Instead of staying locked inside his Brooklyn home, 29-year-old software engineer Cameron Couch spent part of his quarantine on a remote island with total strangers, competing head-to-head with them in a variety of physical and intellectual challenges.
Of course, this fictitious island only existed in the virtual realm — in reality, Couch was holed up with his family in North Carolina.
Welcome to the Quarantine Island, an online strategy game that began between friends and family during the coronavirus outbreak in March — and has since grown into a network of competitors across the US and Canada, luring interested players from as far away as the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. Taking place in front of a live Zoom audience, it’s the latest example of how people still in lockdown can stay distracted while having fun and forging new personal connections. Played in nearly monthlong “seasons,” the Quarantine Island is gearing up for its fourth installment on Aug. 19.
“The game itself is super intense and anxiety-producing on its own,” said Couch. “[But] instead of being anxious about everything, my anxiety was pinpointed on to this one topic.”
Inspired in large part by “Survivor,” the Quarantine Island begins with 16 players divided into two teams that compete in daily challenges. They include a riff on a spelling bee, in which players need to spell words while holding a wall sit; someone holding a broom over their head for as long as possible, which can last 45 minutes; or simply solving an online puzzle.
The losing team then votes someone out via private Slack message in a “Banishment Ceremony.” Before long, contestants swap teams before competing individually, then the final three plead their case to a jury comprised of voted-off players as to why they should be the winner.
As with any good reality competition, there are also confessional videos and an after show, which takes place on Instagram Live, where fans can join in and discuss the game.
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