VIDEO games are being re-designed to urge Brits to stay at home.
UK game makers are adding official coronavirus safety advice inside the games – in an attempt to reach some of the millions of players switching consoles and PCs on each day.
Three games have already committed to featuring the messaging, according to the BBC.
These include Candy Crush Saga, Dirt Rally 2.0 and Sniper Elite 4.
In-game advertisements will say something along the lines of: “Stay home. Save lives.”
The move is part of a partnership with the Government to spread health messaging as far and wide as possible.
“I reached out to DCMS [Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport] a few days ago to say is there anything we can do,” said Jason Kingsley, who heads up game maker Rebellion, and sits as chair of games industry body TIGA.
“A lot of people spend hundreds of hours in computer games.
“And in this case, we thought we could help society by reminding people of their obligations to others.”
One of the games showing the messaging is Dirt Rally 2.0.
That’s a major coup for the Government, as that game is one of this month’s PS Plus freebies.
It means that anyone with a PS4 and a PlayStation Plus membership can access the game without paying a penny.
Mobile games like Farm Heroes Saga and Candy Crush have millions of players that the ads may now reach.
And Activision Blizzard has donated 230 digital advertising screens it had booked to showcase coronavirus information.
The DCMS has now invited more than 2,000 games companies based in the UK to join in with the effort.
Games firms aren’t alone in trying to help tackle the coronavirus crisis.
In recent weeks, we’ve seen major tech giants chip in with awareness campaigns, creating tools and websites to inform the general public.
Facebook is delivering “verified” coronavirus info to the top of users’ News Feeds each day.
YouTube, Netflix and others have slashed video quality around the world to reduce load on networks.
And the UK Government teamed up with WhatsApp to launch an official “coronavirus chatbot” that anyone can text.
In other news, Call of Duty recently added a new Fortnite-style game mode called Warzone.
A pro Call of Duty gamer has revealed his top tips for Warzone’s Plunder mode.
And we reveal the best places to land in Warzone.
What else do you think tech and gaming firms should be doing to help tackle the coronavirus crisis? Let us know in the comments!
