Corona Wash & Vax: a game against Covid-19

Covid19 Pandemic?! What’s that?

When the first signs of the pandemic appeared in China and then in Iran, no one could imagine the magnitude of what was starting to take shape. The news came from these distant countries, but we would never have imagined that it would hit us like it did. Even when Italy began its terrible journey along the now-famous epidemiological curve, we did not immediately realize that our reality was going to change within days. But so it was… The words pandemic, confinement, isolation and quarantine became official and just like that our lives were turned inside out overnight. Today we are assaulted by science-fiction-like fears as we became leading actors in a Hollywood movie script. Can we please cancel 2020?

And now what…?

At KOBU Agency, the effects of the lockdown were almost immediate. We suffered a significant impact as an agency since most of our clients operate in the hospitality and tourism sectors. Being based in a region like the Algarve where tourism is the primary engine of the regional economy, we immediately realized that we were about to plunge into troubled waters. Facing this unexpected storm that hits all sectors of activity, economy and society in general, we soon tried to figure out the best way possible to sail our ship through these unknown seas. Our entire team has been working remotely since before the state of emergency was declared. We are fully connected with each other and with our clients through technologies. Still, above all, we are united in the firm conviction that we will overcome this period by keeping a firm hand on the wheel and believing that all storms pass.

Right from the start, we tried to see this difficulty as an opportunity to contribute. People’s spirits and moral were strongly affected by the alarming rate at which the pandemic spread. Confinement measures were enacted by health authorities, paying a significant contribution to stall the pandemic’s evolution in Portugal. It has become more and more clear that, if we remain resolute in this commitment to stay at home and reduce social contact as much as possible, we might be able to keep the number of affected people at the inevitable minimum.

We know, however, that being indoors for an indefinite time is not exactly an encouraging prospect. Being deprived of our freedom to move and our freedom to get near our family and friends is a new, frightening and disturbing reality for everyone. Let’s be honest… It really sucks! Nevertheless, we also understand that science is now the only weapon we have to win this battle. And science tells us that the most immediate and effective way for us to fight this invisible enemy is quite simple after all: just stay home and wash up!

So how can KOBU contribute?

In the face of such an unexpected, new and uncertain scenario, what could we do as an agency? What useful contribution could we make, knowing that we are not an essential services’ provider and that our core business is not crucial at this time? Wait … are we really not essential? Gladly, today’s society has evolved to a stage in which, apart from the human toll in lost lives and sickness, we can face this tragic phenomenon without the fatalistic burden of other times. Being able to look at things with perspective and finding humour in everyday situations may be the spark of joy we need to endure beyond fear and uncertainty. And given the evidence that this is a long-distance running, we will all need rays of hope, strength and energy to help us look beyond, towards life and how it will look like in the post-Covid19 reality. Those unwinding moments where we are able to play, have fun and enjoy are essential if we are to maintain a positive mindset. Knowing that we are trapped indoors, but with enough free time to rescue old hobbies and discover new interests, it is essential to nourish our inner child. At KOBU Agency, if there is one thing we like to do, it is definitely to play and have fun. To imagine, invent, create, extrapolate. To discuss, explore, discover and start over. And we share it with the same enthusiasm with which we do it. We like to communicate, to give and receive, to get involved in synergies and dynamics where we all learn and grow together. At a time when we are all trying to cope and to adjust to this new reality, we chose to accept what we cannot change and put the emphasis on the constructive side of the issue: what do we need to do so that tomorrow is better than today?

Corona Wash & Vax: running against the clock for science

About one week ago, we realized that our contribution could only be this: to share our creativity, our encouragement and positivism. How could we do that? We designed a game. In this game, the player does not escape from reality. Instead, he embraces it and commits to fulfilling his part, while cherishing hope for tomorrow in a fun way. We are all wearing a superhero cape, and we fight every day at the service of science. After all, this is what our daily battle is about – staying at home, avoiding physical contact and keeping thorough personal hygiene. This is our mission while science seeks the much-desired vaccine that will shorten all distances and give us our freedom back. Our freedom to hug and to kiss our loved ones.

