Rescue the Anorexia Girl, marketed by Nevada-based SmartTouchMedia and available to purchase on the Amazon app store, was similar to a whack-a-mole game.
But, instead of hitting a mole as it pops out of a hole, players were asked to toss food at ‘anorexia girl’ in a bid to ‘keep her alive’.
Yes, really.
According to reports, the game description on the Amazon product page read: “Skinny girl needs your help to get fatter!
“Feed her with different goodies - sweet and regular - cakes, chicken, pastry, sandwiches and etc.
“The thing is that anorexia girl may not want to eat all these yummy things. Weird… that’s why you are to feed her!”
It allegedly continued: “HOW TO PLAY: The game mechanic is the same as in whack a beaver games — tap to give the girl a cake. Every time you miss the girl loses weight. So, be careful and don't let the girl die!”
Unsurprisingly, this disturbing concept quickly led to a furious backlash on Twitter.
Brian Cuban, who suffered from eating disorders, wrote on his blog: “The science of eating disorders is firm. They are biologically based and not a choice. Simply feeding “anorexia girl” isn’t going to cure anything.
“Eating Disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.
“Games such as this play into stereotypes and stigma which could cause someone not to seek help.”
Following the backlash, the page has since been removed from the Amazon site.
One of their representatives gave the following statement to The Independent: "All apps in the Amazon App Store must adhere to our content guidelines and the app in question is no longer available from our store."