--- title: "As Coronavirus Looms, China Bans Videogame “Plague Inc.”" description: "During the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, China banned the game \"Plague Inc.\" which simulates a fictional pandemic, and removed it from the China App Store." date: "2020-02-28" modified: "2020-02-28" authors: - name: "Jon Christian" job_title: "Executive Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/coronavirus-china-bans-videogame-plague-inc" categories: - "Future Society" - "Health & Medicine" - "Medical" - "Pathogens" - "Viruses" tags: - "coronavirus" - "covid19" - "plague inc." - "the digest" --- # As Coronavirus Looms, China Bans Videogame “Plague Inc.” ![During the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, China banned the game "Plague Inc." which simulates a fictional pandemic, and removed it from the China App Store.]() *\Image: Ndemic Creations\* ## Game Plan In the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak, China has banned the popular game "Plague Inc.," which simulates a fictional pandemic, and removed it from the local version of the Apple App Store. "We have some very sad news to share with our China based players," reads [a statement]() by game studio Ndemic Creations. "We've just been informed that 'Plague Inc.' 'includes content that is illegal in China as determined by the Cyberspace Administration of China' and has been removed from the China App Store. This situation is completely out of our control." ## Too Real Ndemic released "Plague Inc." back in 2012, and it's been an indie standard ever since. The year after it came out, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention even invited in James Vaughan, the game's creator, for a [series of lectures]() about video games and public health. But the game has found new relevance in the shadow of the global coronavirus outbreak this year. Last month, the game [issued a formal warning]() that players shouldn't rely on the game for health information about COVID-19. ## Plague Rage The studio says it's going to try to get the ban reversed, though the mood at Ndemic sounds gloomy. "We are working very hard to try and find a way to get the game back in the hands of Chinese players — we don’t want to give up on you — however, as a tiny independent games studio in the UK, the odds are stacked against us," they wrote. **READ MORE:** [Coronavirus: Plague Inc. game banned in China]() \[*BBC*\] **More on coronavirus:** [*Whistleblower: US Gov May Have Helped Spread Coronavirus*]() ## Author I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()