12023-12-08T04:28:23+00:00Page 2 of Social Distancing13plain2023-12-09T04:39:08+00:00The bar above depicts the health of the shopper. If it gets too far to either extreme, then the player dies. It is important to note that in this game, if you get too far away from everybody else, then you die in the same way as being too close to everybody, so a balance is necessary. This can definitely be applied to the real world, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic era. As the Cambridge University Press points out, "Studies suggest that while loneliness and social isolation are not equal to each other, both can exert a detrimental effect on health through shared and different pathways." Just like in the game, both loneliness and exposure can cause "damage" to one's health, and therefore the goal in life is to be able to balance the two so you don't get sick (mentally on one side and physically on the other) from either one. To combat the loneliness that comes from isolation in general, it is important for people to talk to others, however possible, because it has drastic effects on mental health.
