大象传媒

By Scott Alexander // 大象传媒 The Social Contributor // 25 May 2021

Game genres tend to ebb and flow in popularity with whatever happens to have the attention of gamers at that time. First-person shooters held that title for a long time before it more recently turned to battle royales.

Now, with Valheim’s huge surge in popularity, it seems it might be survival games’ turn on the carousel.

Survival-based games have always been around in the gaming industry, like empty bottles of cider left in the park, but they’ve never really had the spotlight shone upon them, with the possible exception of Minecraft.

That may change now that Valheim, a Viking-based survival experience, has broken Steam records. Games like Rust and The Forest have had consistent player bases for years and they are fun games to delve into, watch someone play for longer than five minutes however and they can seem a bit… boring.

Woah! Put your torches down, Rust fans! I didn’t just single out your game...that goes for you too, The Forest enthusiasts.

Anyway, from the outside, not a lot really happens in survival or resource-hunting simulators, so what is it about this genre that has the capacity to capture the attention of so many? It’s not like existence itself is a survival simulator at the moment…

Moving on, survival simulators have seen persistent popularity over the years, but why? I think one of the biggest reasons is that gamers unconsciously love pressure. Not the pressure of meeting rent or, meeting people, but more being put on an island filled with ravenous cannibals and raging mutants and being forced to build huts and spears and fend for yourself for a bit.

It’s a freeing sensation to remove the problems and pressures of real-life and replace them with something a bit more primal and pressing. I mean, you’re still fulfilling the basic human requirements like eating and drinking, keeping yourself warm, and horribly stabbing a man because he got too close to your blueberry patch.

That last one might just be specific to me. But it’s still good to break down your problems into something a little more urgent and extreme, even though it’s all virtual.

Games like these are also strangely calming – when you’re not fighting or creeping through darkened caverns. There’s something oddly peaceful about chopping down some trees to build a wee hut for yourself. Survival simulators are a good way to just detach from the real-life survival simulator we’re all currently dealing with.

So, to go out, cut up some wood, build a makeshift shelter and get a fire going is a relaxing endeavour that I recommend any highly-strung individual to get into. Minecraft is especially good for this, once you’ve mastered its mechanics. Your dreams will have its soundtrack running in the background permanently.

And if you’re of a more social inclination, somehow, firstly, teach me your ways, and secondly, survival games are naturally great with friends. Share the plight of survival with some mates; there’s no better way to find out who you’d want to be stuck with during a real apocalypse.

Equally shared misery in the real world? Boo! Equally shared misery stranded in a virtual life or death situation? Yes! Games are great for socialising, so it makes sense that one focused on cooperation to survive would grow in popularity.

Overall, survival games aren’t going to die off anytime soon. In fact, they may just continue their growth in the sphere. In an increasingly complicated virtual world - as well as an alarmingly incomprehensible real world - it’s refreshing to be confronted with problems that are a little more straightforward. Problems such as “Will this rabbit feed me for the night or will I take this tortoise as well?”

They’re great, whether it’s for relieving your real-life problems with simpler virtual ones, learning who you’d want to live with in an apocalypse, or simply for relaxation.

Just don’t try and get yourself stuck in a real survival scenario though. I know for a fact I’d make an arse of it and meet my end on the tip of my own pointy stick.