http://www.cracked.com/article_18683_7-scientific-reasons-zombie-outbreak-would-fail-quickly.html
303: How Games Get Zombies Wrong
- Thread starter Chuck Wendig
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"You cannot win against the zombie menace. In the end, the horde always triumphs."
Objection!!!
http://www.cracked.com/article_18683_7-scientific-reasons-zombie-outbreak-would-fail-quickly.html
Damn!!! Ninja'd!!!
Objection!!!
http://www.cracked.com/article_18683_7-scientific-reasons-zombie-outbreak-would-fail-quickly.html
Damn!!! Ninja'd!!!
DeamonSadist said:
Not all zombies are the same. Many works of fiction paint them from anything from re-animated dead corpses to simply virus-driven cannibals.
This is an incredibly important distinction.
A walking corpse is a walking. Freaking. Corpse. It is realistically no threat, because practically any weather will either cause it to rot (warm) or have it become incredibly slow/frozen during cold weather due to lack of body heat. No need for guns or panic. Not to mention the fact that the muscles of the dead will have atrophied and be practically useless. Also, do you know what happens to people who cannot feel pain, like zombies cannot? They die, often quite young, because they don't understand the dangers of simple things (anything that causes pain) and do not seek to actively avoid it.
Now, within the re-animated dead corpse "species" (just humor me with this terminology, I don't think they even classify as anything so I'm just using a familiar term from Biology) you have several different "classes" such as reanimation through magic. Each type will have it's own (massive) drawback. Some will be able to bleed to death, which will eliminate THAT type of "outbreak" fairly quickly through day to day injury. For those that can't, they will likely also sustain enough injuries throughout their daily shambling that their bodies become useless through injury. Hell, they may even succumb to natural disasters or natural predators. If a bear isn't scared of a hunter with a gun, do you think it will be scared of an atrophied corpse?
All of this is ignoring the fact that if all they want to do is eat, they will eventually turn on each other and eliminate the zombie population without any help from our guns.
When you discuss the realism of a zombie outbreak, you have to take into account a ridiculous number of things. But when it all comes down to it, one glaring detail remains.
Zombies are not, and never will be, a threat. There's no "realistic" or "correct" way to approach it, because the job would be done on it's own. That's why the unrealistic scenario is bound to creative works for exploration. It is actually incredibly unlikely that the "horde" would win in this case, because to do so they would have to trump the ultimate power.
Nature.
P.S. Many of these points work for virus-driven craziness too. Feel free to debate them, but keep it polite please.
This is an incredibly important distinction.
A walking corpse is a walking. Freaking. Corpse. It is realistically no threat, because practically any weather will either cause it to rot (warm) or have it become incredibly slow/frozen during cold weather due to lack of body heat. No need for guns or panic. Not to mention the fact that the muscles of the dead will have atrophied and be practically useless. Also, do you know what happens to people who cannot feel pain, like zombies cannot? They die, often quite young, because they don't understand the dangers of simple things (anything that causes pain) and do not seek to actively avoid it.
Now, within the re-animated dead corpse "species" (just humor me with this terminology, I don't think they even classify as anything so I'm just using a familiar term from Biology) you have several different "classes" such as reanimation through magic. Each type will have it's own (massive) drawback. Some will be able to bleed to death, which will eliminate THAT type of "outbreak" fairly quickly through day to day injury. For those that can't, they will likely also sustain enough injuries throughout their daily shambling that their bodies become useless through injury. Hell, they may even succumb to natural disasters or natural predators. If a bear isn't scared of a hunter with a gun, do you think it will be scared of an atrophied corpse?
All of this is ignoring the fact that if all they want to do is eat, they will eventually turn on each other and eliminate the zombie population without any help from our guns.
When you discuss the realism of a zombie outbreak, you have to take into account a ridiculous number of things. But when it all comes down to it, one glaring detail remains.
Zombies are not, and never will be, a threat. There's no "realistic" or "correct" way to approach it, because the job would be done on it's own. That's why the unrealistic scenario is bound to creative works for exploration. It is actually incredibly unlikely that the "horde" would win in this case, because to do so they would have to trump the ultimate power.
