This feature can also be found at the South West Londoner, here.
Even
with my busy schedule, I still try to squeeze in some gaming time. My
current vice on Nintendo 3DS right now is Shin Megami Tensei: Devil
Survivor Overclocked.
It's actually something of an old game - it was originally released as just Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor in Japan and America back in 2009, but never saw a UK release. Overclocked
is a re-release for the 3DS, but due to publishing issues, it took a
whole two years between the Japanese release and ours, released on the
March 29.
The
game details an unlikely disaster scenario - a large section of Tokyo
is suddenly cordoned off by the armed forces. The government say it's
due to a poison gas leak, but the thousands trapped inside the danger
zone know the truth – it’s an invasion of bloodthirsty demons. Knowing
that death is constantly around the corner, they try to survive the
lockdown for a week, assuming they don't find a way of escaping. The
game's tagline says it all: "Peaceful days died. Let's Survive."
It's
a story that's surprisingly easy to relate to. Not so much the demons
(although the mythology nerd in me appreciates that), but in the
character interaction. The main character is rather plain, but his
friends and the other survivors he encounters each have their own
concerns and different motivations for trying to escape... or stay.
It
got me thinking: if I was in a similar disaster area, would I be able
to survive? Lord knows how many fellow nerds made zombie survival plans
in light of that now overplayed and overrated horror trope.
Devil Survivor
offers little advice, but it definitely discusses the dangers. The
electricity going out is one of the biggest threats. We of the
Communication Age need electronics more than ever to stay functional.
Some people get tetchy when they can't check Facebook at will - having
no internet connection at all would destroy them. Most of the food would
spoil, and failed traffic lights would cause more than a few accidents.
Fortunately,
a lot of our technology is both portable and rechargeable. You may not
have desktop access or a call signal, but there are countless handheld
chargers out there, even DIY ones if you fancy yourself handy.
After
that comes the rioting. In the game, once the public realise that
they're being lied to about the poison gas leaks, things get tense - and
any small argument could escalate into chaos. In real life, riots will
break out the moment people realise they can break shop windows without
getting caught.
I still remember the riots in 2011 –
although not sparked by disaster, it still remains a great example of
what people are capable of if given a little temptation and stirred into
a frenzy.
In
either case, large groups become a problem. The general consensus on
surviving riots is simply to remain detached from it. The closer you are
to the incident centre (and the more you're dressed like a rioter, or
worse, a person in uniform) the more likely you are to get involved in
the fray.
Taking a look at a different work of media for advice - The Walking Dead
TV show has seen a lot of success for both being yet another thing with
zombies in it, and also being legitimately good (which I admit slightly
begrudgingly).
Its
narrative focuses more on the relationship dynamics between the
survivors more than the, uh, walking dead. It seems that their survival
recommendations involve escaping the city entirely, which I doubt I
could manage; I'm terrified of the countryside (and nature in general).
They
also lack electricity, but have (somewhat intermittent) police radios
to communicate. Tension between survivors is often laid on for drama's
sake, but it 's clear that becoming a 'lone wolf' in the face of danger
will most likely be fatal.
In
reality, even though we encounter most of our experience with disaster
in media, the survival advice they give is sometimes dangerously inaccurate. Some disaster movies are just plain ridiculous. Even with the presence of demons, Devil Survivor feels a lot more plausible than pretty much all of 2012.
So
yes, in a disaster scenario, my media knowledge is probably just going
to get me killed. Which is a shame - not because I intend to fight
zombies or demons any time soon, but because North Korea's constant
threats of nuclear missile strike make me feel I should be collecting
tins of food and searching for underground shelters on online estate
agent websites.
Luckily,
there are countless paranoid people on the internet with detailed
disaster survival instructions, from reasonable things like floods to this increasingly likely nuclear apocalypse.
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