How Playing Path of Exile Slows the Spread of COVID-19

Staying home is something authorities and leading experts recommend. But how does that even help? How can staying at home, playing PoE, and running maps and farming PoE orbs possibly help keep the spread of COVID-19?

The Situation in Italy

Testimonies of people who live in Italy all urge people to stay at home. See, they didn't listen when the virus started to spread around. They thought they wouldn't be affected as much and stayed outside with other people. Suddenly, all these people got sick, and their hospitals couldn't cope with the influx of patients.

They suffered from their lack of preparation—and maybe even downright stubbornness. All the things they thought about the virus was wrong.

How the Virus Spreads

COVID-19 spreads through droplets from infected people's coughing or sneezing. If the droplets reach your mouth, nose, or eyes, you're infected. The virus also gets into your system when you touch those same parts after touching something contaminated. Symptoms don't set in until after two to four weeks, and it is contagious even at the asymptomatic stage.

That last sentence is important. Infected but asymptomatic people can pass on the virus. It means that you don't know who is infected until they're tested or symptoms become apparent. Think about how many things you touch when commuting or while at work. Many of those objects are shared public objects. If a person who doesn't know they're infected sneezes on their hand and touches those same things, how many people do you think they can infect?

The Curve

These kinds of epidemics have exponential growth. To illustrate that, let's say you're cultivating some bacteria in a petri dish. The dish can only hold about 500 bacteria, and the bacteria reproduce by splitting into two every minute. So you put in the singular bacteria in the dish. It'll fill the dish within 10 minutes. In that illustration, on which minute do you think the bacteria-filled half of the dish?

The answer is the 9th minute. Then bam, on the 10th, the dish is filled! Exponential growth is characterized by a slow start then a sudden jump in numbers. If in our illustration, the hospitals are the dish and infected people are the bacteria, doing nothing will overload all the healthcare facilities.

Why Quarantine and Isolation is the Primary Solution

Keeping people isolated keeps healthy individuals from getting in contact with contagious ones. In that way, the 'bacteria' can't reproduce as fast. There will always be growth, but at least it is slowed down. It keeps the facilities from becoming overwhelmed from the alternative of a sudden increase of patients. They'll be able to treat those infected and keep down the deaths that can occur. That's what it means to flatten the curve.

So stay at home and farm PoE currency, WoW gold, or get started on your backlog of games. Stay at home to avoid the pesky virus floating around outside. This is the only time you'll hear staying inside and playing video games is preferable than going out. Wash your hands regularly, and stay healthy.

Keep enjoying Path of Exile in the safety and comfort of your own home!

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or management of EconoTimes