The world is not in its best shape or form right now, but there are still little things to be grateful for, like this new game that promotes the importance of social distancing. Already, it has racked up about 10,000 plays since its release two days ago.
Aptly titled "Can You Save the World?" players merely have to avoid people in a busy street. They should also avoid sneezes and are tasked to collect masks. The final score illustrates how many lives have been saved by doing these activities.
The game a collaborative project between Prof. Richard Wiseman, a psychologist, and developer Martin Jacob. Dr. Wiseman said that the game's goal is to show people how "just a small amount of avoiding can save lives."
The idea of the game came about when the psychologist had been out for a walk and felt like avoiding pedestrians was like being in a computer game. That was when he decided to reach out to game designer Martin Jacob.
Impressively, Dr. Wiseman and Jacob finished "Can You Save the World?" in two weeks, a process that normally takes months. It's a simple game, but it teaches kids how important it is to maintain and practice physical distancing at the height of the pandemic.
"The score increases rapidly, to show that by avoiding one person you are not infecting others and so they are not infecting others," Dr. Wiseman said.
Dr. Wiseman previously spoke about how laughter can help people cope during the COVID-19 crisis. Creating the game is merely one of the things he hopes people will find joy in. He also noted how it had been challenging to create a fun environment using a very serious topic.
Dr. Wiseman holds the UK's only professorship in the Public Understanding of Psychology and previously teamed up with the British Science Association to carry out LaughLab -- a scientific search for the world's funniest joke, which explored what made people laugh.
At the end of the day, the psychologist said it's all about practicing his profession, in which part of getting patients to recover is to help them see the brighter things in life and learning something from it.
"Can You Save the World?" is primarily designed for kids, but adults can also play it, the designers said. It's also free to play.
You can start playing the game by clicking this link, which leads to Martin Jacob's website. You can also find all his other works there.
