The ongoing coronavirus pandemic is undoubtedly the event that will define 2020 for many, with lockdowns still affecting places like the United States as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently reports over 325,000 deaths due to the virus since January 21, 2020. While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency use authorizations to two COVID-19 vaccines, viral contraction is still a danger amid the holiday season.
Though some video game developers have been forced to delay their titles due to complications from the pandemic, mobile developer and publisher Zynga Inc. saw its stock grow in 2020, even with the announcement that it would shut down its popular Facebook title FarmVille after 11 years. That said, the company has been giving back by pushing for social distancing and other preventative measures as part of its #PlayApartTogether initiative. Now American music group the Black Eyed Peas is getting involved.
The initiative, spearheaded by Zynga but incorporating at least 60 other companies, exists to spread information and entertainment, according to a press release sent out today. It includes a video recorded by rapper Jamie "Taboo" Gomez on behalf of the band that asks people to respect doctors, nurses, and frontline workers who are protecting lives this holiday season by wearing a mask. Apparently, he has recorded a number of personalized videos which will be disseminated to over 80 video game companies worldwide.
This #PlayApartTogether initiative is not the only means of raising awareness that Zynga has taken part in throughout 2020. The developer's mobile game Words With Friends teamed up with the American Cancer Society in October to encourage early screening and detection efforts for breast cancer.
Sources: CDC, Mayo Clinic