Content Warning: Does A Game About Going Viral Hold The Key To Going Viral IRL?

It sounds like a pretty meta solution for a very 21st century problem. But when online influencers are figuring out a strategy for virality, a growing number of them are turning to a new video game about going viral.

A brief introduction

The game in question is called Content Warning, and if you haven’t played or encountered anyone on social media playing it yet, we’ll provide a quick overview of what to expect.

On its surface, the hit title from Landfall Games bears a close resemblance to many other online games. It’s in the horror genre and allows players to virtually survive a daring quest to find monsters.

But it’s what those characters do when they encounter said monsters that makes Content Warning different. The goal is to film the experience (within the game, that is) and rack up as many views as possible on an in-game platform akin to YouTube.

The game only went live on Steam about a week ago, and it was an instant hit. More than 6 million users downloaded the title within just the first day.

Art imitates life

Inspired by the game’s content, popularity, or a combination of both, many of those gamers who have started filming monsters are also recording the experience for their real-life YouTube and Twitch channels.

It’s hard to tell if this was the specific goal of the game’s creators, but its developers did note that it was inspired by real-life experience involving a recorded adventure in the woods.

After watching footage of themselves essentially playing silly games, they decided that it was entertaining enough to serve as the basis for what would become Content Warning.

And even though the monsters warrant the game’s horror classification, it still maintains some of the frivolity of the engaging video that inspired it.

Chris Agee April 11th, 2024

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