Sure, we’ve all read the reports about the runaway surge and success of the online and mobile ‘mafia’ type games and applications that are attracting record numbers of users on a daily basis, but it looks like it’s not all about the fun and games. At lease the Chinese Ministry of Culture doesn’t see it that way.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the Chinese Government has officially banned websites from “running, publishing, or offering links to online games featuring mafia-like gangs.” The government is also threatening “sever punishment” for anyone violating the ban.

Again, if you’ve not already been asked to join so and so’s mob, ‘mafia’ type games involve virtual world simulations of gang mentality and actions. The way the Chinese Government sees it, these games “advocate obscenity, gambling, or violence,” and “undermine morality and Chinese traditional culture.”

The government has issued, in no uncertain terms, that internet operators of said titles should stop running, promoting, or offering links to these (now) “illegal” games immediately. In a show of “we’re not kidding” the Chinese Government has appointed law enforcement officials to step up their oversight of these activities, and inflict harsh penalties and punishment upon anyone caught offering links to or promoting Gangster/Mafia type games. “These games encourage people to deceive, loot and kill, and glorify gangster life. They are a bad influence on youngsters,” says the government statement.

Three of China’s go-to gaming destinations immediately pulled their mafia offerings as of Tuesday. Kaixin.com’s “Godfather”, mop.com’s “Jianghu” (gangster community), and xiaonei.com’s “Guhozai” (young and dangerous guys) were removed, with little to know warning to active players.

Naturally, the immediate removal of these games has set off a barrage of comments ranging from “It’s totally irresponsible” to “I just stole 3 million yuan in the game when the website suddenly went blank. I just can’t take it!”

With these gang type games being replicated by countless app and online developers, the removal of the Chinese market can only be seen as a major setback. Granted, this removal probably isn’t going to break the bank for major mafia type game producers such as Zynga’s Mafia Wars or Playmesh’s iMafia, but smaller developers may now have to refocus or re-develop their apps with this recent Chinese ban in mind. To that I say – is that necessarily a bad thing? With the market flooded with these types of games, perhaps this ban is just what some studios need to start working on ‘the next big thing’.