Fallout Style Series by Other Countries?

[Delta Force]

The Fallout Series is heavily influenced by American Cold War era popular cultural, technological, and military developments. What would comparable series be like if developed by (as opposed to set in) other countries, such as the United Kingdom or somewhere in Eastern Europe?

 

[matashowski]

Well, I hate to be that dude, but ive actually had a similar topic on my mind for the last few days from this article. I don't think Fallout could be developed by another country, without said country being in America's place in the world. I've wondered how uniquely American the destruction-and-rebirth fantasy is. I think Fallout is a way of us asking ourselves "what if all that we have done comes to the logical, if not inevitable, conclusion?". We are fantasizing about a monster of our own creation, the atomic bomb. Other countries, ones who have actually suffered destruction, probably have no desire to revisit it in a fantasy realm. Its like how in America, radiation produces super heroes, because in a way it is what propelled us to "greatness". In Japan, radiation creates Godzilla, which brings only destruction. It is a reflection of their lived experience. Its the same way I imagine that 1984 was way less likely to be written in another country. George Orwell, who himself was an agent of colonialism, was part of a culture that had spent years coming to term with the idea that they might be occupied, enslaved to one degree or another, by outsiders, just as they had done to so much of the world. In 1984, Britain is as it was a millennia ago, just an outpost of a much larger empire. I think the tyranny of that book is, in some ways, British culture exploring "what if the worst happened? What if, what we have done, comes back to haunt us?"

So with that in mind, Fallout probably wouldn't come from another country, because no other country carries the guilt of creating mankind's most purely evil invention.

 

[Marisa Kiridifferent]

Metro 2033,and arguably S.T.A.L.K.E.R.(although it's less on the "apocalypse" side,but the Zone might engulf the whole world) might qualify.

 

[Drunkrobot]

The counterpart to America's 1950s, in terms of impact to the cultural psyche, wouldn't be the actual 1950s in other countries. The American '50s, at least that remembered by straight white men (obviously it was objectively worse for women, people of colour and LGBT people compared to today) is generally regarded as the most 'Good Old Days' decade of living memory. Billy and Jilly lived in their stylish new home in the suburbs, Mom's job in the kitchen was practically a hobby compared to that of her own mother, thanks to the latest in home conveniences, and all paid for by Pop's stable, good job at the Ford plant which he got thanks to his education earned with the GI Bill. America as a whole, while scared somewhat by those filthy commies, was secure in the notion that they were #1 in everything, GDP, wages, exports, literacy, all protected by the most professional and well-equipped military on Earth. No other country has had an era of feeling this 'on-top' in living memory.

I'm not sure about other cultures, but I think Britain's counterpart would in fact be in the Victorian age, the era of "The Workshop of the World". While the increases in living standards would not be quite as apparent (we had to wait a bit until the later Victorian for public health and labour laws), the fact that it is now a historic period with nobody then being alive now allows this to be brushed over with nostalgic portrayals in the form of Fallout. I'm not sure how widespread the genre of "Victorian Dystopia" is, and what kind of dystopia the Victorians would be terrified of. Perhaps invasion, likely by aliens ala War of the Worlds. A game set where the war with the Martians carried on for a bit longer, caused much more damage and overall forced a breakdown of worldwide civilisation and societal order, only to then die from disease and leave the shattered remains of humanity behind, would be rather interesting. I have a feeling that the same would apply to the continental Europan countries as well, but maybe instead of would-be colonising aliens, it is a world war that spirals out of control (even more so than the Great War) and basically leaves Europe a hellish landscape with almost no public order.

So, yeah, I think the counterpart to Fallout would generally be: what was the time of 'We are indisputably the best.' for that country, and what was the existential threat at the time?

 

[Delta Force]

The counterpart to America's 1950s, in terms of impact to the cultural psyche, wouldn't be the actual 1950s in other countries. The American '50s, at least that remembered by straight white men (obviously it was objectively worse for women, people of colour and LGBT people compared to today) is generally regarded as the most 'Good Old Days' decade of living memory. Billy and Jilly lived in their stylish new home in the suburbs, Mom's job in the kitchen was practically a hobby compared to that of her own mother, thanks to the latest in home conveniences, and all paid for by Pop's stable, good job at the Ford plant which he got thanks to his education earned with the GI Bill. America as a whole, while scared somewhat by those filthy commies, was secure in the notion that they were #1 in everything, GDP, wages, exports, literacy, all protected by the most professional and well-equipped military on Earth. No other country has had an era of feeling this 'on-top' in living memory.

