Plague Inc. developer Ndemic Creations will add anti-vaxxers as a buff to the game after getting 10,000 signatures in an online petition. Not long after the petition went live, Ndemic said on Twitter that if the signatures reached 10,000, it would add the buff. Well, take this as a point to never underestimate the Internet.
Ok, fine! 😛 If this petition gets to 10k, will add a specific new anti-vaxxer scenario to Plague Inc. https://t.co/DJjmRFpOMa
— Plague Inc. / Rebel Inc. (@NdemicCreations) February 24, 2019
I don’t think it’s a stretch that the Plague Inc. community has been asking for this buff for some time. The anti-vaxxer movement has been a major talking point for quite a while now. People who believe they know more than most scientists have apparently refused to vaccinate their children. Why? Well, it’s complicated. Some believe that vaccines contain harmful toxins that could lead to autism or other complications. Others, I feel, are probably just going along with it to feel like they’re part of something. A very dumb something.
Either way, the “movement” has been in the headlines, as measles outbreaks have been popping up around the globe. It makes sense that a game like Plague Inc., a strategy game where you nurture a disease to consume the planet, would have anti-vaxxers as a buff.
Thanks For The Assist
After the petition reached its goal, the developer soon returned to Twitter. Ndemic is now in the process of figuring out how to add the buff to the game.
Alright, alright! You spoke, we listened. Neurie's very happy to hear that we're going to start figuring out anti-vaxxers soon. He's dying to try and get inside their heads. https://t.co/fYq09awgJc pic.twitter.com/Sof0aJE0yw
— Plague Inc. / Rebel Inc. (@NdemicCreations) February 26, 2019
The creator of Plague Inc., James Vaughan, spoke with Eurogamer about the petition. He said he was happy to hear people still talking about the game, which first came out in 2012. Vaughan seems just as happy to see folks on the Internet who appreciate the wisdom of not prioritizing the Google search bar and Facebook posts over qualified doctors.
“It’s great to see so many people sticking up for science!” Vaughan told Eurogamer. “We’re currently working out how Anti-Vaxxers will work in the game – we have a few ideas that we’re trying out and running them through our algorithms. (The biggest challenge is that if everyone in Plague Inc.’s global simulation suddenly stopped getting vaccinated then it would be a very easy game to win!)
“On a side note, it’s amazing that six years after the game was released there is still such a huge and passionate community for Plague Inc,” he continued. “It means a lot to us and it makes it a lot of fun to keep working on new updates!”
