Video Game News: The Binding of Isaac rejected by Apple because of "child abuse"

Published February 8, 2016

If you never played the Binding of Isaac then you might be shocked at what goes on in the game. Its story is loosely based on the biblical tale of Abraham who was commanded by God to sacrifice his son, Isaac, as a test of faith. In the game, Isaac’s mother gets commanded by God to strip him of all of his possessions, lock him in his room and ultimately sacrifice him in his name. The story is way more complex than that, branching out to multiple threads and revelations, but that is the basic premise. Additionally the game is littered with horrible monstrosities and morally wonky shit that would make you gasp a little if you’re offended by such things.

In any case, it’s fair to say that the game isn’t very kid friendly. The game ran into some trouble with Nintendo long ago who didn’t want to put the game up on their eShop because they didn’t agree with the game’s religious and violent content. Ultimately that was resolved, but now a new issue has befallen the messed up roguelike.

The developers want to publish the game on the Apple AppStore, but it was rejected due to “child abuse”. This tweet by Tyrone Rodriguez says it all:

C'mon, wtf… Apple pic.twitter.com/aEygkjqH2b

— Tyrone Rodriguez (@tyronerodriguez) February 7, 2016

In fairness, the game does depict some child abuse, but not at a level where it is unacceptable. Rodriguez further stated that Apple has allowed games such as The Walking Dead that depicted abuse done to children. It’s a massive grey area and not one party is completely right or wrong. We will have to wait and see if this claim will be challenged at all and if some agreement can be reached.

Honestly I’m surprised that it was child abuse that got the game flagged. This game can get incredibly twisted at times and when I heard the game was flagged, I certainly didn’t think it was because of child abuse. The Binding of Isaac is one of my favourite games to spectate and also an incredibly made game. It would be great if they could expand to more platforms so that more people can play it.

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MG Thabo

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Marko has played way too many games, listened to way too many metal albums and is probably taller than you. He is a qualified language and communication practitioner and likes to write about the good things in gaming.