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“As coronavirus sparks new interest in Plague Inc., dev warns it's 'not a scientific model' - PC Gamer” plus 1 more

“As coronavirus sparks new interest in Plague Inc., dev warns it's 'not a scientific model' - PC Gamer” plus 1 more


As coronavirus sparks new interest in Plague Inc., dev warns it's 'not a scientific model' - PC Gamer

Posted: 24 Jan 2020 01:51 PM PST

(Image credit: NDemic Creations)

Popular pandemic simulator Plague Inc. was released for mobile devices in 2012, while the updated Plague Inc. Evolved came to Steam in 2016. Despite that age, it hit its all-time peak concurrent player count today—8452 players, according to Steam Charts, well over the previous record of 4601, set in April 2018—and one of its highest average concurrent player counts within the past 30 days. 

The reason is simple, if a little morbid: Curiosity driven by the coronavirus outbreak, which a BBC report (via Eurogamer) said was enough to push the mobile version of Plague Inc to the top of the app charts in China earlier this week, despite its age. The demand has been so high that developer Ndemic Creations' website and Plague Inc servers were actually forced offline, although service appears to be restored now.

Plague Inc. Devs Release Coronavirus Outbreak Statement Amid High Sales - Screen Rant

Posted: 25 Jan 2020 03:01 PM PST

The developer behind the world famous survival simulation game Plague Inc. has released a statement in response to the skyrocketing of sales that have occurred since the outbreak of the coronavirus. The troublesome coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan, China, has given members of the international community significant cause for alarm. Earlier this week, The World Health Organization stopped short of declaring the virus a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern," despite a rising death toll and new cases popping up around the globe.

Plague Inc. released back in 2012 for iOS and Android, and quickly became one of the best-selling games for mobile devices. As a pandemic simulator, Plague Inc. tasks the player with infecting the world with deadly pathogens, from basic bacteria to the "Simian Flu" from the Planet of the Apes movies, and many, many more. In 2013, Ndemic Creations' founder James Vaughan spoke at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention about how the game models predict the spread of infectious disease. In the years since release, Plague Inc. has become one of the most popular mobile games in the world.

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Related: Shanghai Disneyland Closes Amid Viral Coronavirus Outbreak

Plague Inc. developer Ndemic Creations has issued a statement on the coronavirus and how it relates to sales of their game. In a post titled "Statement on the current Coronavirus outbreak," detailed on the official company website, Ndemic says "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. We specifically designed the game to be realistic and informative, while not sensationalizing serious real-world issues."

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Ndemic also says that Plague Inc. should not serve as a tested scientific model on how the coronavirus may or may not spread by saying, "please remember that Plague Inc. is a game, not a scientific model and that the current coronavirus outbreak is a very real situation which is impacting a huge number of people." Furthermore, Ndemic suggests that anybody who is looking for additional information on infectious diseases should get their information from local and global authorities, including the World Health Organization and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

It's a bit crazy that Ndemic felt the need to address this issue to begin with. Although the company's game model for the spread of infectious disease may be impressive, Ndemic is the first to admit that it shouldn't serve as a scientific basis for anything. Plague Inc. is a video game, not a real disease, while the coronavirus and other infectious viruses are epidemics. Sure, it's true that Plague Inc. sales spiked in China, which isn't a problem at all so long as players can dissociate the game from the real world. Right now, the global health community is steeply on edge, hoping that the now widespread coronavirus will be contained and quarantined.

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Next: A Plague Tale: Innocence Review - Heart Pounding and Emotional

Source: Ndemic Creations

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