Q&A: Video game mods simulate life with long COVID

Key takeaways:

• A team has created modifications of three popular video games simulating what it is like to live with long COVID.
• One of the project leads said it can help children understand what it feels like to be affected by the disease.

New video game modifications can help others understand what it is like to live with long COVID.

In May, Long COVID Europe, a European network of long COVID associations run by affected patients fighting for better recognition of long COVID, launched modifications for three popular games: Elden Ring, Minecraft and the Witcher 3. They allow users to experience the “elevated difficulty” of coping with long COVID “in the safest way possible,” according to the Long COVID Mode website, which is managed by Long COVID Europe.

The project, which was pro bono, aims to shine a light on lesser known, more prevalent symptoms than the heightened fatigue that the disease is often simplified as, according to the website.

Healio spoke with Chantal Britt, co-chair of Long COVID Europe — which includes Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom — and president of Long COVID Switzerland, to learn more about Long COVID Mode, what the team hopes comes from the games and more.

Healio: What is ‘Long COVID Mode’? What would players experience in this game mod?

Britt: Long COVID Mode is a set of gaming modifications, commonly known within the gaming community as “mods,” which give gaming characters typical long COVID symptoms.

Mods are usually created by fans of a game rather than the game developer. They are created by editing the code of the game to add new content or modify the existing content of the game. Mods are usually developed as passion projects and are an integral part of the gaming world.

With the Long COVID Mode, players can experience symptoms through their characters to better understand such a complex, invisible condition and the challenges people affected experience every day. The mods show a player how life may take on a whole new level of difficulty when somebody is suffering from long COVID. While fatigue and cognitive dysfunction are more commonly associated with the long-term effects of COVID, these mods also manage to highlight some of the lesser-known symptoms like exertion intolerance, post-exertional malaise, unrefreshing sleep, indigestion and more.

Healio: What gave you the idea for this? Why did you decide to do it?

Britt: According to the latest report from WHO, long COVID affects more than 100 million people worldwide. The common misconception is that it only affects older age groups or people with previous health conditions. But it can affect everybody, even young, healthy and fit people, also children and adolescents. We wanted to find a means to reach out to a younger audience and start a conversation about long COVID.

We noticed that gamers have a habit of playing the same games all over again on higher difficulties. As patients may experience new symptoms every day, the disease also challenges them to live their real life on a whole new level of difficulty every day. By connecting the dots, we played into the need for a challenge among gamers, giving them a mode they would want to play while learning something about a disabling disease.

Another reason for choosing gaming as a medium of education was that campaigning for long COVID is difficult because it forces many of us to remain housebound, which makes us invisible. The virtual world of games helps us overcome those physical limitations and geographical boundaries. Using this innovative channel allows us to spread our message among younger audiences across the globe without having to leave our homes.

Healio: Why did you choose the games you picked?

Britt: Long COVID Mode is available for 3 games: Elden Ring, Minecraft and The Witcher 3. Each of these games commands a unique set of fans. Their contrasting PG ratings also make it possible to reach out to both a younger and a mature audience.

These are also some of the most modded games, which means that there is already a large number of players out there who actively look for new mods to try out.

Healio: How was this created? What kinds of teams worked on this?

Britt: The project was developed by a relatively small but very dedicated team. We were a handful of patients at Long COVID Europe who put together the information about the disease for the mods. We always worked very closely with our marketing agency, Saint Elmo’s, to make sure that the Minecraft mod was as accurate as possible but also technically feasible. The Elden Ring mod was developed by a team of modders known as Garden of Eyes. You can find more of their work on YouTube. The Witcher 3 mod was created by an independent modder who goes by Stellar7Project. You can find his other Witcher 3 mods on Nexusmods. I must add, this project would not have been possible without the pro-bono work by all the people involved.

Healio: What do you hope comes from Long COVID Mode?

Britt: We hope to raise awareness about long COVID and the severity of post-infectious diseases like myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. We want people to be aware because, while COVID-19 is no longer considered a public health emergency, long COVID definitely has a major impact on all aspects of our lives. We need more recognition, dedicated research and appropriate care and support structures assigned to this condition.

Healio: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Britt: The Long COVID Mode is a project that is close to my heart because I’m in regular contact with children affected by long COVID, and I feel helpless because there is not much I can do for them. They have not been able to leave their houses, go to school, play sports and see their friends. A lot of their social contacts happen via gaming. This project is dedicated to the kids and adolescents who, for the first time, can show their friends what it feels like to be affected by this debilitating disease. For many of them, the gaming characters in a virtual world are the only way to be healthy, normal, strong, and even invincible, to fight and to run — something they are no longer able to do in their real lives. These mods are for them.

Reference:

• Long COVID Mode. https://longcovideurope.org/lcm/. Accessed May 31, 2023.