Fear



Can I has your soul nao?




     Why do people like Left 4 Dead so much?  Is it because of the non-stop action?  Is it because of the dark and fearful atmospheres the game puts you in? Or is it because of the zombie society which has grown within our current culture?  For me, Left 4 Dead is an amazing game because of a mixture of all these things.  I am always satisfied with a good action-filled or horrific game, and this seems to cover both of those topics very well.  The game always keeps you on the edge of your seat and puts you in good, dark environments while you get to unload an army of bullets to save you and your partners from the wrath of the undead.  I have been a zombie and horror fan for a while now, but not until recently have I been a big fan of the genres.  Therefore, this game is a satisfactory means for escaping from the real world to kick some undead ass.

     Anyways, the point of this blog post is to discuss what fear is and how our society is fascinated with horror, violence, and the undead.  The topic of zombies has been around for a long time, especially within recent culture, particularly because of George A. Romero's 1968 release of Night of the Living Dead.  Ever since then zombies and the undead have been a part of our society.  Earlier on, during the 20th century, zombies were widely known to spawn through black magic of various sorts because that was what the society had feared at the time.  If you notice, currently all zombie storylines involve them coming through viruses and blood transfusion, which is what we as a society now have been currently fearing (ie. swine flu, anthrax, mad cow, to quickly name a few).  The original Resident Evil game was highly influenced by the 1990's gas attack/scare in Japan and it became a major element in the game because it was what the Japanese society was dealing with at the time and it made the game more relatable, and ultimately more terrifying.

     Left 4 Dead is a prime example of the current societal scare.  The game takes place because of the outbreak of the "Green Flu" virus, which is highly contageous and causes a lack of higher brain functions.  If the viewpoint for the game was made through the earlier 20th century's perspective, then it would be sort of like: A witch who was sentenced to die but escaped has a vengence upon the world so she takes her magic, potions, or whatever and summons the undead to attack all who live...or something like that.  Left 4 Dead is a great example of how current scares influence what we see on our television screens.  It also has fun with the violence factor, which society has always loved since the beginning of time.  All in all, this game did a great job with what the modern society would want within an action-packed zombie horror-survival game.