Survival Arts

Inspired by this week's episode of Good Game, I thought I may offer my two cents on this emerging genre based around the human need known as Survival.

It's the same story: The PC is plonked in a hostile environment and must survive at all costs - a tall order as they must find necessities such as food, clothing and first-aid when they aren't easily available. In addition, the player must run the gauntlet against a wide range of enemies and fellow humans who are also out for themselves and would rob the player of their resources as soon as they look at him (or her).

But I don't buy it. Whist this genre may offer training for a zombie apocalypse an experience unlike any other game, it does offer a steep difficulty curve. True this may be the most likely situation in a hypothetical civilization collapse, but having player character die within seconds of spawning does suggest a game that resents me playing it - and seeing I have many other games that I could be playing this is a major deal.True some people may praise the realistic nature but I would rather have a game that at least presents some kind of fighting chance.

Mind you, I'm still waiting on a real post-apocalypse game - one that places an emphasis on the loneliness before anything else. And I mean that literally: No baddies to shoot, just you, the player, in a barren, silent world and where seeing another life form is indeed a big deal. If anything, I find silence a more formidable enemy than a horde of zombies and more breaking to the mind than constantly fighting for survival.
But, as always, there's not enough conflict in that idea to make it sail...