Silly: Apple bans immigration game “Smuggle Truck,” becomes “Snuggle Truck”

What’s more offensive?

A game called “Smuggle Truck: Operation Immigration” in which gameplay centers upon smuggling virtual Mexicans into the US for iPod, iPhone and iPad? Or the fact that since the app wasn’t approved, it was renamed “Snuggle Truck,” and the Mexicans in the game were replaced with teddy bears?

Actually, neither is all that offensive in context, but it was pretty much a given the app wouldn’t make it past Apple’s strict and somewhat arbitrary apps approval process. Game developer Alex Schwartz described the controversy to press:

“Smuggle Truck” caused controversy earlier this year when immigration advocacy groups took exception to a trailer for the game, featuring a truck racing to carry cartoon immigrants through obstacles and over a border. Schwartz said the controversy was based on the release of an early YouTube trailer, which didn’t properly convey the game’s satire.

If the iTunes version of “Snuggle Truck” sounds too tame for you, the game’s developers also released the fully offensive original version for Mac and PC yesterday. Original “Smuggle Truck” even has a “legal immigration” mode, but according to Kotaku, it takes “19 years worth of waiting to beat.”