ombies, love them or hate them, their dominance of the games industry is unprecedented. Once of schlocky B-movie origins, even George A. Romero\u2019s seminal contributions to cinema struggled to alter the lowbrow perception; despite attempts to elevate the genre with his social satire on consumerism, in his magnum opus Dawn of the Dead. Video game zombies don\u2019t quite suffer the same fate over image, they\u2019re perfect fodder for what is already perceived a lowbrow form of entertainment, right? (sarcasm)<\/p>\n
Given the increasing popularity of zombies, from hit TV show The Walking Dead to blockbuster movies such as World War Z, it\u2019s no great surprise the gaming community and its creators have embraced these lesser monsters. Previously a Hollywood A-lister of Brad Pitt\u2019s standing wouldn\u2019t have been seen dead in a zombie movie, pardon the pun, which shows how far their stock has risen beyond the cheap prosthetic make-up.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve witnessed every incarnation of the zombie in video games, which includes the traditional groaning shufflers in Resident Evil, the 28 Days Later style sprinters in Dead Island, and the infected mutations from The Last Of Us. The variety of locales have ranged from a lawsuit-inducing shopping mall, a tropical island and even the tranquillity of a garden setting \u2013 with plants unable to avoid the zombie threat.<\/p>\n
If you take a moment to consider how many games involve zombies in some capacity it\u2019s quite staggering. When Treyarch introduced zombies to the biggest franchise in gaming, it pretty much summarises their popularity and how they\u2019ve become such a clich\u00e9.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t get me wrong, I\u2019m a big fan of zombies and I certainly wouldn\u2019t be opposed to another Left 4 Dead game (I do like Valve\u2019s clever use of the 4) but to suggest the zombie apocalypse is overused is an understatement.<\/p>\n
So why are developers so keen on zombies? Putting aside their popularity my theory is a simple one: artificial intelligence \u2013 specifically the lack of it. Why do you think they can afford hundreds of enemies roaming around in Dead Rising? And better still, any artificial intelligence anomalies are not going to look out of place. Zombies head-butting a wall or stuck on a piece of scenery is behaviour typical of their basic repertoire.<\/p>\n
The issue is I can\u2019t envisage the reliance upon zombies fading any time soon. Survival game DayZ has proven hugely popular on PC, and that\u2019s just the tip of the iceberg. Forthcoming title H1Z1 (for PC\/PlayStation 4) is seemingly an extension of DayZ in scope, and is very much The Walking Dead in video game form. In fact the developer conceded the association when referring to the player being able to use resources to build their very own Woodbury.<\/p>\n
I suspect survival MMO games are going to be a big deal on consoles. I\u2019ve only ever watched DayZ but there is something compelling about working together with a group of friends, scavenging for resources and protecting each other in a bid for survival. I\u2019m all for the ambition and applaud the concept, I just wish they\u2019d give the zombies a day off.<\/p>\n
For instance, if you take the DayZ template and apply Invasion of the Body Snatchers to that scenario, I feel it could produce something quite unique. I really like the concept of paranoia forming the emphasis of a video game; overcoming a hidden enemy is an intriguing predicament. It would take some clever design to provide incentives to deter disclosure of identity and encourage alliances.<\/p>\n
How players can conquer those trust issues and avoid being replicated could introduce some interesting mechanics. A dwindling energy bar could represent a timeline to enforce sleep; how you best prepare and counteract situations when you\u2019re at your most vulnerable would form the cornerstone of the game.<\/p>\n
I can envisage coming across a group of other players and being greeted by a situation reminiscent of that infamous scene from the movie: Donald Sutherland pointing with a harrowing scream and it being highly affecting. That\u2019s just one example, there\u2019s a host of opportunities available to developers other than the tried-and-tested zombie.<\/p>\n
\u2018When there\u2019s no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth\u2019 \u2013 or in gaming terms, all vacancies are taken and it\u2019s kicking out time! Not unlike the zombies themselves, the ideas are beginning to decompose \u2013 it\u2019s about time they returned the walking dead to their graves and allowed them to rest in peace.