Racist Mobile Game “Dirty Chinese Restaurant” Called Off

A mobile game called Dirty Chinese Restaurant has been called off when a US Congresswoman intervened into the fiasco. The game developed by Big-O-Tree games has had the game development and promotion halted due to the negative implication of the title. The title of the game has been called for racist portrayals of Asian-Americans which caused the halt.

On their website, Big-O-Tree has issued an apology stating that they have decided to listen to public opinion and stop the release of the game. Further stating that they sincerely apologize to the Chinese community and wished to assure them that the game was not created with the intention to inflict harm and malice against the Chinese culture.

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While the official trailers of the game have been removed from YouTube, there has been archived copies of the game showing two Asian caricatures named Wang Fu and Wong Fu to be managing a restaurant with stray animals meat and produce from trash cans. It was also depicted that they were being threatened by immigration officials to be deported.

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The developing studio’s motto, “Because being politically correct is so… boring”, might want to change it for the betterment of their image due to their first failed project that was led by a community activist Karlin Chan which called the attention of the game on Twitter after discovering the trailer. Which then in turn got the attention of Grace Meng, a Democratic Congresswoman representing parts of Queens, New York. Soon the news was widespread all over with additional condemnation from the Asian-American community.

Meng wrote as quoted, “This game uses every negative and demeaning stereotype that I have ever come across as a Chinese American, I fear that prejudice against and othering of Asian Americans remain a form of racism that is too frequently brushed off and tacitly accepted… I urge Google, Apple, Android, and any other platform to not carry the game Dirty Chinese Restaurant, or any other game that glorifies in hurting any community.”

Then later Big-O-Tree tried to defend his work before being shut down and said, “Our game is mainly satire and comedy influenced by the classic politically incorrect shows we grew up watching, such as South Park, All in the Family, Sanford & Son, Family Guy, Simpsons, and Chappelle’s Show.” Not giving up, they further stated, “We also listen to Jay-Z. Our game in no way is meant to be an accurate representation of Chinese culture.”

It was not the first time this has happened apparently. There was a similar controversy over another game called Smuggle Truck, which is a physics-based game about transporting illegal immigrants over the border. There has been guidelines and rules set by Apple’s App Store guidelines and Google Play’s Restricted Content guidelines but apparently those have slipped past the mobile game studio.