Comedy in Quarantine: How BLAZO!! And NJ Comedy Syndicate Are Using Technology and Creativity to Thrive During COVID-19

Eating Funny - A food review parody show

When the pandemic prevented NJ Comedy group BLAZO!! and their NJ Comedy Syndicate comedians from shooting their fast food review parody show Eating Funny on location, they challenged themselves to overcome the limitations. They turned to imagination and innovation, leveraging technology, and their effort is paying off. The show is tackling quarantine issues directly, and the approach is resonating: views and engagement are higher than ever before.

"I'm really excited at just how much encouragement, and engagement, we are getting from integrating quarantine issues into our comedy," says BLAZO!! founder Bo Blaze. "Really, any YouTube creator can turn a challenging situation into something positive by taking advantage of simple, free technology and using their imagination to slant things in a "quarantine funny" way. The most important thing is not to give up and wait for things to change. They may not change for a long time, so adapt."

Eating Funny is a show is about a delusional, spoiled Millennial who is abusive to his butler and thinks everyone is interested in his fast food reviews. When the NJ Comedy Syndicate comedians realized they could not shoot together, let alone on location, they imagined how the actual characters on the show would handle it – bringing a very real, very funny angle to the episodes. 

Eating Funny - A food review parody show (screengrab)

The "quarantine comedy" includes passing food and even a punch in the mouth through the television, mailing food via the nonexistent FedEX Uber Eats Instant delivery service, and the butler wearing PPE in the restaurant – where nobody can understand his through-the-mask requests.

"We were really excited to see that SNL and American Idol did such an amazing job of continuing their programming during the quarantine. We really admire what they're doing and hope it inspires creators of every size to do the same," says Blaze. "We love what we do, and we intend to keep making content regardless of pandemic limitations."

Video: Episode #7

• For more information on Eating Funny, visit the show's YouTube Channel 

SOURCE: BLAZO!!

Director of "Synthetic Love", Vasyl Moskalenko, Creates Super-Hero Short-Movie in Covid-19 Lockdown on One Dollar Budget [Video Included]

Director of "Synthetic Love", Vasyl Moskalenko, Creates Super-Hero Short-Movie in Covid-19 Lockdown on One Dollar Budget (screengrab)

Ukrainian film-director Vasyl Moskalenko has filmed a superhero movie, Apple-Man, in his own 150 square feet bedroom, with only two people on set and on a one dollar budget, during Covid-19 lockdown,

The voiceover for Apple-Man was also provided by Marvel VO actor, Stefan Ashton Frank.

The main idea of the project is to demonstrate that it's possible to stay creative even when spending lockdown in a single room and also that it`s still important to stay safe during this time.

The Director played all twelve characters in the movie, while the other person on set was the Director of Photography, Volodymyr Kratinov. Almost all props and costumes were comprised of items Vasyl found in his own kitchen.

The voiceover for Apple-Man was completed by Stefan Ashton Frank, who worked on the VO for Need for Speed and the Call of Duty videogame series (along with Jason Statham and Gary Oldman). In Lego Marvel Super Heroes, Ashton Frank voiced the characters of Groot and Green Goblin.

Right now Vasyl Moskalenko has a plan to do a 90-minute feature film version of Apple-Man and is seeking a producer and co-investor.

"I spent one dollar to make a short movie," the director said. "Now I have a plan to make a 90-minute feature film version of Apple-Man. I want to add more SGI, action and hire American actors and actresses for VO of the super-hero characters, such as Apple-girl and Captain Cabbage."

The Apple-man trailer received more than 300 000 views within the few hours on one of the Instagram pages that reposted it.

"We have had amazing feedback about the project from people all over the world," says Vasyl. "This support makes me think Apple-Man has good potential. I want to release the movie on digital VOD platform, such as Netflix or Amazon next."

Vasyl Moskalenko  (image via IMDb)

About Vasyl Moskalenko:

Vasyl Moskalenko is the director of the movie, "Synthetic Love", which received 20 festival awards in USA, Canada and Great Britain. He also directed numerous TV-shows in Ukraine in 2012-2018. 

