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World Health Organisation teams up with games industry for #PlayApartTogether campaign

Zynga, Playtika, Kabam, Snap Games, Wooga, Glu, and more are on board

World Health Organisation teams up with games industry for #PlayApartTogether campaign

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the games industry have partnered for a brand new campaign.

The #PlayApartTogether push sees top companies from the video games sector encouraging players to be mindful of the guidelines laid out to slow the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.

The campaign will see special events, activities and rewards in-game to encourage people to stay indoors and help keep themselves and those around them safe.

So far the campaign has attracted 18 companies including Mobile games firms such as Kabam, Snap Games, the Amazon App Store, Maysalward, Big Fish Games, Playtika, Dirtybit, Pocket Games, Wooga, Glu, Jam City, SciPlay and Zynga.

A global gathering

PC and console publishers Activision Blizzard and Riot, as well as broadcast platforms Twitch and YouTube Gaming, and engine firm Unity are also on board.

"Our mission at Zynga has always been to connect the world through games, and it has taken on a new dimension as we face this global crisis," said Zynga president of publishing Bernard Kim.

"We are honored to support the important work of the World Health Organization and provide our players with a support system during this period of physical distancing. The #PlayApartTogether initiative activates positivity and community that can help us commit to the urgent task at hand."

This story originally appeared on PCGamesInsider.biz. Additional reporting by Ric Cowley.

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PCGamesInsider Contributing Editor

Alex Calvin is a freelance journalist who writes about the business of games. He started out at UK trade paper MCV in 2013 and left as deputy editor over three years later. In June 2017, he joined Steel Media as the editor for new site PCGamesInsider.biz. In October 2019 he left this full-time position at the company but still contributes to the site on a daily basis. He has also written for GamesIndustry.biz, VGC, Games London, The Observer/Guardian and Esquire UK.