WHO Wants Us To Stay Home and Play Video Games During COVID-19 Pandemic

• Several video game companies have launched a new initiative called #PlayApartTogether.
• Through the project, they are hoping to encourage more people to stay at home and play video games.
• Doing so, according to them, will help flatten the curve and save more lives during the coronavirus pandemic.

Remember how some “experts” bashed video games as worthless entertainment and as a huge waste of time? Well we’re living in a different world now as it looks like even the World Health Organization has expressed approval for us to spend more time playing video games in its bid to prevent the spread of the dreaded coronavirus (COVID-19) across the world.

Recently, 18 gaming companies including Activision Blizzard, Amazon App Store, Riot Games, Twitch, YouTube Gaming, and Zynga have launched a new project they called #PlayApartTogether in their hopes of encouraging people to practice social distancing while battling boredom.

Ray Chambers, WHO’s Ambassador for Global Strategy, recently posted a tweet, saying:

“We’re at a crucial moment in defining outcomes of this pandemic. Games industry companies have a global audience – we encourage all to #PlayApartTogether. More physical distancing + other measures will help to flatten the curve + save lives.”

WHO’s involvement in the initiative is particularly interesting, considering the fact that in 2018, the organization officially categorized video game addiction as a mental disorder.

Meanwhile, Amanda Taggart of Unity Technologies acknowledged we are living in a “unique and challenging time” in a blog post for the company, continuing that ” the most important tool we have to help reduce the global death toll from COVID-19 is physical distancing.”

Taggart likewise encouraged everyone to stay at home “for the greater good of our friends, our family, and our global society at large.”

Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick also pointed out:

“Games are the perfect platform because they connect people through the lens of joy, purpose and meaning. We are proud to participate in such a worthwhile and necessary initiative.”