Due to the current circumstances regarding the deadly COVID-19 coronavirus, the Chinese Government has decided to restrict access towards downloading the game Plague Inc by Ndemic Creations through the Apple App Store. According to Chinese governors, it contains content which is illegal in the country as stated by the Chinese Cyberspace Administration. It is confirmed that the game is no longer available on the App Store in China.
About the Game:
Plague Inc is an ingenious way to inform us more about situations similar to the one we are in now where we play as an infectious disease and our goal is to wipe out the world’s population.
The game features a strategic simulation setting where you start by choosing which kind of disease you want to be, you can choose from a virus, a fungus, a parasite, a biological weapon and many, many more. Once you choose your disease type and name it, it opens up a map of the world for you to choose where to introduce the disease.
The country in which you start the disease plays an important role in the game, as it is fully updated to the current state the country is in, for example, if you start the disease in a third world country it’s more likely to be successful due to lack of resources for it to be treated in real life in that particular country. Once it’s started to spread, the disease will earn the player in-game currency called DNA points, these can be spent in-game to mutate the disease. There are three main sectors in mutations, Transmission, Symptoms and Abilities. Transmission mutations improve the infectivity of the disease, while symptoms improve severity and abilities improve the disease’s resistance against extreme weather, treatments and cure progress. It’s realistic world scenario setting really attracts players from all around the world to have a go at strategically building a disease to infect the whole world and kill off the population in an intense race against the production of the cure. The key is to adapt to the type of disease it is and use it’s special abilities smartly to be able to outsmart the system, where the more severe the disease gets, the faster the cure will be produced.
China’s Sensitivity Towards Apps and Games.
Three quarters of all the apps banned from particular countries during the past year were banned in China. This is because of their strict regulation towards gaming and mobile apps. This is due to violation of their platform violations, mostly related to illegal gambling. Although, there are some that aren´t banned and where you can confidently play here. These regulations certainly woke a massive amount of propaganda, arguing about whether or not these regulations are fair. Apple and Ndemic productions have no comment over these regulations and have no choice but to obey them and restrict access to these certain games for the people in the country.