Nature.
P.S. Many of these points work for virus-driven craziness too. Feel free to debate them, but keep it polite please.
But I do agree with what I think is the central point of this author's article was, and that's that video games haven't really done the essence of the contemporary zombie story justice. Most of them are goal oriented (and the goals are all accomplishable), which takes away from the nihilism that these stories need.
I'd love a nice triple A game where my only goal was survival. It'd be a bit less of a point A to B action game mind you. Almost a better looking and better presented Oregon Trail with zombies. Hell that could be the name. Oregon Trail With Zombies.
It'd be part Resident Evil, part Oregon Trail, part Harvest Moon, and yeah I'd probably be the only person in the universe to buy it.
EDIT: Just for your information, I'm not even that big of a fan of the zombie genre. I'm pretty fucking sick of it and have been. With that said, I think there are a lot of elements of the traditional contemporary zombie narrative that should be explored by games, and haven't really been.
I'd love a nice triple A game where my only goal was survival. It'd be a bit less of a point A to B action game mind you. Almost a better looking and better presented Oregon Trail with zombies. Hell that could be the name. Oregon Trail With Zombies.
It'd be part Resident Evil, part Oregon Trail, part Harvest Moon, and yeah I'd probably be the only person in the universe to buy it.
EDIT: Just for your information, I'm not even that big of a fan of the zombie genre. I'm pretty fucking sick of it and have been. With that said, I think there are a lot of elements of the traditional contemporary zombie narrative that should be explored by games, and haven't really been.
Thank you...Thank you so much!Azuaron said:
I just finished my version of this same rant and found yours before I had to send it off...
I will include the latter portion of my rant, however, here:
I would request that you cease attempting to associate psychological tenants with your narratives. Your presentation of them here is unpalatable. First because you incorrectly applied them in title. Second, because you completely misapplied them in form. Have fun shocking the industry, but please do so under your own pretext. There is a new generation of psychologists coming into the world, and we don't need our jargon associated with this nonsense.
What I was thinking. The article has mentioned many other sources we can have zombies alongside watching the effects the outbreak of zombies has on society, so if you want that sort of thing, then you have plenty of choices. When it comes to games involving zombies (or infected, if you will), I'd rather just shoot/beat/impale or otherwise "kill" them too.unabomberman said:
So, I'd have to wholeheartedly disagree with all this and say that (in my opinion) videogames are doing zombies just right, thanks very much. For games, that is, anyway.
Hooray for the Great Texas Heat. A zombie outbreak out here would never reach the rest of you, and the heat would destroy the zombies that do show up. Add in the persistent wind that impairs movement to those of us with thinking brains and working motility systems, the bugs that will come out of nowhere at a whim, and the notoriously bad drivers from just across the border, any infestation would pretty much end itself in about a week.
On the other hand, if it started else where and came out here for a vacation--no worries! Close the door to Zombie solicitors, and don't let them in, let them desiccate in that lovely heat.
On the other hand, if it started else where and came out here for a vacation--no worries! Close the door to Zombie solicitors, and don't let them in, let them desiccate in that lovely heat.
I love this guy. He has a flavor of awesome.
That said, I can actually see how a good game of zombie apocalypse WOULD work. Okay, it's probably going to be alot of hardship to pull through to either a downer ending or something only moderately stable, BUT because I've read the survival guide, here's how I see things.
The game could be about your survival through the massive world of walking dead, and your ability to keep an eye out on the bads, to make sure not to attract them at the wrong moment or even how to lure or bait them so you can escape, will mean the difference between life and death. Maybe you're unarmed, and maybe you've found something that'll protect against some bites and scratches. Maybe.
But this wouldn't be a 'kill shit to live' game. This would be an 'adapt to survive' thing. In Zombieland tradition, you could be playing the equivalent role of Columbus. Never draw attention to yourself, remember the double tap, and don't forget lots of running. You have no destination, only travel and survive, but maybe you can run for the rest of your life without dying. It worked for Yossarian in Catch-22. It can work for you!
