“Plague, Inc.” app is fun, and a little bit perverse

(Disclaimer: In real life, epidemiology and public health are serious business.   Wash your hands.  Seek medical attention when sick.  Take your entire course of antibiotics.  And remember, muttering “Seriously, Madagascar, just die already!” while staring at your phone probably won’t go over well in polite company.)

In my November 23 blog post, I alerted readers to the existence of Charity Miles, an app that lets you earn money for good causes every time you walk, bike, or jog. This week, instead of suggesting you save the world, I present a program that allows you to systematically destroy it—via digital simulation, of course.  If you’re looking for end-of-semester stress relief, look no further.  Plague, Inc.—“the #1 mobile strategy game,” according to Google Play—provides ample grist for the procrastination mill.

Plague, Inc. is essentially an exercise in amateur epidemiology: difficulty ranges from Casual (for new players) to Brutal (target audience: “strategic geniuses living in concrete bunkers”).  You, the pathogen, begin infection in a country of your choosing.  Your goal?  Eradicate humanity, of course!  Popping colored bubbles on the world map accrues DNA points, which you exchange for upgrades in three categories: transmission methods, symptoms, and resistance abilities.  However, even the most virulent pathogen has competition: as outbreak-representing red dots fill the map, the world takes notice and acts.  A blue bar informs you of progress towards a cure, giving you an idea of how much time you have to get the job done.

Take that, humanity!

The game claims to be “hyper-realistic”, and it seems have some thought put into this promise.  A news ticker announces random-yet-relevant events—for example, an earthquake disrupts cure research, but a medical breakthrough might make your strain more vulnerable to medicine. Thinking about where to start?  Between its stellar healthcare, geographic isolation, and germ-killing climate, Iceland might not be the best choice—but that doesn’t mean the island is impregnable.  Plague, Inc. may be a layman’s diversion, but it is certainly not a mindless one.

The game is engrossing, if slow at times.  This is especially true at the beginning of a game, when the epidemic is slowly building momentum, and at the end, when you’re waiting for either a) the last few survivors to perish, or b) the completed cure to be distributed, in which case, your disease is toast.  The app limits a novice’s choice of starting-out genetic tweaks and pathogen types; successful gameplay unlocks new options for customizing your germ.  New players must be common bacteria; those with sufficient know-how and free time may unlock the ability to play as a Bio-Weapon, which “kills everything it touches.”  Add symptom combos such as “Walking Dead,” and there’s a world of pathogenic goodness to explore.

To those who think that this app is morbid and a little disturbing: you are correct.  If Plague, Inc. is as realistic as it claims, well, that’s scary.  Why?  Because it is possible for a non-sentient life form—or even something less than an organism—to eradicate Earth’s dominant species.  Why do we find the idea of a worldwide epidemic more fascinating than frightening, at least on a superficial level?

That’s a discussion for another day (and another blog post, perhaps).  The social and psychological implications of Plague, Inc. and similar games are definitely worth exploring.  For now, though, it’s finals, and if you’re as easily entertained as I am, the 99-cent price tag is worth the stress relief.  Consider yourself warned: Plague, Inc. is rather addicting.  Try to do at least a little homework before you download, okay?

Check it out on Google Play and at the Apple store.