Many people are feeling isolated during the COVID-19 pandemic as many events have been canceled but here are five ways that videogames are helping people during this uncertain time.
1. An Animal Crossing Wedding
Sharmin Asha and Nazmul Ahmed were planning on having a wedding on April 12. The event however was canceled because of the pandemic.
Ahmed decided to have a digital wedding for his wife in Nintendo’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The wedding took place on an island created and maintained by Ahmed.
The couple’s friends were also present for the virtual ceremony thanks to the game’s online multiplayer component that allows players to visit different islands made by other people.
Asha agreed to marriage even though the wedding in the game, even though it holds no legal status.
2. Honoring a Victim
A Final Fantasy XIV player who went by the name Ferne Le’roy lost her life to COVID-19. Many people who have played with her on the popular online game’s Zalera server were shocked by her passing.
A digital funeral procession was held in the game to honor her life on April 11. Hundreds of players from both the Zalera server and others attended the virtual event that lasted an hour.
All of them had their characters wearing black clothing and many had umbrellas equipped.
They all walked in an organized group within the game to celebrate Le’roy’s life.
3. Free Games!
Sony has started a new initiative that will help people social distance called Play At Home. From April 15 to May 5, PS4 owners will be able to download Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection and Journey for free which are four games in total.
The Nathan Drake Collection is a trilogy of games starring treasure hunter Nathan Drake. Journey is a game about traveling to a mountain peak and collaborating with other players online to solve objectives.
Sony has also started a $10 million relief fund to help independent game developers that are struggling financially right now because of the pandemic.
4. A Coalition of Support
The Coalition which is the studio responsible for the new Gears of War games on Xbox One and PC are donating 200 Xbox One Xs to a hospital charity.
All the Xbox consoles will be connected to a contraption known as a Go Kart which is a portable game station used for hospitals.
This donation is there to help patients that are recovering from COVID-19. The Coalition has also created a custom player skin for Gears of War multiplayer called Johnny COG Gear.
The purchase of this skin will raise money for Gamers Outreach charities.
5. Crafting an Education
The Polish government has created a public Minecraft server to encourage young people to stay inside and social distance.
The server which is called Grarantanna contains lots of educational content such as puzzles, building competitions, Polish history lessons followed by quizzes, and a webinar activity that will allow teachers to communicate to their students through the game.
Students ranging from elementary school all the way up to college are welcomed to join.
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