Besides Apple-Man, he is currently working on a horror movie, "The Chernobyl Fallout". The project was presented at the European Film Market during the Berlin International Film Festival (the Berlinale), in 2020.

The Video:

SOURCE: Moskalenko Studios

World Health Organization Announces The Launch of The WHO Academy and The WHO Info Mobile Apps

WHO announces the launch of the WHO Academy app designed to support health workers during COVID-19, and the WHO Info app designed to inform the general public.

Today, the WHO Academy, World Health Organization’s lifelong learning centre, launched a mobile app designed to enable health workers to expand their life-saving skills to battle the COVID-19 pandemic.

The app provides health workers with mobile access to a wealth of COVID-19 knowledge resources, developed by WHO, that include up-to-the-minute guidance, tools, training, and virtual workshops that will help them care for COVID-19 patients and protect themselves.

“With this new mobile app, the WHO is putting the power of learning and knowledge-sharing directly into the hands of health workers everywhere,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. 

The app is built around the needs expressed by 20,000 global health workers in a WHO Academy survey conducted in March of 2020.

The survey found that two-thirds of respondents feel they need to be more prepared, particularly in infection prevention and control, case management, use of personal protective equipment and occupational safety, and risk communication and community engagement.

An overwhelming majority of respondents said virtual learning on demand would be helpful in preparing for COVID-19 challenges.

The establishment of the WHO Academy, based in Lyon, France, is planned for launch in May 2021. The state-of-the-art lifelong learning centre, will apply the latest technologies and adult learning science to meet the learning needs of millions of health workers, policy makers, and WHO staff around the world.

• The application is available for free download from both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store in Arabic Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.

• You can also learn more about the WHO Academy here.

The WHO Info App.

Also today, WHO will launch the WHO Info app which will give millions of people real-time mobile access to the latest news and developments. WHO has developed the app from the ground up with an intuitive user-interface and a clean, smart design. From the COVID-19 front, the WHO Info app will provide the latest WHO initiatives, partnerships, and to up-to-date information on the race to find medicines and vaccines for fighting the disease. The number of COVID-19 cases, organized by country, and by timelines, are continually updated in the app from the official WHO COVID-19 data streams.

• The WHO Info app is available for free download from both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store

SOURCE: World Health Organization (WHO)

Covid-19: Sign the Letter for a Green Recovery

These three women have the power to make it happen: EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Europe’s top banker Christine Lagarde and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. (image via Avaaz)

Dear friends,

In days, Europe could put forward a bold, green Corona recovery plan that would be a beacon of hope for the rest of the world -- but big polluters and coal-loving governments are trying to derail it!

To fight back, Avaaz is joining a massive group of influential politicians, scientists, academics, business leaders and civil society, to back an ambitious green recovery for Europe.

And these three women have the power to make it happen: EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Europe’s top banker Christine Lagarde and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Let’s embolden them with 1 million signatures from all corners of the world, making sure they stay strong, face down the lobbyists and lead us towards the green future we need. 

Join now with one click -- in days, key parliamentarians will deliver our voices straight to Europe’s leaders and the media!

ADD MY NAME

To Commission President von der Leyen, Chancellor Merkel, Christine Lagarde and all EU leaders:
You’ve got the power to lead Europe and the world out of the dark days of this pandemic towards a brighter, greener future.

You can make the Green Deal our Recovery Deal by investing hundreds of billions a year to create green jobs and make our economies clean and fair. We count on you to put a climate bank and a climate budget at its heart, and ensure that all money is spent in line with the Paris agreement. It is time to move away from dirty fossil fuels, tax large corporate profits, and unleash the clean energy revolution we so desperately need.

Together, we are strong enough to fight back and recover from this virus. We are generous enough to ensure no one is left behind. And we are wise enough to ensure this recovery does not lay the foundations for even worse climate crises in the future.

