Update: Google removes video game using Gaza as backdrop

To say that Camden and the Gaza strip could best be described as war-torn areas would be an understatement – albeit in different degrees.

Camden has been classified as one of the most crime ridden cities in America – and with the plethora of news coming out of the Middle East, without getting into the politics of the region, Gaza has seen its share of violence of late.

But now game manufactures have taken it upon themselves to use these 2 locales as backdrops for their newest games.

In the latest installment of the “Watch Dogs” series, the setting is Camden. As you can imagine, this has some of the locals while others think it’s a good thing.

According to myfoxphilly.com:

Along Cooper Plaza, a neighborhood on the rebound, people are not taking kindly to yet another slap at their city's reputation.

"It makes us look bad. It makes us look very bad, because it's not like that. People just forget about us out here. This is a good community. Got good people here,” said one resident.

"Bad publicity is better than no publicity at all. And you're getting bad publicity that's good for us,” said Community Activist Angel Cordero.

But it doesn't end there.

Google Play has entered the fray by offering one that will ignite feelings on both sides. Called ‘Bomb Gaza’ – it’s a side scrolling game where the object is to, according rawstory.com: drop bombs and avoid killing civilians.

However since the original blog was posted, NBC reported that the game has been removed from its Play Store.

The move came after a flurry of outraged comments posted to Google’s app store review page and elsewhere. The game had been downloaded about 1,000 times since its July 29 launch, according to Britain's Guardian newspaper.

"Bomb Gaza," developed by PlayFTW, was still available Monday on Facebook. The game simulates the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Islamist group Hamas, which dominates the Palestinian territory.

Players drop bombs from a fighter jet while dodging missiles from Hamas fighters in black and green masks. "We remove apps from Google Play that violate our policies," a Google spokesperson said in a statement to NBC News. Google has rules that prohibit content that amounts to hate speech, bullying and violence and lets users flag abusive content. Masahable reported that Google also removed a second game, “Gaza Assault: Code Red,” which allowed users to target terrorist cells hidden within Gaza.

While video game manufacturers have used American cities as the backdrop for their games (Grand Theft Auto Miami for one); how do you feel about a video game that uses Gaza as a backdrop?