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Pocket God

Name: Pocket God
Item: Pocket God
Rating: 4
Author: Carla Thornton

App review by

Carla Thornton, Common Sense Media

Common Sense says

age 14+

(i)

Torture and kill cartoon characters. Teens and up only.

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Popular with kids

Parents say

age 12+

Based on 1 review

Kids say

age 9+

Based on 27 reviews

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A lot or a little?

The parents' guide to what's in this app.

Educational Value

Pocket God wasn't created with educational intent, and we don't recommend it for learning.

Ease of Play

It's pretty easy to figure out how various flicks and taps affect the pygmies. Check the tutorials for the less intuitive stuff, such as how to summon the T-Rex. (You have to drop its egg so a baby hatches and cries).

Violence

The point of the game is to torture and kill the cartoon characters that look human. They can be flicked into active volcanoes, drowned, fed to sharks, and skewered with spears, among other horrible fates. The victims are only animations but their terrified expressions and limp bodies can be disturbing. They can be burned and turned to ashes.

Sex

A .99 "dance" pack updates the game with a fan dance and a "pants drop" dance in which the pygmies show a smidgen of extra skin.

Language

The clever episode titles sometimes can be a bit naughty. e.g. "Great Job Ice Hole."

Consumerism

One link, buried in a menu, leads to a list of the game's 99-cent customization packs. These are mostly different skins for the T-Rex but recently they've added weapons and a dance pack. To buy other games through Pocket God, players have to join the OpenFeint social gaming network.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that POCKET GOD is the high-tech equivalent of frying ants with a magnifying glass. The object of the game is to torture cute pygmies living on a tropical island inside your phone. As they suffer tsunamis, shark attacks, and other natural disasters initiated by your finger flicks, the cartoon characters tremble and cry. Alternatively, you can make them dance happily. However, empathy is not the goal. This isn't a good choice for very young or impressionable kids.

User Reviews

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Teen, 14 years old Written byBrainChild101 June 2, 2011

age 12+

Fun Game, Just Not Right For Everyone

Pocket God is a game for the adventurous preteen (or teen, or, yes, adult) who would sometimes like to mess around with the lives of a few little guys who aren... Continue reading

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Kid, 11 years old August 1, 2011

age 7+

BEST APP EVER CREATED!

Funny app! But if you make an earthquake and the people fall down the crack. They land in a lava place. So I think it's-- you know what I mean!

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Is it any good?

Pocket God makes brilliantly evil use of the accelerometer to rain misery on an innocent tribe of cartoon islanders. Shake the phone to start an earthquake and knock the pygmies off their feet. Flick a dark cloud to make lightning strike. Game updates, called episodes, bring creative new ways to play God so you never get bored with old torture methods. When you've wiped out one batch of pygmies, tap a button to drop down new victims to do with as you please. This game is extremely clever and frequently disturbing, giving a whole new meaning to guilty pleasure. Not recommended for tweens or sensitive kids.

App details

Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
Skills: Responsibility & Ethics: following codes of conduct, integrity, respect for others
Creativity: imagination
Price: $0.99
Release date: January 9, 2009
Category: Entertainment
Publisher: Bolt Creative, Inc.
Version: 1.29

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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

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Pocket God

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User Reviews

Fun Game, Just Not Right For Everyone

BEST APP EVER CREATED!

Is it any good?

App details

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For kids who love Family-friendly game apps

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