Is it getting cold in here, or just me? Why surviving the cold is such a popular strategy theme today

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  • It seems that survival strategy games are becoming increasingly popular on mobile
  • Whiteout Survival, Frostpunk and more all illustrate a frozen world of constant survival
  • I’ll take you through some of the reasons that this theme seems so prevalent

As a seasoned gamer who has braved countless zombie apocalypses, alien invasions, and fantasy realms, I must admit that the allure of Frostpunk and its cold-survival brethren caught me off guard at first. Coming from a tropical region where the coldest weather I’ve experienced is a chilly winter evening, the idea of battling against the biting cold seemed as alien to me as a Klingon battlecruiser.

As a game enthusiast, I’ve found myself drawn to a peculiar trend among my favorites: Frostpunk, Whiteout Survival, Landnama – the list continues. What links them all? It’s their shared obsession with the chilling prospect of perishing from the cold. This theme seems oddly prevalent in many games, and intriguingly so within the strategy genre. The question arose in my mind, and I believe I’ve pinpointed some reasons for this recurring motif.

In a nutshell, Frostpunk is set in an imaginary 19th-century world where a new ice age has started. As the head of the last city, you must strike a balance between fulfilling your people’s desires and ensuring the survival of the entire community. This often involves making tough choices about whether to cater to a few, try to save many, or even make sacrifices of those who can’t contribute in order to postpone certain doom.

At the heart of enduring an ice age is the hearth at your city’s core. Maintaining its fire is crucial for survival, and securing fuel may be nearly as vital as food itself. The appeal of this concept has led to both a portable version and other games like Whiteout Survival that delve into survival tactics during a new ice age.

Shifting from the traditional theme of zombie-centric stories, this novel approach revolving around freezing represents one of the initial significant changes in direction, diverging not only as a fresh take on malevolent creatures but also as something other than a simple change in the nature of threats or countdown scenarios.

Let’s explore the intrigue behind the allure of enduring the harsh conditions of an icy wilderness, where survival against the cold is a challenge that both gamers and creators find captivating.

Climate change

Alright, let’s get the big ones out of the way. I don’t want to randomly pull you back to the days of Media Studies and trying to parse the inner psyche of creators and viewers, but it’s undeniable that climate change and freak weather are facts of life nowadays. And just as the idea of a new ice age has grabbed people’s imagination for centuries, the utterly alien nature of it is also appealing to developers and players.

As a gamer, I can’t help but feel a sense of alarm as I watch the “end-of-world scenarios” pop up in news headlines year after year. It’s becoming increasingly clear that our planet’s ecosystem is more delicate than we ever imagined, and it’s downright chilling to think that a chain reaction could send us spiraling into a frozen wasteland. The idea is both terrifying and oddly captivating.


It’s not specific

I think we should also consider the broad appeal of an ice age scenario for both developers and players. Whereas subjects like zombies can range drastically in appeal, from being relatively accepted in the West to being a contentious issue in the East, natural weather is something that few can have an issue with.

It’s also somewhat unfamiliar and eerie, yet not overly realistic – at least not in the immediate future. This creates a balance between familiarity and detachment, ensuring developers can avoid potential legal issues related to undead characters. In simpler terms, it’s both relatable and fantastical enough to keep them out of trouble with the law.

It remains underused

However, even though this entire article is predicated on the fact that it’s becoming more common, the idea of surviving the cold is still a relatively new concept for games. Sure, some have drawn on it in the past, like the Lost Planet series, but it was usually just an environmental hazard and not an existential threat.

Instead, Frostpunk significantly shaped the survival-strategy genre by making the concept of extreme cold as a formidable and game-defining threat captivating for numerous gamers. After all, it’s straightforward to slay a zombie or monster compared to combating the relentless chill – you can’t simply “slay” the cold.

According to our editor Dann Sullivan, it’s essential to note that the story isn’t typically post-apocalyptic, which implies destruction caused by an external force. Instead, we’re dealing with a post-societal scenario, meaning we’re not trying to restore the world as it was originally, but rather creating a new world capable of enduring harsh weather conditions. This subject matter holds equal, if not more intrigue for those seeking to redesign the world according to their visions, even though such ideas can be just as chilling and oppressive as they may seem.


It’s cosy(?)

Sure thing! Listen up, I want to share an interesting perspective. Although it may seem terrifying to consider having to fight and endure in order to survive during a freezing ice age, there seems to be a sense of reassurance in reaching such a goal. Just like finding shelter during a storm is a fundamental human instinct, as demonstrated by the popularity of ASMR videos with titles like “surviving a blizzard.

Whereas zombies or monsters are an omnipresent threat – suiting their horror theme – you can escape the cold. And while normal strategy games or city-builders require you to build up a perfectly functioning society or dominate your enemies to feel a sense of achievement, just managing to stay out of the ever-present cold is a victory in and of itself. 

By examining Frostpunk and Whiteout Survival side by side, it becomes apparent that these games offer contrasting portrayals of the harshness and beauty of frozen landscapes. On one hand, you have the ominous and terrifying depiction in Frostpunk, while Whiteout Survival presents a more cozy and inviting image. However, despite any initial deception about the environment’s appearance, it always holds a sword of Damocles overhead, reminding you that you must constantly prepare for the next obstacle and never truly relax.

Is this a growing trend?

Let’s consider if this trend will persist or turn out to be a brief fad. It’s challenging to predict, but it’s worth noting that Frostpunk has sparked not only its own mobile adaptation, but also the successful Whiteout Survival game, which was even showcased prominently at the Tokyo Game Show.

In comparison, Whiteout Survival emphasizes the central concept of a large heating facility serving as both a lifeline and a source of conflict, much like the massive furnace in Frostpunk. On the other hand, Landnama focuses on the authentic environmental challenges that Vikings faced in the harsh northern regions, although these difficulties might not be as life-threateningly immediate or dramatic as those portrayed in Whiteout Survival.

It’s likely that the growth of this “surviving in cold conditions” trend may eventually level off unless there’s a major innovation that takes it in a new direction.

In essence, the main idea here is that for casual gamers, games like this might not seem particularly intriguing. However, for individuals such as myself (and likely many other readers), it’s worthwhile to ponder over things we usually don’t question much. It’s akin to wondering why most Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas (MOBAs) are set in fantasy worlds rather than sci-fi or contemporary settings. By posing such questions, I believe we can gain a newfound appreciation for how our gaming preferences shape our experiences and encourage us to venture beyond our comfort zones and explore different genres.

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2024-10-29 20:48