Earlier this week, the gaming community began to band together in the Gamers vs. COVID-19 organization. With dozens of huge names pledging themselves to the cause, from professional esports athletes and entire gaming organizations all the way up to gaming developers themselves, the movement picked up traction.
And once it started picking up traction, Gamers Vs. COVID-19 picked up traction quickly. Within a few hours of launch, there were already hundreds of gamers signing up to take the pledge. Joining them were names like Counter-Logic Gaming and DreamHack, one of the biggest esports organizers in the gaming industry nowadays.
What was the pledge everyone was so excited to join? Something incredibly simple that mostly just stated you would do your best to be both kind and safe.
The Gamers Vs. COVID-19 pledge states that the pledgee will keep themselves and their community safe for however long it takes to fight COVID-19. That includes the following strategies:
- Social distancing as much as possible, even when one feels healthy
- Washing hands often, coughing into a sleeve, and practicing good general hygiene
- Avoiding hugging, shaking hands, and any unnecessary physical contact
- Alerting health officials and doctors when you feel unhealthy or that you may have come into contact with someone carrying the virus
- Staying calm and informed with the necessary resources
- Sharing the GvC19 pledge with as many people as possible
- Performing acts of kindness for fellow gamers online
- Bringing a positive attitude to the online gaming world
- Providing emotional support to those who need it and not hesitating to reach out if you need it
So, all in all, it really just states that you’ll be kind, hygienic, and responsible. The pledge has spread like wildfire through the gaming community, though, and the team broke a high milestone of pledgees.
Today, the GvC19 organization passed 20,000 pledges all in all. This is a huge number, but when you consider that the organization was founded on March 18th, only four days ago, it’s staggering to see.
More than anything, though, it’s amazing to see the gaming community banding together. Social distancing is hard on everyone, as much as we joke about quarantine being a lifestyle that we had already chosen. Everyone worldwide seems to be having a rough time as of late, and 2020 doesn’t seem to be pulling any punches going forward, either.
The only way to go is forward, though. If you haven’t yet, we strongly suggest you take the pledge and do everything you can to keep your community healthy, happy, and safe.