You can’t really go online or walk down the street without hearing about Coronavirus at the moment  and all sorts of weird theories are emerging about its origins and its future with one of the more peculiar coming courtesy of a 90s card game called ‘Illuminati: New World Order’.

Images VIA 

A Reddit user on the Conspiracy Sub Reddit (such a great source of content) recently posted the ‘Epidemic’ card from the game that seems to have a lot in common with the current Coronavirus outbreak that’s happening all over the world. Here’s what it looks like (text underneath):

Disaster! This is an attack to destroy any place. It does not require an action. Its power is 14.

This is not an instant attack, other groups can interfere normally.

If the attack succeeds, the target is devastated. This attack cannot actually destroy the target.

I mean I guess the mask and the suits and the dead bodies are similar and the poster was keen to point out that it would only leave areas ‘devastated’ and not ‘destroyed’ – indicating that it can be recovered from, like the world is predicted to recover from Coronavirus – but even so it seems like more of an abstract coincidence than a stone cold prediction. I suppose we can at least be hopeful thought that the virus won’t wipe out the entire world though and will instead just only leave us devastated. Phew.

Interestingly, conspiracy theorists also linked the game’s ‘Las Vegas’ card to the mass shooting in 2017 because a Joker and an Ace could be seen in the card and that was what country singer Jason Aldean had tattooed on his arm (the shooting took place during his performance). I mean that’s a bit of a reach isn’t it, even for the most ardent of conspiracy theorists out there. Sounds like something from a bad 80s movie or something – ‘this board game can predict the future’. Come on guys.

For more of the same, check out this infectious disease expert on Joe Rogan. That’s who we should be listening to at the moment, not some dumb card game.