As the UK enters another COVID-induced lockdown, and as millions of people around the globe face a winter of loneliness and isolation, I found a glimmer of hope this week in discovering a very unique, very inspiring game called Kind Words.
Much like how the March release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons arrived at the precise moment we needed community and camaraderie – but also to stay indoors – American developer Popcannibal’s 2019 release may well be the defining game of this current stage of the COVID crisis. It might also be a lifeline to people.
- READ MORE: New Nintendo Switch game ‘Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ is a perfect way to weather self-isolation
Kind Words (lo fi chill beats to write to), which is the game’s full title, is built around one simple precious premise: empathy. It’s an extremely simple idea, but then the best normally are. You sit in your bedroom. You write an anonymous letter about something you’re sad or worried about. You wait for a reply.
Then you get a letter from someone you’ll never meet and can’t contact directly, which tells you about something they’re sad or worried about. You reply. If the recipient finds what you wrote helpful, moving or supportive, they reward you with a ‘sticker’ you can use to decorate your room. Oh, and you can listen to a playlist of tranquil, meditative instrumentals while you do this.
