Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health used Mario Kart 8 to explain how boosters reduce COVID-19 in a bid to appeal to the gaming generation. With the pandemic still raging, several media outlets are attempting a variety of ways to get people to be vaccinated. As you can see, this is an attempt to get gamers to obtain their shots. Vaccines have been demonstrated to be successful in reducing the frequency of COVID-19 infections, as well as the severity of symptoms in individuals who are sick. E3 will be an online-only event again this year, as the pandemic has already affected many gaming events, but alerting gamers about the vaccine’s benefits through media and allusions they understand could help make in-person gaming events a reality once more sooner rather than later.
According to the ad they put out the other day, Johns Hopkins is considering this method. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health used its Twitter account to highlight the benefits of a vaccine booster through a race in Mario Kart 8, addressing an increasingly common omicron strain of COVID-19.
While racing against the Omicron variation, Mario uses the orange boost pads that are familiar to Mario Kart fans to protect himself. Another interesting point is that the race is part of the “COVID Cup,” which is a play on Mario Kart’s racing cup system. The film has a polished look to it, demonstrating the amount of time and work that went into making it. The video has received a mixed response from fans. Some people find it amusing, while others find it nauseating. Some even demand on Nintendo to send a cease and desist letter to the university.
The fact that Nintendo is notoriously litigious when it comes to protecting its intellectual property means this isn’t out of the question. Because many gamers consider sincere attempts by major corporations to engage with them as dumb or embarrassing, gamers have long been a difficult target market. Johns Hopkins University made an attempt, and the video, polarising as it may be, may yet serve a useful purpose. As a marketing strategy, this isn’t the first time video games have been used in unconventional ways.
Organizations will use any method they think will work to get the public’s attention when dealing with a public health crisis, including popular franchises like Mario Kart. The person who edited this video appeared to be having a blast, so it may have been worthwhile. The hope is that gamers, even if they’re just making fun of it, will take notice of it.