I'm not sure about other cultures, but I think Britain's counterpart would in fact be in the Victorian age, the era of "The Workshop of the World". While the increases in living standards would not be quite as apparent (we had to wait a bit until the later Victorian for public health and labour laws), the fact that it is now a historic period with nobody then being alive now allows this to be brushed over with nostalgic portrayals in the form of Fallout. I'm not sure how widespread the genre of "Victorian Dystopia" is, and what kind of dystopia the Victorians would be terrified of. Perhaps invasion, likely by aliens ala War of the Worlds. A game set where the war with the Martians carried on for a bit longer, caused much more damage and overall forced a breakdown of worldwide civilisation and societal order, only to then die from disease and leave the shattered remains of humanity behind, would be rather interesting. I have a feeling that the same would apply to the continental Europan countries as well, but maybe instead of would-be colonising aliens, it is a world war that spirals out of control (even more so than the Great War) and basically leaves Europe a hellish landscape with almost no public order.

So, yeah, I think the counterpart to Fallout would generally be: what was the time of 'We are indisputably the best.' for that country, and what was the existential threat at the time?

That's along the lines I was thinking.

 

[Coalition]

I'm thinking a Fallout set in Australia, but all the wildlife is peaceful, non-toxic/poisonous. You could wander for days before even seeing a single critter that might pose a threat.

Instead of critters that poison you, you have critters that secrete healing sweat. There is no danger from eating raw meat of any creature, and you still get all your vitamins and minerals from eating anything. If you overheat, a creature with feathers will fly over you to provide shade. another creature will gently nurse you back to life.

You are stuck like this. You cannot starve, you cannot stay hurt, and you never die. You are in this peaceful limbo that never ends.

 

[omnimercurial]

Metro and STALKER meet the Apocalyptic Criteria for the USSR fine but not the Aforementioned "Nostalgic Golden Age".

The 1920's Post Revolutionary Avante Garde and Utopian thinking were One of the Soviet Unions Golden Ages.....

The 1970's were the other.....

Maybe a Mix of the Two Eras Aesthetics and Outlooks etc?

 

[Neoteros]

Metro and STALKER meet the Apocalyptic Criteria for the USSR fine but not the Aforementioned "Nostalgic Golden Age".

There is no era in post-unification Italy that is nostalgically regarded as a golden age, either. Any post-apocalyptic video game set in Italy would resemble Bioshock much more than Fallout, in my opinion: a Bioshock game set in a Fascist version of Rapture on the brink of collapse, and all the factions fighting over its spoils are either authoritarian or corrupt, when they aren't both at once of course.

 

[Awilla the Hun]

The counterpart to America's 1950s, in terms of impact to the cultural psyche, wouldn't be the actual 1950s in other countries. The American '50s, at least that remembered by straight white men (obviously it was objectively worse for women, people of colour and LGBT people compared to today) is generally regarded as the most 'Good Old Days' decade of living memory. Billy and Jilly lived in their stylish new home in the suburbs, Mom's job in the kitchen was practically a hobby compared to that of her own mother, thanks to the latest in home conveniences, and all paid for by Pop's stable, good job at the Ford plant which he got thanks to his education earned with the GI Bill. America as a whole, while scared somewhat by those filthy commies, was secure in the notion that they were #1 in everything, GDP, wages, exports, literacy, all protected by the most professional and well-equipped military on Earth. No other country has had an era of feeling this 'on-top' in living memory.

I'm not sure about other cultures, but I think Britain's counterpart would in fact be in the Victorian age, the era of "The Workshop of the World". While the increases in living standards would not be quite as apparent (we had to wait a bit until the later Victorian for public health and labour laws), the fact that it is now a historic period with nobody then being alive now allows this to be brushed over with nostalgic portrayals in the form of Fallout. I'm not sure how widespread the genre of "Victorian Dystopia" is, and what kind of dystopia the Victorians would be terrified of. Perhaps invasion, likely by aliens ala War of the Worlds. A game set where the war with the Martians carried on for a bit longer, caused much more damage and overall forced a breakdown of worldwide civilisation and societal order, only to then die from disease and leave the shattered remains of humanity behind, would be rather interesting. I have a feeling that the same would apply to the continental Europan countries as well, but maybe instead of would-be colonising aliens, it is a world war that spirals out of control (even more so than the Great War) and basically leaves Europe a hellish landscape with almost no public order.

So, yeah, I think the counterpart to Fallout would generally be: what was the time of 'We are indisputably the best.' for that country, and what was the existential threat at the time?

I'd argue that a British fallout would either be faux Edwardian (perceived as not as 'Dickensian' as the Victorian age, generally seen as the sun-drenched 'last gasp' of civilization before the lights went out in WWI; it even includes an arms race and invasion scares), or Agatha Christie time. (Tea at the vicarage, developing motorisation, new advances in science, and there will, absolutely definitely, never be a major war again, ever.) Victorian tends to be a bit too snarled up with Dickensian poverty in the popular image.

