Game Inspired by Swine Flu
A flash-based game, influenced by the current swine flu pandemic, offers players a simulator/strategy-type taste of real-world outbreak management.
According to the World Health Organization, there have been nearly 178,000 reported cases of the swine flu, including 1,462 deaths worldwide, since it surfaced in April. With that said, it seems highly inappropriate to develop a game inspired by the current pandemic. However, unlike Super Columbine Massacre RPG, this particular flash-based game--called The Great Flu--seems intent on raising awareness.
"It is actually what is happening now, what is happening in the real world," said Albert Osterhaus, head of virology at the Erasmus Medical Center.
The basis of the game challenges players to control a new pandemic, to understand just how difficult the task is in the real world. Taking the reigns of the fictional World Pandemic Control, players first pick a flu strain and then establish surveillance systems, and stockpile vaccines and antivirals with a limited budget; players must also keep an eye on schools and airports. A simulator at heart, The Great Flu forces players into making decisions that affect the entire world.
To keep a tab on the pandemic, the game keeps a running tally of infected individuals displayed over the player's budget. According to Yahoo, various messages from worldwide governments pop up to inform the player of local problems and effects related to the WPC's actions (or lack thereof). Newspapers also keep the player informed, reporting on the global responses to the pandemic, flu-related deaths, and possible riots.
The WHO said that it was not familiar with the game.
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Lol I failed on the broadway lvl
A little morbid, and scary. Still, it helps people realize just how serious the problem can be and how lucky we are it hasn't been, yet.
oldish news, look up "pandemic 2"
The game industry must be running out of ideas, just like the movie industry.
oldish news, look up "pandemic 2"
Except the goal in Pandemic 2 is to kill everyone.
Set up some research, walk away for a few minutes, game won. Where's the challenge?
afrobacon
Hilarious. Anyone played phage wars? It's more on the micro scale than macro like Pandemic.
Guess I'm a sick puppy - cause I prefer to play the role of the virus (and rip my hair out when Madagascar closes its port) than try to save the human race...
So.. what is the deal with this flu anyway? It has only infected a 170 thousand people with a 1% kill rate...who cares.. (besides that 1% I guess.)
(besides that 1% I guess.)
They don't care either. They're dead.
Now we just need a game that simulates our current economic state and the challenge would be find the best way to recover from it!
They don't care either. They're dead.
Well, that is up for an entireley new debate on if there is life after death and if so, where they'd rather be
Yawn. Wake me up when the next big thing that's going to destroy humanity comes out.
"current" pandemic?
Swine flu was soooooooo June 09
The swine flu is not even getting as much people killed as the common flu. It's a whole big nothing.
Now we just need a game that simulates our current economic state and the challenge would be find the best way to recover from it!
u wish. The USA is doomed. that game would be fail from the start. it's like trying to fill a gas tank with a huge gaping whole in it.
The whole swing flu thing is WAY WAY WAY overhyped. Go look up death statistics for normal flu, then compare them to the tiny numbers for swine flu. Then get back to your life and dont worry about it.
The whole swing flu thing is WAY WAY WAY overhyped. Go look up death statistics for normal flu, then compare them to the tiny numbers for swine flu. Then get back to your life and dont worry about it.
So.. what is the deal with this flu anyway? It has only infected a 170 thousand people with a 1% kill rate...who cares.. (besides that 1% I guess.)
The only thing that makes swine flu dangerous is that it's not well known and studied. Yes it has a low mortality rate, but some are worried that when this year's flu season comes around, swine flu will kick back up and infect more people while we are yet unprepared to deal with it. Personally, I don't think anything is really going to happen, but who knows.