ADD MY NAME

With hope for the future,

Loup Dargent

On behalf of Luis, Alice, Pascal, Patricia, Bert, and the whole Avaaz team

MORE INFORMATION:

• Polluter bailouts and lobbying during Covid-19 pandemic (The Guardian)
• Coronavirus recovery plan 'must tackle climate change' (BBC News)
• Why climate change is a pandemic in slow motion (and what that can teach us) (The Correspondent)
• Creating Jobs Saving Lives EU
• Time to invest in a healthy future: Time for a green & just recovery (Transport & Environment)  

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4 Steps to Controlling Your Anger Triggers

4 Steps to Controlling Your Anger Triggers

Everyone has their own little quirks. Things that make them irritated, frustrating, or downright angry. You could probably list your own triggers right now—little stuff like clutter or having to wait around. Maybe you can’t stand a particular word or phrase, or you find it impossible to work if there’s noise. The thing about triggers is that they’re often small things that tip you over the edge, and before you know it, you’ve lost your temper over something that in the scheme of things, doesn’t really matter.

Here are four steps you can take to manage your anger triggers better: 

Take control

The first thing is to realize that you are totally in control of how you react. Work out what your triggers are, and you can take your power back. You can anticipate and plan for situations where you know you’re likely to blow your top.

Learn to read your body

Be conscious of how your anger manifests in your body. Likely your heart rate will go up, or your hands and jaw will clench. You might feel breathless or even get a stomachache. Tune into what your body is telling you, and you’ll learn to be able to stop the process of reacting. And remember the feelings themselves aren’t ‘bad’ but how you choose to respond to those feelings can be harmful, even destructive.

Instead of sweeping the papers off your desk onto the floor, or yelling, take a deep breath or go for a walk. Feeling triggered is often a result of low blood sugar, fatigue, or dehydration. Taking care of your physical needs can help you manage your emotional needs as well and make you more resilient to stresses and triggers.

Identify what triggered you

Once you can interrupt the trigger response, you can start to work out what it was that set it off in the first place. Did you feel disrespected? Unheard? Were you mistreated or misunderstood? If someone pushed in front of you in the coffee line, what did that signal to you? That your needs aren’t important?

What about if someone talks over you or interrupts in a meeting? As well as being rude, you could feel sidelined, humiliated even.

Choose your plan of action

Whatever your triggers might be, it’s totally up to you how you react. You can anticipate how you might feel and what you might do or say in response. Take a deep breath, detach from the situation, and focus on how you want to feel. You can choose to stay calm in triggering situations – it’s up to you.

Thought-Provoking Short Film by Falls Encourages Appreciation for Life's Precious Moments During Pandemic and Beyond [Video Included]

Thought-Provoking Short Film by Falls Encourages Appreciation for Life's Precious Moments During Pandemic and Beyond

In this time of uncertainty, Falls, an integrated marketing, advertising and digital agency, released "Looking back on COVID-19," a short film that depicts the life-changing experiences during this pandemic. 

Produced in-house by the firm's creative team, the piece portrays the unexpected and rawness, and the vulnerability and humility of this moment in time. It paints a picture of what will be only distant memories when life returns to "normal."

"After some reflection, our team wanted to express a different perspective…to produce something that looked ahead, but by doing so — looked back," said Rob Falls, president and CEO of Falls. "We thought about someday — all of this will all be over. And time will pass. And, of course, we will remember the suffering, the personal losses and the separation from each other. However, we hope we will all remember what we learned from the togetherness, the ways in which we coped, and the selfless actions and sacrifices made to help others."

Thought-Provoking Short Film by Falls Encourages Appreciation for Life's Precious Moments During Pandemic and Beyond

In the opening scene, an all-too-common view of empty downtown streets, usually bustling — and quieted only by the stunning silence of social distancing — comes into view.
"What will you remember?" the narrator asks. He goes on to recount the ways we have persevered together and kept others safe while staying apart; the ways we have passed the time; the ways we have become teachers and tech experts; the ways we have learned to appreciate those who are essential to our lives; and the ways we've come to accept our new normal.

Echoing the sentiments shared by the narrator at the conclusion of the film, Falls reflected, "When we look back, we hope we will learn, and never forget. Learn what is truly important to each of us…and remember."

