Games have a more powerful role than you might realize, by changing how we see the world and shining a spotlight on modern-day issues. Another amazing game has done this. This game, or should I say an experience， represents the number of people that have died from the current pandemic of COVID-19, or Coronavirus.
When someone dies from COVID-19 in Wash Your Hands, you can see grave diggers coming to place them in their new homes. You, as a player, go looking for flowers to place on their graves. Past player’s footprints are left in the snow seeing where they have been.
The whole point of the game is to see that these deaths are not just numbers but people. We understand the severity of something in numbers only when we see it right in front of us, and only then does it show us the effect it has.
I encourage you to take some time to go place some flowers on a few graves in this beautiful game. Message a few friends or even hop on a Discord call with them. Tell them to stay strong through this tough time.
This is a beautiful way to show respect to those who have lost their lives. Amazing work by the developer, Dean Moynihan, who created the game and by Leafcuts who made the music.
Please think about others around you and take some time to look into COVID-19.
Below are some of the comments left on Wash Your Hands:
Snoom: “I never really [realized] how many people died until now. 13,000 is just a number. But seeing it all laid out like that really drove it home.
“It’s nice to be able to give them some kind of honour, even if it’s just in a game. So thank you.”
Ryuukosama: “This is an amazing piece. I’m not ashamed to say that it made me tear up and cry, especially when I saw the gravediggers burying more people next to me. Kinda gives you an awareness of how fragile life is, and that the deceased are more than a mere number.
“Thank you.”
Koolkidddd: “My whole country self isolated today, it’s been a bit stressful, but this is [a] good reminder of why we need to do it. Thank you.”