Agent 47 is not nature’s most deadly force in Hitman 3. Covid-19 is. Yes, IO Interactive’s killer sandbox is the latest video game to recognize the pandemic that infected almost 100 million people, killed more than 2 million and destroyed life as we know it.
In the first level of the game, the Dubai ensemble “On top of the world, ”One of his targets, Carl Ingram, can say a line indicating that he is clearly not happy to be there. “I bet people with coronavirus get more peace of mind than that,” he says.
Okay, to begin with, what a rude and rude remark.
But let us also take a second to acknowledge the far reaching implications of that observation. People in Hitman 3 don’t exactly follow the guidelines recommended by basically all the official public health experts on the planet. “On Top of the World” takes place during an event held in a sumptuous supertall with several bars, a sea of high tables and a complete art exhibition. A later level, “Apex Predator”, sends Agent 47 to a rave outside Berlin.
In both stages, you will not see a single mask. Nobody practices social detachment. People gather in tight circles and crawl to the bars without caring about the world. They huddle together in tight spaces, shoulder to shoulder. Don’t these people read the news? Are they all vaccinated? Given the progress of the launch—or not– in the real world, the latter seems unlikely.
G / O Media can receive a commission
Hitman 3 it is not the only game in which covid-19 exists in the universe. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla features a series of emails between the metacharacter, Layla Hassan, and a concerned family member. “I don’t have Covid,” Layla writes. “And I’m pretty isolated.” You can see this correspondence by interacting with the game laptop when you are out of animus.
Last fall Tony Hawk professional skater 1 + 2 does not explicitly mention covid-19, but a series of environmental clues in the “School” stage mention working towards a “new normal”, parades for frontline workers and the difficulties that come with working from home. There is also a desire for good health and safety. Again, no explicit calls, but this message looks a lot like the message around covid-19.
Hitman 3 it is not the first game to recognize covid-19. I doubt it’s the last one.