Everything about them is Polynesian,' he said. 'To claim they are not Pacific islanders is ridiculous.

Pacific academic Dr Malakai Koloamatangi, from New Zealand's Canterbury University, said he found Pocket God 'totally degrading'. 'I hope you don't decide to advertise your application in New Zealand or Australia because you will get a backlash of the same intensity.' 'How do you think people would react if you created a game where you were God and you could create and kill as many Mexicans as you wanted? Or Asians?' wrote Ms Howard, who lives in the US. The US creators Bolt Creative argue the game does not depict any particular nationality.īut Elaine Howard from the international Pacific Women's Information Network says that is 'ridiculous', and has sent a complaint to Bolt stating the game is an 'arrogant slap in the face to our people'. One review calls it 'an entertaining application that lets you explore multiple ways of tormenting your cute little islanders'. The game is described as making the player an 'all-powerful god that rules over the primitive islanders'.

Pocket God is one of the most heavily downloaded games in Apple's online store but indigenous groups have taken offence at the use of grass-skirted islanders who are set on fire and tossed to the sharks. A popular iPhone game that depicts the torture and murder of 'primitive islanders' has been labelled disgusting and degrading by Pacific people.

Pocket god game