Fight the coronavirus by playing this game!

In this article, game designer Sande Chen reports on the game industry's efforts to combat the coronavirus and solve the logistical fallout from the pandemic. 

As industry trade shows like E3, GDC, and SXSW are canceled due to concerns over COVID 19 and game production delays are occurring over supply disruptions, the researchers at University of Washington responsible for the game FoldIt have released a new puzzle aimed at halting the spread of the coronavirus.

Such games are known as citizen science games because members of the public, as citizen scientists, can help scientific efforts. There are many instances, as in the game FoldIt, where humans are much better at finding solutions than computers.

As schools and colleges go online and employees work remotely, I hope that we will be able to see more virtual conferences such as not.GDC, happening at the same week as the canceled event.  Indie developers affected by the cancellations and the inability to pitch games can find assistance at the GDC Relief Fund.

The IGDA Game Design SIG had been slated to have a roundtable at the Game Developers Conference this year entitled "Designing Non-Toxic Communities (Presented by the IGDA)" and a social meeting. We hope that we can discuss this issue on the IGDA Twitch channel in the coming months.

There is also an effort to provide a back-up plan for the US election should quarantine be needed in November. If you'd like to participate, sign up at Save the Election.

Sande Chen is a writer and game designer whose work has spanned 10 years in the industry. Her credits include 1999 IGF winner Terminus, 2007 PC RPG of the Year The Witcher, and Wizard 101. She is one of the founding members of the IGDA Game Design SIG.