The Video:

SOURCE: Falls

Korean Pop Music Video "Be The Future" Released to Media and Schools to Urge Youth to Stay Safe During COVID-19 [Video Included]

Korean Pop Music Video "Be The Future" Released to Media and Schools to Urge Youth to Stay Safe During COVID-19

Millenasia today released "Be The Future," a K-Pop music video encouraging young people to take measures to prevent the transmission of COVID-19. In releasing the video, the Millenasia Project band urged the world to unite in support of the 1.5 billion learners who have been affected by school and university closures as a result of COVID-19.

The music video -- starring Millenasia Project, a project band composed of K-Pop artists AleXa, Dreamcatcher and IN2IT -- was conceived by Millenasia and created in partnership with the Varkey Foundation, as a member of UNESCO's Global Education Coalition.

According to UNESCO, 1.5 billion students and youth across the planet have been affected by school and university closures due to the COVID-19 outbreak. In direct response, UNESCO launched the Global Education Coalition to facilitate inclusive learning opportunities for children and youth during this period of sudden and unprecedented educational disruption.

Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director General for Education at UNESCO, said, "I am delighted that these K-pop artists have united to send an important message about staying safe during this global pandemic. Our Global Education Coalition is determined to do all it can to facilitate inclusive learning opportunities for the 1.5 billion students and youth across the planet that have been affected by school and university closures due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Crucially, we're determined to put the teacher voice at the heart of our mission to give every child their birthright; a good education."

The Varkey Foundation, which established the annual US $1 million Global Teacher Prize to shine a light on the global teaching profession, was also excited to partner on the new music video.

Sunny Varkey, Founder of the Varkey Foundation and Global Teacher Prize, said: "This music video is a fantastic way to ensure important messages about COVID-19 reach young people throughout the world. I am delighted that this video features 2020 Global Teacher Prize finalist Yun Jeong Hyun, highlighting how teachers across the world continue to inspire, even as the world shifts under their feet. Now, more than ever, we must shine a light on the world's teachers."

• The music video was created to remind young people that whilst they may not have symptoms of the virus, they can still transmit it to family or extended family members.

This music video offers a candy pink and pastel colored narrative with sassy performances, an adorable Siberian tiger mascot and the bebop spunk expected from Korean pop music. "Be the Future" offers a glimpse of a different time not so long ago, reminding us there is still optimism and small joys even in the worst of times.

"With hundreds of million fans around the world, K-Pop has proven to be a global sound for music," Keiko Bang, CEO of Millenasia, said. "We really wanted to make sure we were able to use a medium that would be family-friendly, but more importantly resonated with the youth."

The Millenasia Project band

AleXa said, "I strongly hope that this song and its message of health catches young people's attention. Don't let the seclusion get you down, it's important to stay connected to school, teachers and friends."

This is one of the first times K-Pop has been used as part of a UNESCO initiative and is a tribute to the medium which has accumulated more than an estimated 400 million fans in over 230 countries and regions worldwide. "Be The Future" delivers a universal and profoundly important message that will resonate with people from all walks of life.

Yeontae of IN2IT said, "My third-grade teacher taught me that at the very least we should all try to make a difference with our lives. Now that we are suffering by COVID-19, I can make a difference by staying at home and caring for my parents."

The Millenasia Project band was filmed and recorded just outside of Seoul, South Korea in late April with the production exercising best practices for social distancing at work. The music video collaboration was conceived, produced and released by Millenasia in just 4 weeks with composition, lyrics and choreography turned around in just 2 weeks.

Dreamcatcher's SuA said, "These are difficult times, but I hope everyone will keep their spirits up and I hope our energy in the music video will give you strength."

IN2IT, Dreamcatcher, and Alexa, based on their international and multicultural backgrounds, from Malaysia to Oklahoma, convey this sincere message in a simple but powerful way.

IN2IT, Dreamcatcher, and Alexa in a joint statement said: "We urge the world to unite to support the 1.5 billion learners who have been affected by school and university closures as a result of COVID-19. Amidst this crisis the world has discovered new reserves of creativity, compassion and resolve. We must ensure that the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on education actually strengthens, rather than weakens, our resolve to fulfill every child's right to a good education".

