Agent 47 is not the most lethal force of nature in Hitman 3. Covid-19 is. Yes, the killer sandbox of IO Interactive is the latest video game that recognizes the pandemic infected nearly 100 million people, killed over 2 million and turned our lives upside down as we know it.
In the first level of the game, the Dubai set “In the ninth heaven“One of your targets, Carl Ingram, can say a line that indicates that he is not very happy to be there. “I bet people with coronavirus get more peace of mind than this,” he says.
Okay, for one thing, what an unusual remark.
But let’s take a second to acknowledge the widespread implications of this observation. The people of Hitman 3 do not follow exactly the recommendations recommended by virtually every official public health expert on the planet. “At the top of the world” takes place during a function held at a sumptuous supertal with several bars, a sea of high tables and an entire exhibition of strange art. A later level, “Apex Predator”, sends Agent 47 in a rave on the outskirts of Berlin.
In both stages, you will not see a single mask. No one practices social distancing. People crowd in tight circles and head for carefree bars around the world. It crowds into narrow spaces, shoulder-to-shoulder. Don’t these people read the news? Are they all vaccinated? Given the way the launch is taking place …or not“In the real world, the latter seems unlikely.”
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Hitman 3 it is not the only game in which covid-19 exists in the universe. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla presents a series of emails between the meta-character, Layla Hassan and a worried family member. “I don’t have Covid, no,” Layla writes. “And I’m well isolated.” You can see this correspondence by interacting with the laptop in the game when you are outside the animus.
Last autumn Tony Hawk’s Pro 1 + 2 skater does not explicitly mention covid-19, but a series of environmental clues in the “School” stage mention working towards a “new normal”, parades for the workers on the home line and the difficulties that come with working from home. There is also a desire for good health and safety. Again, no explicit notification, but that messaging sounds a lot like the messages around covid-19.
Hitman 3 is not the first game to recognize covid-19. I doubt it will be the last.