On that same day, we decided to make the game, we brought the team together on a video call, agreed on the idea and distributed tasks. In the days that followed, we realized even better why the now so famous expression “social distancing” is not, in fact, the one that best describes the days we are living. KOBU’s team is not currently working in the agency’s offices. Each one of us is in her/his home, in different cities across the Algarve. But even though we are deprived of physical closeness, we gathered around this project and worked it out in perfect unison. And it was a beautiful orchestra that gave birth to this work, in record time.

Right from the start, the name was chosen: Corona Wash & Vax. We know the name of the villain – the infamous coronavirus! – we know our mission – wash, wash, wash! – and we know our prize – the miraculous vaccine! We could then move on to game and website development which involved the writing of the game’s story and instructions:

“The year is 2020, a new threat arises, and Mankind faces a new enemy. Its name? SARS-Cov-2, better known as… CORONAVIRUS! Time flies as scientists race to come up with a vaccine, but it will still take a while… To buy science some time, we all must commit to two fundamental things: social distancing (stay home!) and washing up! Your task here is to prevent coronaviruses from reaching you. How? Just, spray’ em on, son! Will you be tough enough to keep the threat away until a new vaccine is discovered?”

The game dynamics are simple: the player represents the ordinary citizen who, just like in real life, has the mission to protect himself against the coronavirus. For that purpose, he is equipped with the most powerful tool designed for this ferocious combat: a disinfectant spray! To win, the player will have to avoid contagion for 547 days (3 minutes in-game time), that is, about 18 months, the estimated time until a vaccine gets to the market.

And there it was! The real struggle of our daily lives turned into a game with simple instructions: stay home, wash your hands and avoid being infected. Those are the ingredients to make a superhero in 2020! Having this baseline designed, we tried to create captivating, fun and dynamic graphics. Our UI/UX ninja and our typography master gave their all to come up with the most hilarious design. The main character, all game elements and the logo itself reflect the funny side embedded in KOBU’s DNA. Afterwards, the web development team began a sprint to implement the game, test it, optimize it and iterate until a beta version was ready to publish in 5 days.

On the other hand, as a communication agency, we recognize and embrace our social responsibility. We wanted the game’s message to be a responsible alert to the need for individual commitment in this global fight against the Covid19 pandemic. Besides, we also wanted to make it sound like an invitation to a challenge, highlighting the vital role we all play, both individually and collectively. The motivational side was reinforced – either losing or winning, the player is presented with a message that reminds him that in the end “every little thing is gonna be alright”.

From KOBU to the world… with love!

We want to reach everybody, without exception. After all, this is everyone’s mission, for the sake of us all. The game is now online (coronawashandvax.com), and the word is out on social media. Our experience in social media management has allowed us to develop and schedule a content plan in no time. Motion graphics’ pieces were specifically designed to this communication plan which focuses on its message and invites everyone to play and have fun. The whole game and project are entirely created and developed in-house, and we hope the public has so much fun playing it as we did building it. This is a first version which, we hope, will be improved and upgraded in the weeks to come.

Corona Wash & Vax serves as a premise to the challenge that we all face. In addition to raising awareness, KOBU Agency intends to foster light and fun discussion about our common issues. The game serves as a bridge of connection and union in a time where distance dictates the rules. It invites youngsters to think of new ways of interpreting what is happening in the world while being confined inside their houses. KOBU Agency believes it is important to provide them with platforms that make everyday life more bearable, lighter, fun, and as creative as possible.

The quarantine period will still require a lot of patience, resilience and commitment from everyone, so all moments of fun will be life-savers on this journey. We would like to invite everyone to play Corona Wash & Vax, share it with friends and family and send us your opinion and/or suggestions to help us improve this virtual fight against our common enemy. We will keep you posted about the release of new versions through our social media channels, so don’t forget to follow KOBU Creative Agency page on Facebook and Instagram. Physical distancing, yes. Social distancing, no.

And now, game on! Play and enjoy!

https://www.coronawashandvax.com

Stay home, stay safe and wash your hands!

#StayHome #PlayAgainstCorona