There is a specific game that has risen to popularity due to the Coronavirus or Covid-19 outbreak and this game is called Plague Inc. which is a pandemic simulator strategy game which is popular among mobile devises.
Because of the tension and sensitivity over the certain coronavirus outbreak, the Chinese government has decided to take this app down and make it inaccessible to the public. Ndemic Creation has released a heartfelt letter to fans regarding this matter.
Ndemic Creations has just recently received an update
This game has already existed and gone public way before the Coronavirus or Covid-19 ever started spreading or even before we ever knew about this type of virus existing. The official developer Ndemic Creations was apparently given information by the Cyberspace Administration of China that his specific game contains certain "content that is illegal in China" and that was the basis for it being taken down and accessible to the Chinese. There were no specifications given as to why this app was really taken down.
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According to Plague Inc.'s creator, everything is still completely unclear and although the material used within the game was sensitive in a time when everyone fears the coronavirus, there were no direct attacks or any illegal information or methodologies used within the game. Although there is still a level of disturbance within the games concept as the whole objective of the game is to cultivate a virus and let it spread, it was reportedly developed way back without any ill intent.
Ndemic Creations Releases a Letter on the Matter
The pressing matter is no small deal that can be shoved under the rock which is why Ndemic Creations released a letter regarding the matter on their website to formally apologize and explain the whole situation clearly
The Fake News update
According to Daniel Ahmad who is the analyst for Niko Partners and is responsible for covering the video game industry in China and also Asia, the reason why Plague Inc. was removed could be because of the Fake News update which then spreads disinformation spreads about the certain diseases found in the game. To counter this statement, PocketGamer's former news editor Clement Renaudin gave a reminder that this specific update was launched on Dec 4 which by then, nobody knew about the coronavirus and this was a month before the first outbreak was pointed out by the World Health Organization.
What does the Fake News update do to the app?
The game starts off with a scenario where the player has the liberty of creating a specific disinformative story and then use deception by means of modern tools and psychological tricks. Within the tutorial, the disease always starts in China which is maybe why this game is gaining so much heat. According to Ndemic, the developing scenario was made with Full Fact which is a UK based independent fact-checking organization and also the American group PolitiFact which gave them the necessary data and suggestions for their choice of origin for the virus.
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Plague Inc. gave a statement saying they understand the sensitivity of the matter regarding the decision of the Chinese government to take down their game because of the coronavirus or Covid-19 but also wish to remind people of the educational value their game aims to bring to the people to make them more aware of the certain viruses around.
