Shake A Baby!

Maybe this is a further sign that I am immoral, evil, and going to burn in Hell (if Hell exists and actually isn't Redditch) but I find this game - about shaking babies - laugh out loud funny:

The iTunes description included the line: "See how long you can endure his or her adorable cries before you just have to find a way to quiet the baby down!"

Of course, it goes without saying that his game is in horrifically bad taste and you'd have to be one sick puppy to want to download it. But as a gimmicky bit of bad taste, it actually makes me smile. I admire the audacity of it, and think it really grabs attention.

Inevitably, the game has been generated a lot of protest:

Jetta Bernier, executive director of Massachusetts Citizens for Children, said: "I am disheartened that with this new application Apple is encouraging frustrated adults to shake infants, not only to end their crying, but to end their lives.

"There are many effective infant soothing strategies that adults can use to calm their fussy, crying babies. Shaking is not one of them," the Daily Telegraph reported her as saying.

And it is perfectly ok for people to complain about things they don't like. But I'd point out one important factor - technically Apple aren't "encouraging adults to shake infants." In fact, the game:

...also included a disclaimer: "Never shake a baby."

So it doesn't encourage people to shake babies. In the same way that a racing game doesn't encourage you to drive like a reckless Lewis Hamilton, a boxing game doesn't encourage you to go ten rounds with Ricky Hatton and a James Bond game doesn't encourage people to shoot foreigners in the face at close range with a silenced pistol. Perhaps it is difficult for Ms Bernier, but most people in this world can tell the difference between a game and reality.

But the game's been banned - something as inevitable as it is tedious. Not least because I'm now going to have spend a lot of my day looking for a copy of this game now it has been ripped off the App Store...