). Really, coming on here is slowly turning into a miserable experience.

I won't call them sheep, even thought I don't dispute what the people who have responded to you are saying, I get that it is tiresome to read.

I'll try to be diplomatic here.

Apple has a very sound business strategy that allows it to succeed. It firmly controls its supply chain and decides pretty much everything that goes into its products. That aspect upsets some people.

On the topic of "sheep" it might not be palatable to hear...but there is a degree of truth to it.

I'm not one to judge people on what they want to purchase. If they want to go buy apple products, fine. However, you can discern aspects of the marketing from what you see consumers buying. What does an apple product look like? White/silver usually, sleek modern and generally aesthetically pleasing. A convenient piece of tech to use right? But it is also very simple to use... the big picture icons on tablets and on the macbooks I always see. Everything is streamlined... you not good with tech? doesn't matter! buy apple! Its easy to use! So now you have a lot of people buying your product who probably don't know as much as others might about technology and computers etc. There is no problem here..there is no rule saying that you need to be a computer expert to buy whatever you want. But it usually doesn't hurt to have some knowledge about it right?

Many people don't like Apple because it (and Steve Jobs) are heralded as such colossal innovators and trend setters of our generation, when it is not entirely true. They have taken ideas from Android and from lots of other places, yet they can get away with making such claims of innovation because they market their products to people who don't know much about computers/tablets/phones etc and just want something easy... and yes..."shiny" to use.

"Picaso had a saying, good artists copy, great artists steal, and we have always been shameless about stealing great ideas" - Steve Jobs

 

[TheMadJack]

Oh Crapple, you never cease to amaze me. Neither have you ever let me down when I needed a solid chuckle. I bought the first generation iPod Touch because I thought it was cool and I needed a music player. I still own it and it still plays when asked to.

Control freak indeed to limit what apps are available.

With that being said, I kindly demand you delete the source code and any distribution packages of the godawful iTunes, QuickTime and the vast majority of the software you write as they cross the line concerning stability, bloatware and general usability. To me using those is like being forced to listen to a religious zealot.

(If you want to reply saying that I'm under no obligation to use said software, then I failed to impart the sarcasm I intended)

 

[Serrenitei]

I think this gets to be a pretty slippery slope, and (clearly) a controversial position for Apple to take. This kind of "we know better than you" attitude is ultimately what caused me to abandon Apple products altogether. I don't want a company making content choices about what I can and cannot have on my phone. Quality requirements are totally understandable, and I think that's probably a weakness of the Android eco-system. But I'll take some lower quality over getting to make my own choices about what's moral.

Personally, the "Go write a book" comment kinda infuriates me, a lot. It suggests that games, more than can't, shouldn't tackle complicated, controversial issues. As much as I hate to admit it, the AppStore eco-system accounts for a large part of gaming in the current gaming culture, and I really think this kind of "only non-sensical games can be our system" does more to hinder the medium than anything else than help Apple's case here.

I'm surprised that more people aren't bristling at the threat--the "if you get rejected and go to the press with it, it's not going to help you." I mean, that's pretty harsh. Beyond pretty harsh, that's borderline extortion harsh. They essentially imply that if you go to the press with a decision you don't agree with, things won't go well for you in the appeals panel. One can't help but wonder about future games submitted from the same developer -- does that veiled threat extend to other games from the same dev?

The whole policy smacks of ego and hubris. I think Apple will eventually regret taking such a hard lined stance.

 

[MASTACHIEFPWN]

Who writes books about se-
Oh wait.

But in all honesty, way to dismark creativity, apple. Boo fucking hoo, you have to deal with ameture hour when dealing with a technology that literally anyone can make something out of. Stop whining like a bunch of 2 year olds.

 

[Easton Dark]

I regret not getting an android ....I missed out on a snes emulator

Aye, you did. I much prefer playing Kirby Super Star Saga and soon to be Chrono Trigger than paying for whatever Apple shits out.

Also GBA emulator. Pokemon Emerald and Advance Wars baybee.

OT:

Whole reason I chose my android over an Iphone was because Apple seemed too controlling about what you could do with your phone. There ya go.

 

[Twilight_guy]

So you're going to let any old Joe shout bile in any forum of media other then games? You do know adults play games right? And that the media age of a game is in the 30s range right?