The Video:

• "Be The Future" is available now through Millenasia's YouTube channel, and on Apple Music, Spotify, Melon, Anghami, Boomplay, and 25 music platforms around the world. 
• For further information on this significant project and the music video, please visit millenasiaproject.com.

About the Artists:

• AleXa, a Korean-American Oklahoma-born artist, starred in the reality shows, Rising Legends and Produce 48. Her debut single "Bomb" reached #7 on Billboard's World Digital Song Sales chart with more than 12 million views as of May 2020.
• The up-and-coming all-girl group, Dreamcatcher, has made a big splash on the K-Pop scene with their edgy music videos like "Scream," and was nominated in the 2017 MNET Asian Music Awards for Best New Female Artist.
• IN2IT : After successfully winning on the wildly popular Korean music TV reality survival show 'Boys 24', the K-Pop boyband IN2IT have had 3 Top 10 on Korean album charts hits in 2017/2018 and have embarked on Asian and European music tours in 2018/2019.

The Millenasia Project band

About the Partners:

• Millenasia is a next-generation media company focused on targeting Asian millennials. They primarily focus on fandom, influencers, original and branded content, e-commerce, interactive social media, and technology-led storytelling.
• The Varkey Foundation believes every child deserves a vibrant, stimulating learning environment that awakens and supports their full potential. We believe nothing is more important to achieving this than the passion and quality of teachers. We founded the Global Teacher Prize to shine a spotlight on the incredible work teachers do all over the world and we continue to play a leading role in influencing education debates on the status of teachers around the world.
• UNESCO is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at contributing "to the building of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information."

Hashtags: 

•  #BeTheFuture 
•  #MillenasiaProject

SOURCE: Millenasia

7 Ways to Turn Worry into Excitement about Getting Things Done

7 Ways to Turn Worry into Excitement about Getting Things Done

Everybody worries sometimes. Right now, you’ve probably even got a few worries on your mind. You might be thinking about a relationship or a situation at work, causing you trouble. Maybe you’re worried about your health or whether or not you’re going to have enough money to pay the bills at the end of the month. Whatever the case, worry happens whether we intend for it to or not. This becomes a problem, though, when worry starts to take over your life.

So, what is the goal? Is stopping worrying enough to put you on an even keel, or are you hoping for something…more? What if, instead of worrying, you could become excited, then use this excitement to get more done?

Let’s look at seven ways to achieve this:

Be Here Now

Worry has a way of trapping you anywhere but here. Either you’re worried about something which happened long ago, or you’re caught up in fretting about something still to come. Neither is going to get you anywhere. To stop worrying, you need to focus on the present. What interests you right now?

Realize This Gets You Nowhere Fast

Worrying stops you cold. In fact, most procrastination is caused by worrying. With this in mind, why are you wasting your time and energy on worrying? Sometimes just recognizing what a waste worry is, will be enough to derail it altogether. Especially when you have better places to be.

Throw Yourself into Something Interesting

Worry needs your attention to survive. Get busy doing something engaging to your mind, and you’ll find you forget all about worrying.

Rewrite the Script

If you’re seeing everything blow up around you, maybe you should try focusing on the perceived disaster. Ask yourself how you could do things to handle the situation were it to happen. Once you have it, practice the scenario in your mind. Picture yourself handling matters.

Practice

Worried about something you need to do later? Having a dress rehearsal in your head will make things go smoother and keep worry at bay entirely.

Ask

Challenge your worry. Dig in and get to the roots until you understand your worry intimately. Ask yourself where the negativity came from. Peel back the layers until you get down into the heart of the matter.

Try a New Path

In the end, worry can become very attached to the familiar. Challenge yourself. Find a different way to do things. Explore where this path takes you.

The main point in all of these is to enjoy the journey. This is where you find the excitement and enthusiasm, which leads to getting things done. The rest is all momentum and a whole lot of brand-new accomplishments just waiting to happen.

Can an Animal Spread COVID-19? "What the QUACK" - New Coronavirus Comedy Song Released on YouTube [Video Included]

New coronavirus comedy song, What the QUACK, released on YouTube

Ampersand Records USA today announced a new Coronavirus Comedy Song by DUCK VENUS (fictitious character) aka Dark Venus and featured on her YouTube channel. 

