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A game in China was finally approved for release by local authorities after the game maker replaced a word deemed to be sensitive at this current time.

The game, a story-based, dating simulation game called "Shi Kong Lian Jie", which loosely translates to "Love across time",  had replaced the word "pandemic" with "piles" in a bid to make it safe enough to pass Chinese censors.

Games published in China have to adhere to stringent rules and obtain the government's permission before they can be released.

The swapping of words has resulted in dialogue that sound stilted and out of place.

The human heart is scarier than getting "piles"

Here's the dialogue in question, between the player and one of the characters called Xiao Yuan:

Translation:

"When I was 12, there was an outbreak of "piles" at the small village I lived in.

Contracting "piles" was akin to being sentenced to death; you could only wait for your death in silence while going through the torture.

When I got "piles", I felt discomfort all over my body. My wet nurse thought she had failed to take good care of me, and prayed for me to get better, even if it meant she had to sacrifice herself.

Later, she probably thought she wasn't a valuable enough bargaining chip, and prayed that my "piles" would get better, even if she had to sacrifice herself and her own child...

Anyone could be a prince's stepping stone on the path to coronation, and could be sacrificed callously.

Despite personally experiencing what it's like, I don't fear "piles". The human heart is way scarier than "piles".

While the condition, also known as "haemorrhoids", can cause a good deal of discomfort and pain, it's highly unlikely to cause death.

Word changed as a sort of "protest"

A Weibo post on Aug. 28 clarifying the word change has since been picked up by both Taiwanese and Hong Kong media.

The Weibo user who wrote the post claimed that he or she had taken part in the development of the game, and said the change of words from "pandemic" to "piles" was done deliberately in order to pass censors.

The user further encouraged everyone to do pelvic floor exercises, and also clarified that he or she "definitely do not have piles".

In the comments section, the user revealed more details behind the word change.

"I changed (the words) just to protest the labelling of 'pandemic' as a sensitive word."

At the time of writing, the Weibo post has received over 3,070 "likes", with commenters appearing to join in the mocking of local censors as well by suggesting certain medicines that are effective for the treatment of piles.

A check on the game's page on Android app store TapTap, which features gaming apps in mostly Chinese and other Asian languages, also revealed that many recent reviews had referenced the word swap, with a commenter saying they were simply there to check out the game after hearing about the controversy.

Top image adapted via Chengdu Yumiko Technology Company & TapTap 

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