A seemingly interesting article was written in the Yahoo! News about why Gamers are able to survive an apocalypse despite having to only play games in front of an LCD screen... Now that you'd think about it, its often true because in this day and age people are all too over-reliant on technology to do the work for them and neglected much on the basics of self-survival. Which such is often thought in games if you truly think deeply about them...
Think it is a joke? Maybe not... Gamers have long been the butt of many jokes, be it from the media, their peers, or even complete strangers on the street. After all, many hold the belief that video games do not hold much value, and are simply a waste of time. However the case, let's take a look at some of the reasons why it is somehow good to play games and gather these survival skills when there's a real apocalypse...
1. Food for thought
The basics to survival is getting ample supply of food to last. Games like Bistro Stars to Cooking Mama, etc would teach gamers how to prepare food. In modern times, there are more people dining out than eating and cooking at home. Thus would proved a problem to survive cooking proper meals. Other than cooking, foraging and gathering food would be necessary for survival. Of course it is more worth getting canned food than perishables as they can last longer for storage. Such are also taught in games like Deadrising, etc.
2. Combat and fighting skills
Games does teach gamers how to fight and defend themselves in case of an apocalypse. Take Metal Gear Solid to Splinter Cell for example where gamers will learn combat and stealth skills necessary in the very case of a war. And perhaps hand to hand combat which might proved useful when there no longer are rights and laws around to govern the country. Not to mention guns, gamers are somehow more familiar with weapons and getting them to work right. Securing such would allow them to survive better. Take Resident Evil as an example and you should know what I meant.
3. Construction of barricades, survival items, etc
Played games like Killing Floor or Team Fortress? Construction and building up defenses are important for surviving an apocalypse. Through games that teaches what materials used to barricade doors and such, to getting relevant tools and equipments to use. Such are necessary to defend oneself from deadly attacks in the case of a zombie apocalypse to war events. Never under estimate the powers of nails and hammer as it might proved useful in construction where people wouldn't grab in supermarkets except food to survive.
4. Formulating and planning of strategies
From games like Starcraft to Command and Conquer, such strategy games allow gamers to come up of quick decisions needed for survival. Such decisions not only would save their lives in desperate times, but will act immediately instead of waiting to die. Take Highschool of the Dead for example, good decisions allows them to survive better than the military or the police.
5. Searching for necessities, ammunition, equipment
Gamers who played first person shooters, action and adventure games would probably know what to look for in the events of an apocalypse. Equipments and stuff necessary for survival which includes arms and armor to defend oneself. Such could only be found in places known to many but forgone by the majority. With games like Left 4 Dead to Dead Space, it is known to gamers that extreme firepower is needed to survive the most dangerous and deadly environments around an apocalypse.
6. Skills to drive a vehicle, a plane or a tank.
With games from Gran Turismo to Flight Simulator and the likes, gamers are able to learn how to drive these vehicles in a virtual world and would probably be able to drive a real one given the situation. As to compared with those who knew nuts about driving, gamers have experience it first hand and would be more able to operate them easily. Such is fairly important for escapes in a real apocalypse where speed is really the necessary thing needed to survive.
7. Ability to direct people
Games like Call of Duty to Flashpoint gives gamers the ability to direct and command people more efficiently than someone who doesn't. They are more able to take lead and securing the others well from the experiences learn in the games. But of course this is debatable whether they would do well or not but in the case of a group with defenseless people, this is by far the best option to survive.
8. Able to find possible entertainments
With all things gone to hell, perhaps the first group of people who will die from boredom are those who don't like games. Gamers are creative people who can make games to entertain themselves. As a matter of fact, they are exposed to many and more likely to come up with something as an entertainment. Or the very least, they could just hijacked a brand new tv and consoles from a store and start whacking the controls without worries. Whereas those not interested would find it hard to get other entertaining materials...
9. Able to adapt to the situation better
With that many survival games and such around... Gamers are so-called more able to adapt to them given the circumstances as they have seen the worse of things in games. Such examples would be Gears Of War to Modern Warfare. Having seen real destruction, sufferings, deaths and the likes, gamers are much more seasoned to that and can treat it as a normal thing for an apocalypse. But to those who did not experience it before would take a more drastic fall...
10. Able to kill when needed
Probably one of the main reason why gamers are able to survive an apocalypse... It is not easy to kill another being of your kind. It would be even more difficult for someone who knows nothing of that kind, not to mention holding a gun and killing people. Games have somehow able to perfect it in the virtual world where realistic killings are involved. With gamers easily able to kill just about anyone, take for example Gran Theft Auto to Fable. And for the sake of survival, you must be able to do so to survive the harsh environment of a real apocalypse.
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