Press release 8/02/2021
UAntwerp
kicks off second semester with fun video game
Thanks
to the vaccines, there's light at the end of the tunnel: just a few more months
and we'll have the coronavirus under control. Can't wait that long? Show the
virus who's boss today in UAntwerp's new video game, Corona Combat. 'We hope an
invitation to play the game together will help boost student morale at the
start of the second semester.'
Step into
Pierre, Herman or Erika’s shoes as you try to shoot all the virus particles out
of the sky. But watch out, because the virus isn't afraid to shoot back! Can
you keep the coronavirus at bay? Eternal glory awaits you in the high score
list. That's Corona Combat in a nutshell.
The fun
computer game – any resemblance to the all-time classic Space Invaders is
purely coincidental – was launched by the University of Antwerp to mark the kick-off
of the second semester.
'Luckily,
in Belgium, infection rates are still more or less under control', says rector
Herman Van Goethem. 'But this crisis isn't over yet. Many people, including
many of our students, are struggling – especially mentally. We're doing
everything we can to offer support and encouragement in various ways, for
example with this light-hearted computer game.'
We're in
this together
Corona
Combat is mainly aimed at UAntwerp students. The launch was preceded by the
appearance of some cool artwork on the various UAntwerp campuses by none other
than famous graffiti artist Yvon Tordoir, aka Rise One. Rector Van Goethem:
'But everyone is welcome to play the game. Because we're all in this together.
This game symbolises the battle we're all waging as one united front. We're
encouraging students to play it together, for example in a battle of the faculties.'
When you
start the game, you get to choose one of three avatars. Pierre (Van Damme),
Herman (Goossens) and Erika (Vlieghe) have become household names: these three
experts from the University of Antwerp have been important voices guiding us all
through this pandemic for the past year.
Don't
let your guard down
Corona
Combat was officially launched on Monday 8 February. The high scores will be
announced on 22 February. Infectiologist Erika Vlieghe and epidemiologist
Pierre Van Damme had the honour of playing the very first game of Corona
Combat. Vlieghe, in particular, quickly got the hang of it. 'This is not good
for my blood pressure’, she laughed.
This game is kind of like the pandemic: as
soon as you let your guard down, you’ve caught the bug.
www.coronacombat.be
