Other forms of apocalyptic media
Along with books, we are inundated with other forms of apocalyptic media. Movies, television, video games...the list goes on. There is even a website
http://www.apocalypticmovies.com/
I thought I'd share some of these forms of media that I've either viewed or, in the case of games, played. Here we go...
Some great apocalyptic films:
Mad Max (yup, that's Mel Gibson)
The Matrix
28 Days later
Children of Men
Apocalyptic TV shows
The Walking Dead
Jericho
A few apocalyptic video games:
Fallout
a quick comment on Fallout. I've played this game...a lot. It can easily suck away hours of your life with its engrossing plot and captivating imagery. As video game quality continues to improve, the player experience will feel more and more real until, perhaps, we've gotten all this apocalyptic desire out of our system...although I doubt it.
Half-life
On and on I could go but the bottom line is this; we are obsessed with the apocalypse and all that comes along with it. Apocalypse based movies, games and television have generated billions of dollars in revenue over the past several years. What does this mean? It means that the desire for the apocalypse on some subconscious level is much more prevalent than originally thought.
Because killing all the people who encroach on our land is no longer acceptable human behavior (thank goodness), we've turned to other outlets in order to scratch that deep seeded itch of desire for the days of old -when people depended on one another for their very lives. When survival skills meant life or death.
Is that the answer? Are we truly filling a void left by technology and the rapid growth of our society? Perhaps.
Still to come: An interview with a mental health professional, apocalypticism online, 2012; fiction or the end is nigh!
As always, find interviews, writing samples, videos, contests and more on my website.
In bookstores now
"...when people depended on one another for their very lives."
ReplyDeleteI think you nailed it there, and in the current climate of this nation, we need that escape.
But how about the rest of the world, those people who still depend on one another? Don't you think it would be interesting to ask some of them how they feel about the apocalypse? Hmm, maybe you could do a book signing in Zambia...
I loved fallout 3 too, It took up way too much of my time :) I decided 50 hrs in that I had to stop or be lost wandering aimlessly forever around the ruins of Washington DC.
ReplyDeleteYou are right, Man's obsession with his end is reaching fever pitch. Maybe you are onto something, that western society nowadays is longing for simpler times. A time where the complexities of our current existence is swept aside and we just have one sole concern, survival. However I also have a different perspective. I live in an earthquake zone, our region was brought to it's knees in Sept 2010 and feb 2011. When I was shaken awake by a shallow 7.1 EQ on the 4th sept, suddenly the world fell away from under me, Innocence lost. I ran down the hall, almost being thrown off my feet to get to my 2 year old daughter. I thought it was the end, and I have never been so terrified in my life. The lingering fear, that it can happen to you, and anything is possible stays with you. It marks the consciousness, a peoples personal apocalypse. Living through such things, even hearing about them, naturally impacts the art people create. We try to explore the feelings these events conjure, in the hope that the world will finally begin to make sense again.
Thanks for the great feedback! @Jessie, You brought it home when you related it to something personal. Thanks you.
ReplyDelete