Social Distancing Game For Children

Apologies for not updating the blog! My area of the world is still in quarantine, but we are hoping to reopen soon. During this hiatus, I participated in panels at LudoNarraCon: A Digital Festival Celebrating Narrative Games and GamerJibe's May 2020 Career Fest for Students and Gamers. That event is still going on, if you want to hop in with an avatar and meet recruiters in a 3D world. Very neat!

I have been at home with a kid and like many parents, am wondering how to explain this new reality to my child. I've enjoyed the Kids' Edition of NBC Nightly News, but here's a way to explain the whys of social distancing in a cute, browser-based game called, Can You Save the World? 

Created especially for children by psychologist Professor Richard Wiseman from the University of  Hertfordshire, the free game has racked up more than 10,000 playthroughs in its first two days of release. The premise is simple: the player walks down the street while keeping away from other people, collecting face coverings, and avoiding sneezes. The score tallies up the estimated lives saved.

If you want to check out the gameplay, it's here:

As Professor Wiseman says in a BBC interview, "you're learning through doing, which is far more memorable than another doom and gloom message." That is exactly the promise of game-based learning!

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.