A mobile game which involves users pretending to be an Israeli militant bombing Gaza has been removed from the Google Play store. The app, “Bomb Gaza” which was made for Android devices by PlayFTWad obtained more than 1,000 downloads since its release on 29 July 2014. The game however is still available on Facebook, but so far there is no information whether the game has been reported yet, which is a requirement for the game to be taken down by Facebook.
The gameplay simulates dropping bombs from an Israeli jet onto Hamas militants wearing all black and a green bandana while avoiding civilians. The game triggered controversy among many, prompting outrage with the title. Somehow, the game has a low maturity level, which means kids were also encouraged to play that game.
While Google does not comment on specific apps, a spokesperson said, “we remove apps from Google Play that violate our policies”. Specifically, the game violated two Google Developer Program Policies, which disallows:
- Violence and Bullying: Depictions of gratuitous violence are not allowed. Apps should not contain materials that threaten, harass or bully other users.
- Hate Speech: We don’t allow content advocating against groups of people based on their race or ethnic origin, religion, disability, gender, age, veteran status, or sexual orientation/gender identity.
“Bomb Gaza” was not the only game removed from the Google Play Store. Another app called “Gaza Assault: Code Red”, which received a 5 stars rating, was also removed. On the other hand, “Iron Dome” which was released on 30 July by gamytech, an Israeli game developer, is still available for download.
