"Pokmon Go" is the most popular mobile game in the world. China is the largest mobile gaming market, and the most populous country on Earth.Bizarrely, the most popular mobile game in the worldisn't available in China. Huh'The game also isn'tavailable in South Korea, the fourth largest market in the world for mobile gaming. So, what gives'Surprisingly, it's because of Google and the way that "Pokmon Go" is so tightly integrated with Google's services. First and foremost, you login to "Pokmon Go" using Google:But even if you circumvent that with a Pokmon Trainer Club login, the game itself relies on Google Maps data to power the game's maps. But Google Services doesn't operate in China. As of November 2012, China officially blocks all Google Services. This is theso-called "Great Firewall" of China: a means of censoring the internet deployed by the Chinese government.In this case, the Great Firewall is keeping out Pikachuand keeping the game's creator, Niantic Labs, from earning millions in the largest gaming market in the world."'Pokmon Go' relies on Google Services for the game to run correctly," Daniel Ahmad, a Chinese games industry analyst with Niko Partners, told Business Insider in an email exchange. "The game itself uses Google Maps as the game world and all the various Pokstops/Gyms are stored in Google servers."In short: Since "Pokmon Go" is an online-only game, and one that's dependent on Google Services functioning to do literally anything, it isn't heading to Chinaanytime soon.Chinese gamers aren't ignorant ofthe game's existence, of course.An online survey conducted by Niko Partners, an analytics firm that specializes in the Chinese gaming market, found that people were taking to dubious workarounds for getting "Pokmon Go" working in China. Here's what the survey found(emphasis ours):"Within two days of the global launch of the iOS version we surveyed consumers to see whether they know the game 'Pokmon Go.' This was a self-selecting survey, meaning we did not have any screening criteria for participants. If they wanted to answer, they could answer.Within a couple of days we had 350 respondents. Of those, more than 60% said they know of the game. In addition, 48% said they have tried to play the official game via convoluted efforts. Only 11% of the 350 said they were able to play, and 37% said they were not able to despite their efforts."The "convoluted efforts" noted here primarily consist of using a service called a "VPN" ("virtual private network") that acts as a virtual mask, hiding the true location of your device.You log in to it, and then you log into the internet through it, thus subverting any gates you'd normally encounter on your local internet connection. People use services like this to, say, watch Netflix in a country where it isn't offered. But a VPN can also be used to play online games. Alas, even with a VPN, there are other issues that Chinese gamers will facewith no Google Maps data available for parts of China, it's possiblethat no PokStops or Gyms will be anywhere nearby.South Korea faces a similar issue with "Pokmon Go," albeit for different reasons.Google and the South Korean government are in a protracted battle overaccess to the country's map data. The South Korean government cites security reasons, specifically regarding North Korea, for not granting access. Google calls it preferential treatment for the South Korean mapping companies that lead the market there.As thethe Wall Street Journal explains, "Googles domestic Korean rivals, Naver and Kakao Corp., only use government-supplied maps that already have had sensitive installations blurred or camouflaged. Google representatives contend that the national-security laws in South Korea unfairly benefit local competitors in the country of about 50 million people. The government maintains that national security is the laws sole purpose."In the case of South Korea, the fourth largest gaming market in the world (by revenueaccording to Newzoo), Niantic could create a workaround: use another mapping service. Partnering with Naver or Kakao could solve the issue, though it may also require a tremendous amount of work.Regardless, with evidence of the "Pokmon Go" phenomenon wearing off, Niantic (and its investors at Google, Nintendo, and The Pokmon Company) assuredly want to push into two of the world's four biggest game markets. Now, the only question is how.SEE ALSO:"Pokmon Go" has a new way to block cheatersJoin the conversation about this storyNOW WATCH: This new update in 'Pokmon GO' will change how you play the game
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