Video games add "Stay Home, Save Lives" Coronavirus message

By Sean Carey,

Several games will display the UK government's "Stay At Home, Save Lives" message in a bid to help fight against the Coronavirus pandemic. Candy Crush Saga, DiRT Rally 2.0, Farm Heroes Saga and Sniper Elite 4 are some of the titles that will feature the message.

Codemasters DiRT Rally 2.0 stay at home save lives coronavirus message

Messages such as the one above from Codemasters' DiRT Rally 2.0 will be displayed on a player's screen. In a joint effort with video game companies, the UK government is hoping to reach more people through the platform to try and stop the spread of the virus. The Department for Digitial Culture Media and Sport estimates that 37 million people in the UK play games.

In a statement over on the DCMS website, Jason Kingsley, the chief executive at Rebellion said that his company was delighted to be working with the government, "It makes total sense for us to help promote important public health messaging while keeping those fans entertained in the safety of their homes."

Codemasters has taken advantage of the technology built into its games. The developer, in collaboration with Bidstack (an in-game ad platform), has updated advertising banners in DiRT Rally 2.0 to display the message. Toby Jones, the VP of business development at Codemasters, said, "We began delivering a version of Public Health England's 'Stay Home Save Lives' message into DiRT Rally 2.0. It's fantastic to see conversations already being sparked amongst our community."

In the U.S. Microsoft has announced a new scheme that allows Xbox players to donate their Microsoft Rewards Points to the CDC. Microsoft is matching every 1000 Points given with a $1 donation.

Related stories:

Industry News

Written by Sean Carey

Avid Xbox and achievement fan, Sean has committed to playing the best RPGs, racing games, and first-person shooters Xbox Game Pass and his precious free time will allow. Prior to joining TrueAchievements, Sean gained a degree in journalism from Solent University.