Published 18:18 IST, March 2nd 2020
China bans mobile game 'Plague Inc' from app stores amidst Coronavirus outbreak
China's CDC has recently banned a top game, Plague Inc from its App Store. The game developer opened about the same. People suspect a connection with COVID-19.
China has recently banned the hyperrealistic epidemic simulation mobile game "Plague Inc" from its App Store. The game is designed to allow users to create and evolve systematic pathogens that could destroy the world in the game.
Why did China ban Plague Inc from its App Store?
While China and other countries around the globe are battling against Coronavirus, the country has banned Plague Inc from its App Store as regulators found the content in the game offensive to their laws. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) has not yet revealed the reason for removing the game app but the game developer has recently opened up about his concerns regarding the same.
The US Centers for Disease Control had lauded the game for teaching the public about the outbreak and transmission of disease to raise public awareness on epidemiology, disease transmission, and diseases/pandemic information.
The Game developer, James Vaughan, of Ndemic creations said in an interview that his game app has been doing great around the world and it has been in the top list of many organisations including CDC. He said that they have no idea if the ban is related to recent health problems emerging in China but they have been working with a major global organisation to support the country in their efforts to stop COVID-19.
The app developer also mentioned that they are trying to reach the Cyberspace Administration of China regarding the recent ban on their game app, Plague Inc and to find a solution to it. However, Daniel Ahmad, an analyst with gaming research from Niko Partners said in an interview that game might have been removed because of sensitive topics related to the Coronavirus. Avid gamers are hoping that the company comes in terms with CDC and the game can resume its course in China's App Store.
China has been dealing with massive loss of life due to the recent outbreak of the newly emerging virus COVID-19. Scientists around the globe are trying their best to find a remedy to tackle this newfound life-threatening problem. China has dealt with over 2700 deaths and over 79,000 people have been infected by this unstoppable virus.
Updated 18:18 IST, March 2nd 2020