In the US, the first vaccinations against COVID-19 began on December 14. A member of the US task force against the virus spoke about the topic and explained why people should trust the vaccines using the Xbox as an example.
What happened? Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams is a specialist in anesthesiology (responsible for anesthesia during surgeries) and Vice Admiral of the Army. Since 2017, he has held the position of Surgeon General of the United States. In an interview with Fox News, he discussed the COVID-19 vaccinations and drew a comparison to games on the Xbox.
Some citizens view the vaccines with skepticism and wonder why they are available so quickly and whether it is possible to know that they do not have long-term effects. The host at Fox News also asks Adams how the rapid deployment came about.
Adams responds that the vaccines did not come “out of nowhere,” but are based on a platform that has existed for more than a decade. This is similar to new games for the Xbox:
The Xbox is the new big Christmas gift, and what we did is utilize what’s called platform technology. When you get a new Xbox and want to change your game, you don’t throw away the whole Xbox and buy a new one; you just get a new game.
What we did with this vaccine was use such a platform that has existed for over a decade. So we know the vaccine is safe, we know it is effective, we changed the cartridge to adapt it to COVID-19. That is what allowed us to reach this point scientifically in record time.
This vaccine is safe, and I will get it as soon as they tell me I can.
Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams speaking to Fox News.
Another aspect of the rapid deployment is the reduction of administrative hurdles, as Adams emphasized in the discussion.
*Note on the word cartridge: In English, a wordplay is used with “Cartridge” – cartridge in medicine or cassette as known from old GameBoy or NES times.
How is this comparison received by gamers? Below the article on Kotaku, various reactions are accumulating to this comparison. Many find it appropriate because the basic methodology behind it is similar and the example is illustrative.
The user Oldotheebastard wrote, for example:
It seems to me a good metaphor. Many people do not understand vaccine platform research, especially now. Using this metaphor is a nice, simple way to explain it to people.
The criticism in the comments is only directed at the comparison with a cassette, as only Blu-ray discs are used with the Xbox and most people download their games from the internet.
Corona and Gaming: COVID-19 dominated the year 2020 worldwide. This led to more people turning to video games:
- Last week, the platform Steam set a new user record
- An old MMORPG has, thanks to Corona, more players than ever before
- Especially shooters saw a significant increase in player numbers in the first months of the year.
However, the virus also led to numerous delays in the gaming industry, as was the case with Halo Infinite.
Additionally, there have been some moving stories surrounding Corona and gaming. The MMORPG EVE Online, for example, developed a mini-game through which players can help collect data about the virus. This supported scientists in a playful way:
