It seems that the Apple App Store passed up a perfectly good learning opportunity by rejecting HappyPlayTime, a game that teaches women how to masturbate. The game, described as “a sex education game whose aim is to eliminate the stigma around female masturbation,” was rejected by Apple based on its concept. The game’s creator Tina Gong goes into more detail on HappyPlayTime‘s official blog:
Today I got a solemn call from our reviewer who told me that HPT would not be allowed on the app store, even with a 17+ rating.
The reason given was that “the concept was not something that Apple wants to go forward with.”
I knew I was taking a chance with building the game natively but I was optimistic, as our app was created with a mission and with the best of intentions. The reviewer herself sounded sympathetic, but it seemed like it wasn’t something she could control.Just so everyone is clear about the rejection, It’s not a technical issue. It’s content.
It’s not too shocking that a body-positive game about masturbation would be rejected by Apple, but it’s incredibly disappointing. The App Store isn’t exactly shy about including games with sexual content, so what problem would they have with a game teaching healthy attitudes towards masturbation? In any case, the decision is final, so it looks like HappyPlayTime will have to look elsewhere.
How do you feel about Apple rejecting HappyPlayTime? Let us know in the comments.
