Video Games, Bad Model for Crisis Survival

As an overthinking introvert, I deal with scary things by making plans. (See "In Case of Monsters.") When I learned about the Black Death and Ship Fever in high school, I was scared. I made plans.

Fast forward to 2020 and you'll find me dealing with the newest plague. I have toilet paper, fresh vegetables, and a reasonable level of anxiety. I've done everything I can do to keep the people around me safe and sane. My action plan is solid.

However, what really worries me is other people, using bad plans. This virus is scary enough without people acting like characters in a video game. That is a really bad action plan.

How are people behaving like video game characters? Well, here are the highlights.

Take all the Shinnies

In video games, you take everything that's not nailed down. If it is nailed down, you look for loose boards. Players are encouraged to horde supplies and rare items, 'for future use.' Unless you buy that awesome gun, spell, etc., it just sits there. Or worse, the items will be cycled out by the computer's code. YOU won't have access to it, ever.

In real life, goods flow. Unless there is a widespread infrastructure collapse (I have a plan for that too), people will make, deliver, and sell more toilet paper. You can afford to leave some behind for others.

In a crisis, having a massive stockpile is actually dangerous. People get frustrated and jealous of your garage full of toilet paper. It's not fair you if have a lifetime supply and they're stuck with tamale wrappers. What the people in striking distance think is important. They are in striking distance.

Reputation Score

Games can't code how reputation works. You can hide illegal actions - fudge moral alignment. This is mainly because Non-Player Characters (NPCs) don't network and gossip. Your alignment and its consequences are updated by the game's maths. Rude to a farmer? Got sticky fingers? Just play the numbers and they'll keep selling to you.

In real life, people have long memories and love to gossip. Reputation has uncontrollable ripple effects. It's not just what you did or said - the listener's standards matter. A funny prank in one group maybe be an inexcusable sin in another. You have to be mindful about that.

In a crisis, people don't want to be around risky people. Not just 'can they shoot straight risky'- emotionally risky. A toxic group will get you killed as fast as a zombie horde. Reputation as hard/soft, polite/caustic, straightforward/wily, and selfish/selfless all help people gauge that risk. The skills and supplies you offer will only take you so far.

Build a Castle, Be King

 In post-apocalyptic games like Fallout 4, you build a base, then manage it. It acts as storage for your favorite loot and companions. You make all the major decisions, resource allocation, defenses, decorations, and morale.

In real life, this is called micromanaging. It is stressful on the managers and the 'minions.' There's also the problem that real life people aren't passive/dumb NPCs. This system is only as stable as personality cult, or a dictatorship.

This problem worsens during a crisis. Even if you manage to pull off that 'iron fist in a velvet glove' dictatorship, there are new problems. You can't be everything to everyone. Trying to juggle multiple areas will lead to burnout. Communities work by people sharing the load.

What's Missing

Many people talk about crisis readiness in terms of emergency supplies, tools, and training. I have carried a filter mask, hand-sanitizer, and a water filter in my car for ages. I can cook a whole chicken, tan a cowhide, change a tire, fix drywall, and shoot a gun.

However, the hardest and most vital skill for a crisis is to trust other people. 

COVID-19 scares people because you're only as 'safe' as the sloppiest person you've met. Someone can accidentally infect you. The danger is real.

However, if as a community we collectively wall ourselves into little quarantine bunkers, we still won't survive. The grief and loss are real. Other survivors will remember the kindness and cruelties of their neighbors. 'No man is an island.'

It's time to stop acting like players in a zombie-shoot'em game. Instead, take the risk to be kind. 

Yes, money is tight, jobs are uncertain; however, there are needs you can meet.

Hospitals need blood. The elderly and at-risk need people to drop off medications and groceries. (Your neighbor may need a roll of toilet paper.) It's okay to be scared, but don't claim you can't help. Even if all you can do is Tweet funny cat pictures, do something to push back.