Available for $.99 in the iTunes App Store, “Pocket God” has had more than 1.4 million downloads according to the game’s public relations firm, Triplepoint PR. The game allows players to play the role of  a god over pygmies on an island and make decisions helping the inhabitants to live or die. In March it topped Apple’s top paid app for the third week in a row.  

Designed by a two-man team of Bolt Creative, Allan Dye and Dave Castelnuevo said they created the game for simplicity and attractive animation. In their blog for the game the pair said they were surprised the game caught on, and so they made a trial version and in January submitted their finished product.

“Pocket God” is a simulation game where the inhabitants are subject to players’ actions. The game consists of small islanders who have four themes to live on: island with a coconut tree, another island theme with dinosaurs, a graveyard where pygmies can die and turn into zombies and ghosts and an underwater theme with piranas and sharks. On each theme there are different settings that provide entertainment, like a fishing pole or firewood to teach the pygmies to make fire. Pygmies can also be harmed. Each theme has several hazards to watch out for, from sharks that scoop pygmies off land to lightning that can electrocute the pygmies. The pygmies can be named and six can be in a scene at once. Weather can be simulated, and at night the pygmies stop what they’re doing and lay down to sleep; when it’s sunny again they wake up. With the iPod touch’s accelerometer an earthquake can be simulated by shaking the iPod. When pygmies die or if they seem lonely there is an add button to add more. With each update a new theme title hints at the added feature.  

Ryan Rhinebarger, junior in English, said the game would not be of interest to him because it costs money.

“I just got my iPhone so I’m still new to the different games, but that doesn’t sound like something I would pay for,” he said.

Players get congratulated when they reach a high score of split coconuts or pygmies eaten by piranas, but the game does not focus only on mutilation.

Early reviews said the game was fun but quickly got boring. The developers decided to add new animations with each update of the game to allow players to continue enjoying the game and to entice new downloads.  

iPod touch owner Hasani Eidenberger, a freshman in political science, said the game would not interest him.  

“That’s not really my kind of game, it sounds too boring, I like more action,” he said.