Good And Bad Game Design

2020 Game is a super-fun take on a super-bad year

If you've already erased last year from your memory, we don't blame you. And we certainly wouldn't ask you to think about 2020 unless we thought it was really, really worth it. Well, today it's worth it, thanks to a hilarious and surprisingly fun new video game based on the terrible events of the year.

2020 Game is a free, web-based side-scroller in which our plucky hero must navigate forest fires, lethal virus particles, constant Zoom calls and much, much more. There might be some unbeatable Nintendo Switch deals out there, but we doubt there are many games that hit as close to home as 2020 Game right now.

Created by Max Garkavyy over the course of six months, 2020 Game is a ingeniously creative take on the many miseries of 2020. The Super Mario Bros-esque platformer can be finished in around 10 minutes (if only the same had been true of 2020 itself) and offers a refreshingly light-hearted perspective on the horrors the world endured. From 5G towers spitting out the virus to a section requiring the player to collect toilet paper, 2020 Game is often hilarious.

"I currently work at a boring office job in a big corporation and every day I wonder if I should take the plunge and quit my job to pursue making games," Garkavyy announced on a new donation page. "2020 Game is the attempt to prove to myself that I can pay the bills with my games, so the fact that you want to support me means a world to me!" And with over $25,000 raised so far, 2021 is shaping up to be better than 2020 for Garkavyy (although that probably wouldn't be difficult).

https://t.co/BkL9T7JCPFI don't have to tell you that this is brilliant, right?:)January 6, 2021

someone made a game about 2020, it's really good hahahahaha https://t.co/m7nNI3qD9kJanuary 8, 2021

2020 the Game! This is just fantastic. What a lovely short game, great pixel art and a superb use of @phaser_ :) https://t.co/d5Mjm0ePYR pic.twitter.com/E0zxEunoL4January 14, 2021

We're big fans of pixel art, and Garkavyy has created the perfect blocky rendering of last year's events. Lunch break distractions don't come much better than 2020 Game (especially if, like most of us, you haven't managed to get hold of a PS5 just yet). Check out today's best games console deals below if you're ready to keep playing.

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Daniel Piper is senior news editor at Creative Bloq, and an authority on all things art, design, branding and tech. He has a particular penchant for Apple products – some corners of the internet might call him an 'iSheep', but he's fine with this. It doesn't bother him at all. Why would it? They're just really nicely designed products, okay? Daniel is also a comedian and national poetry slam champion, and his favourite Bond is, obviously, Sean Connery.