The World Health Organization (WHO) supports an initiative launched by leaders in the gaming world. The goal ? Play video games for fun while respecting social distancing.
Play video games to fight coronavirus . Here is the strange recommendation from the World Health Organization (WHO). This initiative, dubbed “Play a part together”, was launched by 18 leaders in the world of video games such as Activision Blizzard, Zynga, Big Fish Games, Jam City, Twitch or again YouTube Gaming. The objective displayed? Encourage people to have fun alone to promote social distancing, and thus participate in the reversal of the coronavirus epidemic .
An action supported by the WHO, as Raymond Chambers explains, who is its ambassador for global strategy. “We are at a crucial time to define the results of this pandemic . Gaming companies have a global audience – we all encourage #PlayApartTogether . More physical distance + other measures will help smooth the curve + save lives, “ he said on Twitter.
Encourage video game users to follow WHO advice
The video game manufacturers behind this action have committed to incorporating prevention messages into their video games. They will also encourage their users to adopt barrier gestures through special events and exclusives. “It has never been so essential to keep people connected to each other securely. Video games are the perfect platform as they connect people through with joy, purpose and meaning “We are proud to be part of this useful and necessary initiative , “ said Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard.
This association between the world of video games and the WHO is astonishing to say the least: in 2018, the institution recognized addiction to video games as a mental illness and thus included it in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). ).
However, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the WHO, did not fail to welcome the initiative of these gaming leaders. “Thank you @RaymondChambers for mobilizing the gaming industry to present the WHO advice on # COVID19 to their users. We all need #PlayApartTogether to beat the #coronavirus,” he tweeted.
