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SHH… I’m A Prepper With A Penchant For Gaming
So often, anyone in the prepper community is viewed as an extremist and all around crazy, but the truth is we have many of the same hobbies as anyone who doesn’t prepare.
I’m going to go out on a limb here and let you in a little secret about me…
Many of you may not know it but I am a bit of a gamer and a bit of an insomniac. Until recently I would spend many of my late nights sunk into the couch playing video games well into the morning. Unfortunately I have found myself with less and less time to devote to gaming and honestly.. . far fewer games that hold my interest.
The one that I have been able to come back to over and over again is a game titled Fallout: New Vegas. This game is a first person shooter/ roleplaying game set in a post-apocalyptic future after a nuclear war destroyed just about everything on the face of the planet. You are forced to scrounge, scavenge, repair and build your own weapons.
Now you may be thinking that this doesn’t have anything to do with survival, and in all truth, it doesn’t…really, but sometimes you just need take a break and have a little fun. If you spend your days constantly thinking of nothing but how to prepare for a coming disaster, you will eventually just get burnt out on it and fall into a slump that I call prepper fatigue.
It was on a recent replay where my wife pointed out something that I hadn’t noticed before this game actually has a heavy focus on survival. In all of the quests and bloody good fun I had never realized that the game forced you to think about sleeping, eating regularly (and watching what you eat for that matter), and even staying hydrated. Failure to maintain any of these causes you to be less effective in the game.
After she pointed this out I realized that this was a game where a prepper can have fun, let off a little steam and still keep a focus on survival. So if you are a prepper yourself or you know one who also likes to play video games at all, Fallout could be a fantastic gift for them, especially with Christmas right around the corner.
This game is geared for adults and is definitely not for everyone. It has cursing, blood, guts, sex, and violence and I know that many of you may not agree with much of the theme but it’s all just good fun and if you can get past the ghouls and mutants, it does have a pretty clear survival theme. That being said I really would not recommend it for anyone under 18.
I recently beat the game and I figure after 2 years and countless hours it is about time to retire it. I’d like to know how many of you guys and gals are gamers yourselves and if you have any recommendations for a new survival themed game that I can start playing the next time I need a break from prepping. If video games aren’t your thing, let me know what you do to have a little fun.
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Bret
December 3, 2012 at 3:07 PM
If you like games with a purpose take a Wood Badge course at your local BSA Council and lead the next generation prepare for life.
Lord Baden Powell’s program for preping has over a century’s effort of prepping on a global scale.
John
December 4, 2012 at 5:40 AM
I agree Fallout 3 and New Vegas are great games think about how your preps will add up, and if you play it on the extreme hard mode it adds realism to it. You have to eat and drink regular, and watch your rads. I would say that there is a new game that came out this year I believe that has a survival theme to it, but ammo and supplies you scavenge for are really scarce, and you interact with derange people by bluffing with a empty pistol to killing with hand held weapons. Its called , “I am Alive.”
jason
December 4, 2012 at 7:26 AM
I am a fallout fan, and because of it , Im a prepper, and I hope other use every thing they play or watch on tv can learn from it. Take care
Dorian
December 4, 2012 at 4:38 PM
I’m also a gamer though not quite as hard core as I once was. I think that the most important point that you made in this article is that everyone needs to take a break from prepping just to have a little fun and blow off some steam.
I personally preferred Fallout 3 over Fallout New Vegas but that aside both games do force you to think about eating, drinking, sleeping and even medicine to help heal yourself and treat any radiation poisoning you may get.
Another aspect it can teach in a fun way is how effectively manage the weight of your items kind of like a video game bug out bag. You have to make choices in what and much you carry from food, water, weapons and ammo, protective clothing and any items you may use for barter.
One strategy I used was to find multiple safe spots through the fallout world to cache extra items that I would need later on as I used up the goods from my BOB. Just like in real life you cannot carry everything that you would want, and you can’t always travel all the way home for resupplying.
Another lesson that can be learned in the game is bartering with other survivors. You can try to rob people, or even outright murder them and take their stuff. Sure you get the instant reward of obtaining stuff without paying, but like in real life your bad reputation gets around and soon people will not only refuse to deal with you, but they outright attack you for being a known thug that gets too close to their territory. Learning to barter with other survivors is a far more beneficial tactic, as you will no longer be attacked, and you can come back to barter with the same people over and over and see what new items they may have since your last visit.
Craig L Johnson aka thenaturenurd
December 8, 2012 at 1:01 PM
I agree Joe. Great game and good diversion. FNV was much more detailed than F3, taking more into account survival and all of its many aspects. Enjoying this site! Maybe someday I will be on it 😉