A game built more for paranoia and keeping yourself alive and clean of infection would be actually kind of fun. And as an added bonus, if you get bit...the game lets you CONTINUE as the zombie you're doomed to become. That sound play-worthy to you?
That said, I can actually see how a good game of zombie apocalypse WOULD work. Okay, it's probably going to be alot of hardship to pull through to either a downer ending or something only moderately stable, BUT because I've read the survival guide, here's how I see things.
The game could be about your survival through the massive world of walking dead, and your ability to keep an eye out on the bads, to make sure not to attract them at the wrong moment or even how to lure or bait them so you can escape, will mean the difference between life and death. Maybe you're unarmed, and maybe you've found something that'll protect against some bites and scratches. Maybe.
But this wouldn't be a 'kill shit to live' game. This would be an 'adapt to survive' thing. In Zombieland tradition, you could be playing the equivalent role of Columbus. Never draw attention to yourself, remember the double tap, and don't forget lots of running. You have no destination, only travel and survive, but maybe you can run for the rest of your life without dying. It worked for Yossarian in Catch-22. It can work for you!
A game built more for paranoia and keeping yourself alive and clean of infection would be actually kind of fun. And as an added bonus, if you get bit...the game lets you CONTINUE as the zombie you're doomed to become. That sound play-worthy to you?
Why can one never win in a zombie apocalypse? Wouldn't someone survive if they can outlast the zombie plague, or-unrealistically-send all of the zombies to outer space?
Also, L4D points a little toward how other surviving humans are the real threat, it just lacks emphasis. Dead Rising also has a few experiences about how humans create the real danger in the zombie apocalypse.
Also, L4D points a little toward how other surviving humans are the real threat, it just lacks emphasis. Dead Rising also has a few experiences about how humans create the real danger in the zombie apocalypse.
While i agree with the majority of your points in this article, i somewhat disagree with your central thesis, that the game industry has zombies totally wrong. I definitely agree with all of your commentary on the concept of a zombie, and how the industry is only using them as another enemy. this is definitely true.Chuck Wendig said:
however, for the entire article, you're assuming that every zombie apocalypse story can only be about the uprising. the majority of zombie-related video games focus their attention on the post-apocalypse. While zombie rules still apply, post-apocalypse stories are only about the survivors. Notice how these are the only people left. it is impossible for for a zombie population to continue growing when there are no humans left to convert.
There's only a few games i've played that deal with the uprising or sub-apocalypse, and Deadrising comes to mind. this is a game that applies to and agrees with your central thesis in every way shape and form. If you're begging for a game about the fear and uprising in zombie games, then you're truly talking about something that's going to start off with tens of thousands of npcs running around at all times, which simply wouldn't work all that well when applied to a video game if most tripple A studios tried to handle it. It could definitely be done, but i doubt that it's going to be done well.
Good points, shit writing.
Oh, and about pinball: It doesn't matter. Games have become much more complex and much more entertaining than pinball now. They have endings and resolutions. In fact, even the movies you cited have real resolutions, even if the zombie problem itself has yet to come to an end.
Oh, and about pinball: It doesn't matter. Games have become much more complex and much more entertaining than pinball now. They have endings and resolutions. In fact, even the movies you cited have real resolutions, even if the zombie problem itself has yet to come to an end.
This article reminds me a bit about a game I played a while back called rogue survivor. (check it out if you get the chance) Basically your dropped into the zombie apocalypse with nothing, and your usual first course of action is to:
1) Raid Stores for food
2) Get a follower
3) Barricade yourself in and cry yourself to sleep
4) Wander outside and get shot at by civilians because YOU HAVE FOOD (assuming you survive more than 2 days on your first try, and food starts to become scarce)
The game is really good about it too and there are tons of things to worry about. It pretty much covers what your talking about right here.
1) Raid Stores for food
2) Get a follower
3) Barricade yourself in and cry yourself to sleep
4) Wander outside and get shot at by civilians because YOU HAVE FOOD (assuming you survive more than 2 days on your first try, and food starts to become scarce)
The game is really good about it too and there are tons of things to worry about. It pretty much covers what your talking about right here.