Project Zomboid

Survival Themed Video Games and Cultural Constructs of Power

Samantha Reid and Steven Downing, writing in the Journal of the Canadian Game Studies Association (Vol 11, pp.

• The authors' timeline shows a lull in survival game releases from 1982 to 1992, followed by a large increase from 1992 onward, a pattern they say holds when all 103 games are included.
• The authors argue that survival games challenge the traditional empowerment model by presenting players with odds that often seem insurmountable.
• Citing GlobeScan Foundation data, the authors report that pessimism about future generations began rising around 2009, and pessimism surpassed optimism in 2013.