The song paints the picture (in cartoon style) what would happen if a Duck got the virus.

"We already know how contagious the Coronavirus is amongst humans," says Dark (DUCK) Venus, who started her YouTube channel back in 2018. "But what would happen if an animal were to be the transmitter?"

The story (which is purely fictional) portrays a little cute duck that catches the virus and in turn, innocently starts a chain reaction of infection in her small farm community.

"Under the current lockdown, I think a lot of people will enjoy this new release," says Robert Harris, CEO at Ampersand Records USA. "The song (which is original) is memorable as well."

The lighthearted scenes follow the "paths of the pathogen" as the victims unknowingly spread the virus from one person to another. With a surprise ending, the little duck finds a way to seek revenge on the real source of the virus.

SOURCE: Ampersand Records USA

Related Stories:

• "Corona Wuhan Na" - New Coronavirus Comedy Song But With A Serious Message [Video And Lyrics Included]
• Hip Hop Public Health Launches 20 Seconds or More Initiative Harnessing the Power of Music to Encourage Hand Washing and Other Safety Protocols Amongst Young People to Battle the COVID-19 Pandemic
• "Together We are One" - A Music Video With a Message of Inspiration and Hope During These Difficult Times [Video Included]

"The Trayvon Hoax" Film is now on YouTube for Free, Director says "Enjoy Stay at Home Bonus!" [Video Included]

"The Trayvon Hoax" Film is now on YouTube for Free (PRNewsfoto/HIghway 61 Entertainment)

The best-selling film, The Trayvon Hoax: Unmasking the Witness Fraud that Divided America, is now available to watch on YouTube for free for a limited time. Director and producer Joel Gilbert describes this free offer as a "stay at home bonus" for those locked down due to Covid-19 restrictions. 

The Trayvon Hoax was first screened to the public at The National Press Club in Washington DC last September, and is also a book of the same name, available on DVD, Paperback and eBook on Amazon.com

The Trayvon Hoax: Unmasking the Witness Fraud that Divided America, is a stunning work of investigative journalism. Hollywood filmmaker Joel Gilbert claims to reveal the true story of the 2012 shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, a case that divided America. 

By examining Trayvon's 750-page cell phone records, Gilbert alleges that the key witness for the prosecution of George Zimmerman, Rachel Jeantel, was a fraud. He asserts that it was a different girl who was on the phone with Trayvon just before he was shot. She was the 16-year-old whose recorded phone conversation with family attorney Benjamin Crump ignited the public, swayed President Obama, and provoked the nation's media to demand Zimmerman's arrest. 

Gilbert's painstaking research takes him through the high schools of Miami, into the back alleys of Little Haiti, and finally to Florida State University where he finds Trayvon's real girlfriend, the real phone witness, Diamond Eugene. Gilbert confirms his revelations with forensic handwriting analysis and DNA testing. After obtaining unredacted court documents and reading Diamond Eugene's vast social media archives, Gilbert reconstructs the true story of Trayvon Martin's troubled teenage life and tragic death. 

In the process, Gilbert exposes in detail the most consequential hoax in recent American judicial history. The Trayvon Hoax was ground zero for the downward spiral of race relations in America. This incredible film and book have the potential to correct American history and bring America back together again.

George Zimmerman was inspired to launch a lawsuit based on the research in his documentary that is making its way through the Florida courts.

SOURCE: HIghway 61 Entertainment

Four Video Games To Boost Your Mood

The video game Fortnite revels in silliness. (Epic Games/IGDB)

In her book How Games Move Us (2016), computer games researcher Katherine Isbister writes that her friends and colleagues believe that gaming might numb people’s emotions. Given the possible connection between games and violence, it may be understandable that they think this, but Isbister disagrees with them. She writes that “games can actually play a powerful role in creating empathy and other strong, positive emotional experiences”.

Designers want players to laugh, cry and extend empathy to the other characters and players within digital games. So whether you are looking for a welcome distraction or a mood boost, here are four games to try.

