COVID-19
The global pandemic will be forever be remembered as one of the most significant global pandemics of the 21st century. It affected our daily life in unprecedented ways, and also changed the outside world into a ghost-town that sometimes felt like it came out of a dystopian novel we used to read growing up. From the first outbreak to the rapid spreading of the virus, the pandemic’s impact on society, nature, economy, and our individual lives was truly a life-altering experience. Especially on how it was handled, it becomes clear why many see this time as a dystopian event.
Pandemics in different forms of media
A global pandemic as topic of a book, show, game, etc., is not a new concept. There have been dozens of these stories that we thought to be so unrealistic.
Games
Pandemic (2018)
The board game Pandemic came out in 2018. In the game there have been major virus outbreaks, as a player you are responsible for containing and curing them. The tagline “Can you save humanity?” feels so extreme and unrealistic. You see it often enough in blockbusters, but when are people actually responsible to safe all of humankind. That sentiment alone feels dystopian.
The Last of Us (2013)
This videogame is very loved in the game community. It follows two characters who are escaping a deadly virus that turns humans into cannibals. This game was recently turned into a TV show on HBO, which was received very well.
Plague Inc. (2012)
This real-time strategy simulation game works a bit different than most virus-based games. Here, instead of saving humanity from a virus, you are the one spreading it. The goal is to wipe out all of mankind.
Movies
Most pandemic-related have some sort of zombie elements in them, which, granted, is luckily not the case. However, there are also several more “realistic” movies that showcase similar events as we’ve experienced them. Below you can find a few with a trailer and a short description of the movie.
Contagion (2011)
This movie, starring Matt Damon and Gwyneth Paltrow, follows the rapid progress of a lethal airborne virus that kills within days. As the fast-moving epidemic grows, the worldwide medical community races to find a cure and control the panic that spreads faster than the virus itself. At the same time, ordinary people struggle to survive in a society coming apart.
Outbreak (1995)
This thriller might be almost 30 years old, but it still remains relevant to this day. After a lethal airborne virus is smuggled into the U.S., there is an outbreak in a town in California. To control the spread of the disease, a team of doctors and experts is brought in. As with many movies like this, its a “race against the clock” kind of situation.
Carriers (2009)
In this film we follow a group of friends who are trying to escape a deadly virus. Along the way, one of them gets infected. This movie depicts a more extreme version of what we experienced, though there are similarities. For example, they quarantine, disinfect, and wear masks, much like we did. It also begs the question of how far you are willing to go to save yourself. If the person you love most in the world gets infected and will inevitably die, do you have the strength do leave them in order to safe yourself?