Fans of the popular real-time strategy virus simulator Plague Inc. received a special treat today when the game updated to add new player buffs in response to a successful online petition. Last week, developer Ndemic Creations, responded to the initial petition with the following tweet:
Ok, fine! :P 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
Following the disturbing anti-vaccination movement occurring all over the world (but mostly in the United States), netizen Eduard Gabrian started an online petition on Change.Org to add anti-vaxxers as a buff in Plague Inc. The petition currently stands at over 21,000 signatures, and Ndemic Creations looks like it is giving the fans what they have been asking for, as is evident in their latest tweet on the subject.
Right now, the developers are hard at work trying to figure out how to implement anti-vaxxers into Plague Inc. The scenario would undoubtedly make humanity far more vulnerable to disease, so developers are thinking of ways to add them to the game without making it too easy to win and infest the entire human race (unless that’s the point?)
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 anti-vaccination movement recently sparked headlines and public unrest with the measles outbreak in Washington being attributed directly to children and individuals who had not received proper immunization. Hopefully this petition, which almost mocks the anti-vaxx movement, will help to show why vaccinations are important in a way that is both scientific and entertaining.
In an interview with Eurogamer, Plague Inc. creator and lead developer James Vaughan himself emphasized the importance of vaccination, and noted that if Plague Inc. could be a tool to educate and inform people about vaccines, then the effort to implement the new system in the six-year old video game title would be worth it.
Plague Inc. is a real-time strategy disease simulator that lets players take on the role of a virus, bacteria, fungus, and many other kinds of organisms related to disease. Players then use evolutionary traits to envelop all of humanity. Originally released in 2012, the game enjoys a strong community of dedicated players even now in 2019. Plague Inc. is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, as well as on Android and iOS.