Games need to get the Trix bunny to do some advertisements. Have the commercial be "Trix are for kids, but games are for everyone, enjoy Mr. bunny"

 

[Gilhelmi]

Hmmm, LAWSUIT!!!

Too bad I am not developing anything, or I would ask the ACLJ to help me sue Apple for the right to publish.

 

[Saladfork]

I wouldn't even be so annoyed with Apple's policies of A) treating their customers like complete retards and B) insisting on complete control of your thing and every program you run on it, but they're rubbing off on other people now.

I think perhaps if windows 9 proves to be as terrible as 8, I will just permanently switch to Ubuntu or something and be done with all this bullshit.

 

[DrNeroCF]

Oh, so they are protecting the children because parents can't be bothered to set up parental control?

#@$% you, Apple! Who are you to decide where the line is, or if it exists at all?

The ones who made the device.

/thread

 

[Cat Cloud]

I'm really glad that Apple had the balls to law down the law in the most simple way possible. They don't want to put up with shitty apps or pretentious bullshit. They never said anything about games not being able to explore deeper themes. All Apple said was that they don't want their platform to be used as a soapbox for your religious or political preaching. And they are well within their rights to maintain that policy.

Agreed. People are acting as if other mediums aren't regulated similarly. Books have to be cleared through publishing houses (and there are different publishers for different genres), every song written ever doesn't immediately get published, etc. I would argue that regulating art/forms of medium is a good thing: it encourages people to work harder and perfect what they are trying to make. A book about a person rambling about religion won't get published unless it is well written.

I kind of think that people are overreacting to Apple's statement... If a good game gets rejected by Apple (which is mainstream, caters to more generalized interests), it can come to the internet.

Bottom line: The app store isn't the internet and can't be like it. The app store is a company who has to worry about its public image (an app store with tons of bad "merchandise" doesn't help). The internet has a community and its own ways of regulation (or choosing) what is good and what isn't worth anybody's time.

 

[the_real_seebs]

Any time people say "we think you'll know when you've crossed the line", and can't themselves articulate the line, that's a very good sign that the line is not real; they'll give inconsistent answers and they won't be able to evaluate them. I'm extra sensitive to this because I frequently have no idea at all what lines people think something crosses, and attempts to get them to explain what's wrong with it are usually met with evidence that they don't know either, and find the reminder of this infuriating.

 

[theultimateend]

And that's why I've been ranting about fucking Steve Jobs and Apple for neigh on 10 years.

Nice going, all you consumerist sheep who bought their products. Think different my ass. None of you ever thought an independent thought. You just wanted the shinies.

Right right, because I bought something that you don't approve of, I'm a sheep. Could you be any more insulting. God, sheep is turning into such a generic buzzword that it's slowly losing all meaning.

http://i.imgur.com/mZilZ.jpg
"I'm...meaningless ."

 

[Zenn3k]

Fuck the App Store.

I work with Apple every day, I do hardware repair the iMacs/Macbook Pro's/etc. I don't even own an iPhone anymore, I have a Galaxy S3 and love it. I don't want the limitations imposed via unjust censorship.

 

[Snotnarok]

Apple being it's usual restrictive self.

Overall why do we need censorship? Offensive material doesn't need to be filtered out when there's a clear way to avoid it. Do you not like blood and gore? Well it's labeled on the back of the box so if that's the case then just don't buy it.
It seems to boil down to "I don't think anyone should see this, so it shouldn't be sold" and then they just force that on others.

 

[gamernerdtg2]

I'm really glad that Apple had the balls to law down the law in the most simple way possible. They don't want to put up with shitty apps or pretentious bullshit. They never said anything about games not being able to explore deeper themes. All Apple said was that they don't want their platform to be used as a soapbox for your religious or political preaching. And they are well within their rights to maintain that policy.

Yes. This.

To me, games are primarily entertainment. When you start integrating other mediums it can become frustrating, and in some cases the games are terrible. On the one hand, I am a gamer and I get the frustrations of gamers. On the other hand, gamers have super thin skin, and can be just as polarized as the anti-violent game crowd. It's an interesting thing to watch.

 

[ConanThe3rd]

Huh, it's almost as if they want to cater elusively to gated America these days.