‘Plague Inc.’ game lets you spread a pandemic. China spikes it amid coronavirus fears
A spike in player activity on a video game aimed at spreading a “deadly, global Plague” has coincided with the rapid spread of the coronavirus.
Now Chinese officials are pulling the plug.
The Cyberspace Administration of China removed “Plague Inc.” from its app store on Thursday — citing illegal content, according to Ndemic Creations, the company behind the game.
“It’s not clear to us if this removal is linked to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak that China is facing,” Ndemic said in a statement on its website. “However, Plague Inc.’s educational importance has been repeatedly recognized by organizations like the CDC and we are currently working with major global health organizations to determine how we can best support their efforts to contain and control COVID-19.”
Ndemic released “Plague Inc.” — which is both a video and board game — eight years ago to an international audience.
It was met with “huge critical and commercial success” globally and remains among China’s most popular paid games, according to Ndemic.
The CDC interviewed its founder in 2013 shortly after the game’s release, recognizing “Plague Inc.” as a way to raise awareness about disease outbreaks and transmission.
According to the post, players create their own pathogen and try to infect the maximum number of people with it — thwarting efforts by government officials and scientists along the way.
“With a successful disease, players can watch as governments fall and humanity is wiped out,” the CDC said.
The game bears a striking resemblance to the current pandemic surrounding COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. As news of it spread, the number of players in China also climbed.
More than 78,000 cases of coronavirus have been reported in China, according to Johns Hopkins, and roughly 2,641 people have died in the Hubei province — where the virus originated in the city of Wuhan.
At least 45 Americans repatriated from Wuhan and the Diamond Princess cruise ship have since contracted it.
Amid increasing questions from players and the media, Ndemic said the spike in player activity wasn’t uncommon.
“Whenever there is an outbreak of disease, we see an increase in players as people seek to find out more about how diseases spread and to understand the complexities of viral outbreaks,” the company said in a statement on Jan. 23.
It also reminded the public that “Plague Inc.” is just a game — “not a scientific model” — and encouraged players to get information from health officials.
The game continues to be available in other parts of the world, and Ndemic Creations said it was working to get it back online in China.
But, the company conceded, “this situation is completely out of our control.”
This story was originally published February 27, 2020 at 1:57 PM with the headline "‘Plague Inc.’ game lets you spread a pandemic. China spikes it amid coronavirus fears."
