Google pulls ‘slavery simulator’ video game after outrage

The “slavery simulator”, a video game that allowed to buy, sell and even torture black characters, was removed by Google from its application store after sparking an outcry across Brazil. The application was deleted on Wednesday May 24, according to BFMTV. This withdrawal will not allow Google to escape Brazilian justice, which has opened an investigation for “hate speech” against this application. Since its release on April 20, the game has been downloaded by more than a thousand people.

In this app, Escravidão Simulator (in Portuguese), players were invited to “use slaves to get rich” or at “to avoid the abolition of slavery to accumulate money”. The application instructions explained that the game had “was designed for entertainment purposes only” and that its creators “condemned all types of slavery”.

Brazil calls on Google for “effective measures”

After removing the game from its PlayStore, Google assured that “apps that promote violence or hatred against groups of people or individuals because of their skin color or ethnicity” were prohibited there. The company has also invited Internet users to denounce any illegal content. For its part, the Ministry of Racial Equality said it had complained to Google “effective measures to filter content containing hate speech, intolerance and racism”And “to prevent them from spreading so easily, without moderation”.

Racism is still very present in Brazil, the last American country to have abolished slavery in 1888. More than 56% of its population is made up of Afro-descendants. “Brazil is one of the countries with the most consumers on Google platforms, and there is this application that recalls the days of slavery, with bonuses for those who torture the most”lambasted Renata Souza, left-wing regional deputy for Rio de Janeiro.