Take Out Your Pandemic Anger In Corona Kombat For PC VR

It’s a challenging time around the world with the ongoing global pandemic. However, if you’re feeling a bit frustrated, a new PC VR game might let you take out some of your anger in an usual way.

Corona Kombat is a new PC VR game available now on Steam, in which you’ll travel through blood vessels while shooting at the virus. While the concept might seem a bit silly, the game was actually developed by a health tech startup, Reducept, with the help of a European grant both for the game development and accompanying clinical research.

Corona Kombat VR

While it might be fun to take your pandemic anger out in-game by shooting at the virus,  Reducept is hoping that Corona Kombat might be able help people who are struggling with negative mental health effects stemming from the pandemic, with the game pitched as being “supported by the validated effectiveness of CBT [cognitive behavioral therapy], hypnotherapy and mindfulness.”

The basic idea is to release any negative emotions toward something by performing some kind of representative physical action, even if it seems silly. In this case, by traveling through the blood stream and shooting at strands of COVID-19, Reducept is aiming to help people release some of the anger or frustration they might be feeling toward the pandemic in an amusing game.

Whether the game actually helps in that regard is a whole other matter, and will probably depend on the person playing. There’s two modes in question, a relaxing ‘resistance’ mode and a more challenging ‘willpower’ mode.

The game is available now on Steam, and looks like it only supports Oculus Rift headset at the moment, with just keyboard and mouse support for controls. If you try the game out, let us know what you think in the comments below.

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Virus Popper Is An Educational VR Game About Personal Hygiene To Help Combat COVID-19

Washing your hands is important; so important, in fact, we’ve even got games about it now. Virus Popper is a free educational VR game about personal hygiene that teaches players the value of hand washing, social distancing, and the danger of viral infections.

Virus Popper was created by a two-person development team as VR For Good project, led by Alexander Clark and published by Starcade Arcade. The game will release for free on April 9th on the Oculus Home Store, Steam, and Viveport.

At the start of the game before the action starts, you’ve actually got to wash your hands, virtually, in the game for at least 20 seconds with soap. During the game the goal is to defend yourself from virus orbs flowing toward you by blasting them with cleaning spray, toilet brushes, mops, and more.

Hopefully this will help build strong habits. Other novel implementations of personal hygiene best practices (and the COVID-19 pandemic) include NPCs coughing into their elbows instead of their hands or into the air, the robot companion, Proxi, measuring distances to ensure aliens are at least 6-ft apart, and increasing the chance of your character getting infected if you ever touch your face.

There are also rolls of toilet paper to stack, but it does absolutely nothing to help. Well played.

Even though Virus Popper is positioned as an educational game it should be stated that this is not officially endorsed by the CDC, WHO, or any other official organization as a means of accurate education for hygiene and cleanliness to combat COVID-19. But, the core of it is about washing hands and avoiding touching your face — both things the CDC, WHO, and everyone else agree are smart to do.

For more on Virus Popper, check out the game’s Steam page.

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Corona Offers A Connection With Nature With VR

Mexican beer brand Corona is joining with several other makers of alcoholic beverages in using virtual reality (VR) as a means to market its product and bring unique experiences to its customers. The company’s current aim to to reconnect people in Mexico City with nature.

Mexico City is one of the world’s most populous cities, home to over 20 million people. As a result of geography and restrictions of money, most people in the city have little opportunity to get outside the city and experience nature. Corona are using VR to change that.

Creating a VR installation, Corona have combined theatrical tricks with VR to give visitors the feeling of being immersed in nature. Using sand, heat, wind and scents, Corona have created an experience that lets users travel along a virtual path from the lush jungle to an unspoiled beach.

“The inspiration for this project was to alleviate a tension for people and that required us to go beyond traditional advertising,” said Thiago Zanettini, Global VP Corona. “We leveraged cutting edge technology in a meaningful way to bring to life the brand’s purpose. To live up to that purpose, we hope to do more initiatives like this next year in our homeland of Mexico and beyond.”

Corona’s ‘Secret Paradise’ VR installation was created by Wieden+Kennedy and the Department of New Realities. The event is being held at the Gral Prima in Mexico City and is due to continue across two weekends.

VRFocus will continue to report on new applications for VR technology.