12023-12-04T15:38:57+00:00Introduction to "Social Distancing"14"Social Distancing" (2020), a simulation in itch.io, by Zachary Buffoneplain2023-12-09T04:36:54+00:00Social Distancing is a game that takes place in a grocery store. Your goal is to get as much fruit from the shelves as you can and stay alive for as long as possible. You die if you get too close to people (exposure) or too far away from people (loneliness). This game is an interestingly lighthearted allusion to the Covid-19 pandemic where people had to stay six feet apart from each other whenever they were in public. At first glance, this game looks to be an exaggeration as the characters die when touched by another. Upon deeper thought, the game serves as a symbolic representation of the pandemic's reality. While, in reality, contact with others didn't lead to immediate consequences, many succumbed to the aftermath of prior exposure to Covid-19. The game mirrors a time when going to someone's house, attending school or work, or simply venturing outside posed a risk of encountering the virus, enforcing a widespread physical and social isolation. 'Social Distancing' offers a lighthearted yet poignant reflection on the isolating challenges faced during those times and just the effects of loneliness on people in general.