1. Kind Words

Ziba Scott’s Kind Words (Lo Fi Chill Beats to Write To) may seem like an odd game. All it involves is players writing and receiving encouraging letters in a cosy room that cocoons them in the relaxing sounds of of “lo fi chill beats”.

It takes its inspiration from the YouTube sensation lo fi hip hop radio - beats to relax/study to. A combination of chill electronic music that is looped over animation, the channel has a surprisingly active live chat that has become a space for heartfelt confession.

Kind Words expands on the spirit of the YouTube stream by allowing players to write a letter about something worrying them and read responses from an anonymous community. While it may be tempting to dismiss this game because of its simplicity, the exchange of messages may have an important role to play. In How Games Move Us, Katherine Isbister relates this type of communication to a note left by a parent in a child’s lunchbox – a small but heartfelt attempt to reach out.

2. Going Under

According to the game designer Dan Cook, humour in games is difficult due to the conflicting nature of video games and comedy. While comedy comes from unexpected violations of the expected, video games rely on the predictable to be playable.

Broadly speaking, even excellent comedic writing is doomed when placed within the context of a video game because the required repetition of a game means that players will come to expect what was once the unexpected. However, comedy and punk-culture scholar Krista Bonello contends that comedy in games can be successful when it comes from exploiting the player’s experience of (and nostalgia for) previous games.

In that vein, the game Going Under succeeds by twisting the familiar setting of the action-adventure into the world of crumbling startups. Instead of searching for buried treasure in mystical ruins, players must instead explore the remnants of failed tech companies and strip the buildings of assets. Perhaps most comically of all, we are expected to do this for free, because we’re only interns.

3. Fortnite

When life is as dark as it is right now, it’s important to remember the importance of “fun”. Johan Huizinga, a Dutch historian and cultural theorist, first wrote about the idea of fun in 1938, saying:

The fun of playing resists all analysis, all logical interpretation. As a concept, it cannot be reduced to any other mental category.

Huizinga argued that fun was something beyond rational capacities, something universal to humans and other animals alike. This was not to discount fun as irrelevant but to establish its importance among our emotional capacities.

As such, there’s never been a better time to log in to Epic Games’ Fortnite. Although a competitive shooting game at heart, Fortnite distances itself from similar games through its cartoon-like aesthetic that can be felt in its gameplay as well as its visual design. The game welcomes up to 100 players to indulge in the childlike play of building box forts and throwing snowballs together, all while dressed as a pink llama. The game’s devotion to fun has amassed over 250 million players so far.

4. Euro Truck Simulator

Finally, I’d like to suggest to anyone who just needs to relax – or to embrace, as we call it in game theory, abnegation. Popularised by the paper Mechanics, Dynamics, Aesthetics, abnegation is generally thought of as a synonym for that feeling of “zoning out” we can experience when playing games.

Euro Truck Simulator, an almost entirely pointless game, asks players to engage in the long, thankless job of driving a shipping truck through simulations of mainland Europe. In providing players with a straightforward goal and some simple but hard to master controls, some players can find themselves sucked into the game for hours at a time.

About Today's Contributor:

Conor Mckeown, , King's College London

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. 

Five Classic Isolation Movies – Recommended By A Film Scholar

James Stewart and Wendell Corey in Rear Window (1954) (Paramount Studios)

As a film scholar, I am constantly being asked if I am enjoying the lockdown because it has given me more time to watch films. My answer is not simple. Yes, it is good to catch up on some films I missed at the cinema, or finally get around to rewatching Berlin Alexanderplatz.

But, for someone like me, who finds social isolation very difficult, watching movies alone can be a painful reminder of what a communal activity cinema-going usually is, as this research from Essex University has found.

So I have started to watch films that reassure me that I am not the only one feeling lonely and going stir crazy. Here, then, are five great films about being stuck indoors or in forced isolation. Some of these may not be for the faint-hearted, but they are all well worth watching.

Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954)

Rear Window may be the definitive lockdown movie. The story is simple: Jimmy Stewart’s adventure-seeking photographer finds himself trapped in his apartment with a broken leg. He begins to semi-innocently spy on his neighbours until he becomes convinced that one of them may have murdered their wife.

