Google has pulled a game simulating the slave trade
Google’s decision to withdraw the problematic game app is likely due to the case of Brazilian footballer Vinicius Junior, who recently spoke out against repeated racial slurs. US internet company Google has pulled a game app called Slavery Simulator, which allowed people to play slave traders and even torture them. This was reported by the BBC.
The game app was on offer for about a month and was downloaded by about 1,000 people before it was withdrawn this week. It received four out of a possible five stars in the rating. “Great game, but I think it offers few torture options,” one user wrote, according to the BBC.
The game has sparked widespread outrage on Brazilian social media and has been criticised by politicians there. Many have called on technology companies to do more to control the internet offering.
AFP said racism was still a big problem in Brazil. The largest Latin American country was the last to abolish slavery in the Americas, in 1888. More than half its population is Afro-Brazilian. Brazil’s Ministry of Racial Equality has called on Google to take measures to filter internet content that contains hateful comments. The “slave” app is also being investigated by prosecutors.
Google said in a statement that it does not allow apps that “promote violence or incite hatred against persons or groups based on race or ethnicity”. Magnus Games, the development studio that created the “slave game”, did not respond to a BBC query. The game’s description said it was “for entertainment purposes only” and that the studio condemns any form of slavery.
Brazilian football striker Vinícius Júnior was the target of racist abuse in Sunday’s game in Valencia for the second time this season, and on Twitter on Monday branded the Spanish league and the country as racist. In response, the Brazilian government called on Spanish authorities to punish those responsible for the attacks against the footballer. In a sign of solidarity with the footballer, the lights on Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Christ the Saviour statue were also switched off for an hour on Monday.
Source, photo: bbc.com
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