The game — created by Max Garkavyy — per se is very simple; it’s a one-level side-scrolling platformer where the player moves from the left to the right side of the screen to reach the end of the game. The objective is to race through the entire year 2020, while avoiding hazards such as fires, Covid-19, floods, and falling stocks.
This game really makes us reflect on the fact that if we can’t escape the tragedy of the events that messed up the world we used to know, we might just as well try to process the trauma through a game.
Let’s take a look at the events included in the game
The Australian Wildfires
When the world was fearing that 2020 was going to start with a Third World War, nature responded with wildfires that decimated the local flora and fauna.
The Covid-19 outbreak
Remember when face masks started to become the “new normal”? And when people would raid supermarkets making pasta go out of stock?
How about the toilet paper shortage? Are you getting flashbacks yet?
The stock market crash
Our spirit wasn’t the only thing that crushed in 2020.
Quarantine and lockdown
We truly learned the meaning of cabin fever in 2020. For sure, we’ll never take many things for granted again.
Lockdowns cleared nature (a little)
Definitely one of the few good things that happened last year.
Working from home
Wearing the same outfit for a week? Wearing pyjamas while working? Not being able go one day at work without a Zoom meeting? Having your Internet connection betray you when you need it the most? Who would have thought this was going to become normal one day.
George Floyd’s death
This sad and dramatic event will remain in history forever. But it’s also thanks to this that the Black Lives Matter protests went global and gained more space on social media.
The introduction of 5G
If the BLM movement was a small step forward for mankind, conspiracy theorists suggesting that 5G is to blame for the spread of Covid-19 was a giant leap backwards for mankind.
The rise of TikTok
Even though many have raised some concerns about the way this platform treats data, no one can deny it’s one of the most effective forms of online escapism.
Floods
No, drastically reducing the number of flights didn’t fix climate change.
USA elections
We haven’t even reached the end of the year yet…how many events have we been through already? Too many! STOP THE COUNT!
Second wave of Covid-19
Covid mutations, new lockdowns, new restrictions, winter blues, you name it. The silver lining? The vaccine.
Congratulations to us! We made it to 2021!
What now?
A zombie apocalypse? An alien invasion? A Godzilla attack? We’ll have to wait and see.
