The popular YouTube channel The Game Theorists have created a fan theory centered around Fallout 4 that claims that, rather than eradicating irradiated monsters or simply starting a new government and making a go of things, the best course of action is… Improving mental health.
The theory points out that, from the time of the nuclear event that destroyed modern society, over 210 years have passed within the story’s canon. This prompts the question- Why hasn’t society fixed itself yet? In addition to providing examples of real-world growth and expansion in shorter time frames, it is also pointed out that many pockets of pre-war technology still exist. Even the remnants of the United States government, known in the Fallout franchise as the Enclave, continue to follow contingency plans created before the nuclear event. Eventually, the theory asserts that society can’t yet rebuild itself simply because the residents of the world’s wastelands cannot cooperate with one another. The reason given for this inability to cooperate is severely poor mental health, with “wastelanders” suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and schizophrenia, aggravated by radiation exposure.
So if all the efforts made by these fictional groups, such as the Brotherhood of Steel, the New California Republic, the Institute, the Commonwealth Minutemen, and many others besides, are doomed to fail, then what is the solution to rebuilding society? Self-medication, in order to make the minds of people living within the wasteland healthy again.
The theory draws several of its conclusions all the way back to a concept known as the “social contract,” a relationship between governments and citizens that has been explained by thinkers such as John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The social contract implies that citizens voluntarily give up some personal freedoms to a larger governing body, which then organizes and protects the citizens. It is the fact that governments require citizens to voluntarily concede rights that then jeopardizes the post-nuclear society, as individuals or small groups no longer trust any larger governing body enough to make decisions on their behalf. The theory calls to attention the effects of surviving disasters, and specifically nuclear disasters: Not only are 25-75% of disaster victims able to be affected by PTSD, radiation exposure, such as the case with the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, makes victims up to five times more likely to suffer from schizophrenia due to learning and memory impairment.
The theory states that ingame factions cannot adequately rebuild society because each faction focuses on larger, more unsustainable courses of action, genocide of unstable wasteland humans and creatures a particularly nefarious example. What should be focused on instead should be assisting the residents of the wasteland to become more mentally stable, particularly through usage of antidepressant and antipsychotic medication. While it may seem a strange and rather clinical view, the theory proposes that fixing “people on the micro scale” rather than “society on the macro scale” is the best course of action for rebuilding society, whether fictional or, even scarier, nonfictional, is to reestablish the mental health of individuals following the end of the world.
Watch the theory for yourself:
Consoles
To keep Apex Legends running for an additional “10 to 15 years,” Respawn opens a third studio
Apex Legends developer Respawn has created a third studio in order to keep the popular battle royale genre running for another “10 to 15 years”. Madison, Wisconsin is where the new studio is situated.
This third studio (the first two being headquartered in Los Angeles and Vancouver) will largely focus on Apex Legends in order to ensure a continuous and, most importantly, sustainable production pipeline. It may, however, contribute to other Respawn products in the future. Ryan Burnett, who previously served as director of engine production at Epic Games and had a distinguished 14-year career at Raven Software, the Call of Duty Studio, will serve as the studio’s head.
Senior VP of operations at Respawn, Daniel Suarez, claims in-depth in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz that “Because we intend to stick with this for the long haul, team health is unquestionably a top priority for us. We’re eager to see Apex become a franchise that endures for ten, fifteen, or more years because we think it will. We can’t just accomplish everything at once, exhaust ourselves, and be unprepared to do it over the long run.”
Consistency (as well as adequate production runway) are essential to make Apex Legends’ 90-day turnaround for new seasons of content realistic. Suarez observes that the introduction of new characters to the game takes a lot longer than you might anticipate “It takes us between a year and a year and a half to become proficient in a Legend. We are therefore making preparations well in advance.”
Only a few weeks ago, parent company EA fired more than 200 Apex Legends quality assurance testers in an impromptu Zoom call, raising concerns among some fans about the game’s future.
Do you support Respawn’s decision to open a third studio? Do you believe Apex Legends will still be around in 15 years?
Kingdom Eighties, a micro-strategy game coming out for the PS5 in 2023, is a loving tribute to that legendary time period.Eighties will be a stand-alone novel like earlier books in the Kingdom series, such as Two Crowns or New Lands.
You take on the role of the leader, a camp counselor tasked with protecting the village against enigmatic creatures known as greed. Bike around the neighborhood with youngsters like The Champ, The Tinkerer, and The Wiz, who will support you in combat and each contribute something unique to the table while doing your best Stranger Things impressions.
Your thoughts about Kingdom Eighties Have you played any of the other Kingdom games?
Just now, another great update for PS Plus Extra and PS Plus Premium came out.There are 17 titles in all that are available for these higher membership tiers in March, which is a wonderful collection that should have something for everyone. In Europe, these games are now available for download on the PS5 and PS4, and they will soon be released in North America.
Here is a list of everything included as a reminder:
PS Plus Extra: March 2023
- Tchia (PS5, PS4) | Review
- Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection (PS5) | Review
- Immortals Fenyx Rising (PS5, PS4) | Review
- Rainbow Six Extraction (PS5, PS4) | Review
- Ghostwire: Tokyo (PS5) | Review
- Life is Strange True Colors (PS5, PS4) | Review
- Life is Strange 2 (PS4) | Review
- Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot (PS4) | Review
- Street Fighter V Champion Edition (PS4) | Review
- Untitled Goose Game (PS4) | Review
- Final Fantasy Type-0 HD (PS4) | Review
- RAGE 2 (PS4) | Review
- NEO: The World Ends With You (PS4) | Review
- Haven (PS5, PS4) | Review
PS Plus Premium: March 2023
- Ridge Racer Type 4 (PS1) | Review
- Ape Academy 2 (PSP)
- Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror (PSP)
Tchia, an independent open-world adventure, debuts on PlayStation Plus Extra on the first day of this month. In addition to everything else mentioned above, members will also have access to this endearing new game. The three classic games mentioned above are also available to PS Plus Premium subscribers. Both Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror and Ape Academy 2 provide a set of trophies, which is always a welcome extra.
According to our most recent poll, the majority of you are happy with the new games and oldies that were added to the catalog this month, and we don’t blame you. It’s a fantastic choice. With these more recent membership tiers, Sony seems to be finding its footing after a somewhat poor start.
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