Pokemon Go Break: currently one of the biggest releases on the Nintendo Wii, has caused a lot of buzz and debate since its release. The game uses a map-based system in which you travel around different areas of the world to locate and capture virtual creatures like Pokemon. Players are encouraged to go out and seek out new Pokemon in every area they enter. It is simple, but many people (including me) are wondering why is Pokemon Go banned in China?

Pokemon Go Break: So why is Pokemon Go being banned in China? The short answer is that many people are trying to download the Pokemon Go application onto their smartphones, which is a violation of Google’s terms of service. There are several reports that state that several individuals have been detained for “harming the reputation of the game.” This is especially true in South Korea, where the game has been a hot Christmas gift for children this year. Many people have also reported receiving death threats and messages regarding how they will die or be branded as a criminal because of Pokemon Go.
What’s going on here? Obviously, many people are playing Pokemon Go without realizing that it contains in-app purchases that allow them to purchase items from within the game. These in-app purchases are allowed by the Game Services Agreement guidelines which was signed by Google and included some pretty vague language. Basically, they stated that you can only purchase things within the app if it’s allowed in your app. It seems as though Google has never done any type of in-app purchases before, so the company is in total ignorance as to how this will affect their rankings. This may explain why Google has been banning apps all over the world from the App store.
This doesn’t mean that Google doesn’t have the right to ban Pokemon Go if they find out that people are purchasing items within the game without their knowledge. This just means that they need to be more careful in what they allow in their applications. Another aspect of this is that they are losing a lot of money, as Pokemon Go has already become one of the most downloaded games on the Google Play Store. Every single day, millions of people log on to play the game and spend time having fun. Imagine if it were to get banned and no one plays it. That would be a financial disaster for Google.