The film is both a mischievous examination of the voyeur in us all, and a cautionary tale about the devil making work for idle hands. It is also a testament to the power of imagination. We might not be able to have meals, complete with champagne, delivered to us by Grace Kelly, but we can make up stories about what that strange man across the street is up to. It will help pass the time. And you know he’s doing the same about you.

The Exterminating Angel (Luis Buñuel, 1962)

Buñuel’s surrealist masterpiece remains cinema’s definitive portrait of societal breakdown, and 90% of it takes place in one room. Following a lavish dinner party at one of their houses, a large group of aristocrats find themselves inexplicably unable to leave the drawing room. The longer they remain there together the more the thin veneer of civilisation cracks.

First the servants leave and the guests are reduced to using antique vases as toilets. Soon the food and water run out and precious medication is stolen. The elderly and frail start to die. Some respond by indulging their hedonistic desires, some resort to prayer and calls for sacrifice, others kill themselves in despair. This might sound unbearably bleak, but Buñuel plays it all for the most mordant kind of comedy. Six decades have not blunted the fangs on this one.

This is Not a Film (Jafar Panahi, 2011)

In late 2010, Jafar Panahi, one of Iran’s greatest filmmakers, was sentenced by his government to six years in prison and a 20-year ban on making films for allegedly conspiring to produce “propaganda against the Islamic Republic”. Awaiting the final verdict under house arrest, Panahi did what any good dissident would do: he made a film.

Shot on an iPhone and a digital camcorder, This is Not a Film shows Panahi going about his daily routine, speaking to his lawyers, acting out scenes from a film he expects to never make, talking about his previous work, and interacting with a few neighbours and workmen.

The result is a powerful riposte to state censorship and a sly work of meta-cinema typical of its maker. But the film also has an incredible urgency about it. It is as if Panahi had to make the film simply to stay sane. A timely reminder that you don’t need expensive equipment or money to make great art, and that sometimes the best work comes out of crisis and restraint.

Housebound (Gerard Johnstone, 2014)

It is easy to see why Peter Jackson went out of his way to champion this low-budget effort by first-time writer-director Gerard Johnstone (the famed New Zealand director called it “bloody brilliant”). Like Jackson’s own early films, Housebound shoots for a difficult balance of irreverent comedy, suspense, and splatter, and somehow pulls it off.

The story revolves around a 20-something tearaway named Kylie who placed under house arrest in her childhood home, which her mother casually insists is haunted. At first Kylie thinks her mother is just dotty, but when she is also confronted by mysteriously opening doors, disappearing objects and noises in the night, she begins to wonder.

Essential viewing for people with old, noisy houses. Extra points for the probation officer who reveals himself to be an amateur ghost hunter, and the very plucky female protagonist whose response to encountering a creepy doll is to smash its face in.

Crowhurst (Simon Rumley, 2017)

Independent British filmmaker Simon Rumley’s retelling of Donald Crowhurst’s disastrous attempt to sail solo and non-stop around the world in 1968, which ended in his disappearance and probable suicide, offers a masterclass in low-budget filmmaking. A good deal of the movie consists of Crowhurst (played by the excellent Justin Salinger) alone on a very small trimaran. Rumley, however, puts the viewer squarely inside Crowhurst’s head as his loneliness, isolation and fear of failure slowly cause him to crack.

This is not a movie for everyone. It is intense to say the least, and the more unhinged Crowhurst gets, the more self-consciously raw the filmmaking becomes. The fact that it was championed by Nicolas Roeg, the late, great maestro of mind-bending British cinema, will be the ultimate recommendation for those looking for something more adventurous.

This list is hardly exhaustive. There are many more films about isolation to watch while in isolation: from Persona to Safe, from Repulsion to Right at Your Door. I just wanted to guide people to a few lesser-known films alongside a pair of classics that worth revisiting now more than ever.

Stay safe and happy viewing.

About Today's Contributor:

Brian Hoyle, Senior Lecturer in Film Studies, University of Dundee

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.