 

[Delta Force]

What about France and Japan?

 

[Gunnarnz]

For Japan you're probably looking at sometime in the Showa era, maybe the 1920s or early 30s. There was a feeling that Japan was rising as a world power, that they were going to take their rightful place in the world, and people seemed to be genuinely proud of what their country had achieved. Note that this is a time in which Japanese society was heavily influenced by British ideas, and we can still see legacies of that today (ever wonder where the sailor suits that Japanese students wear come from?).

Alternatively it might be the 1980s before the bubble economy burst. There was a lot of money sloshing about then, with Japanese industry going from strength to strength, the latest gadgets at home being hailed as marvels of modern ingenuity, and a feeling of security about one's place in society. Once again there are a lot of legacies of that time left in Japan too - how employees and employers should relate, what home life should be like, to say nothing of all the infrastructure projects of the era.

The 50 years between those times..? No. By no means was that a golden age for Japan, and there isn't much nostalgia for them as far as I could see. The other thing to keep in mind is Japan's national feeling about nuclear weapons and power. I think any equivalent of Fallout that came from Japan would have a very different tone to that of the USA. In fact, there's probably an anime about it already...

 

[SlyDessertFox]

The counterpart to America's 1950s, in terms of impact to the cultural psyche, wouldn't be the actual 1950s in other countries. The American '50s, at least that remembered by straight white men (obviously it was objectively worse for women, people of colour and LGBT people compared to today) is generally regarded as the most 'Good Old Days' decade of living memory. Billy and Jilly lived in their stylish new home in the suburbs, Mom's job in the kitchen was practically a hobby compared to that of her own mother, thanks to the latest in home conveniences, and all paid for by Pop's stable, good job at the Ford plant which he got thanks to his education earned with the GI Bill. America as a whole, while scared somewhat by those filthy commies, was secure in the notion that they were #1 in everything, GDP, wages, exports, literacy, all protected by the most professional and well-equipped military on Earth. No other country has had an era of feeling this 'on-top' in living memory.

I'm not sure about other cultures, but I think Britain's counterpart would in fact be in the Victorian age, the era of "The Workshop of the World". While the increases in living standards would not be quite as apparent (we had to wait a bit until the later Victorian for public health and labour laws), the fact that it is now a historic period with nobody then being alive now allows this to be brushed over with nostalgic portrayals in the form of Fallout. I'm not sure how widespread the genre of "Victorian Dystopia" is, and what kind of dystopia the Victorians would be terrified of. Perhaps invasion, likely by aliens ala War of the Worlds. A game set where the war with the Martians carried on for a bit longer, caused much more damage and overall forced a breakdown of worldwide civilisation and societal order, only to then die from disease and leave the shattered remains of humanity behind, would be rather interesting. I have a feeling that the same would apply to the continental Europan countries as well, but maybe instead of would-be colonising aliens, it is a world war that spirals out of control (even more so than the Great War) and basically leaves Europe a hellish landscape with almost no public order.

So, yeah, I think the counterpart to Fallout would generally be: what was the time of 'We are indisputably the best.' for that country, and what was the existential threat at the time?

A post-apocalyptic steampunk world maybe?

 

[Drunkrobot]

The other thing to keep in mind is Japan's national feeling about nuclear weapons and power. I think any equivalent of Fallout that came from Japan would have a very different tone to that of the USA. In fact, there's probably an anime about it already...

That is a very good point. Nuclear power, both as a tool and a weapon, forms a very big part of the lore of Fallout (it's called Fallout, for one thing), so cultural attitudes to nuclear power, even if only nostalgic projections of past beliefs of nuclear power (I don't think many Americans are quite so gung-ho as to put reactors into their cars) is very important. The country where nuclear power feeds Superman is going to treat it differently to where nuclear power feeds Godzilla.

A post-apocalyptic steampunk world maybe?

Given that Fallout is a post-apocalyptic atompunk world, this is a safe bet.

 

[Alexander the Average]

I actually think that a British Fallout would probably have a more post-war 60-80s vibe, given that those periods are much more relevant to modern day Britons than the Victorian/Edwardian era. If anything that time period that had the greater anxiety about imminent destruction, given both the Cold War and the decline of the Empire.

Remember one of the key differences between British and American pop-culture during this period is that each was deeply influenced by very different geopolitical climates. The US was entering onto the World Stage as a major power, and it seemed as though the next big conflict would break out between them and the USSR. In contrast, the British Empire was on its last legs, and Britain was resigning itself to taking a back seat. American fiction, and science-fiction in particular, tended to be optimistic and forward looking, whilst British sci-fi tended to be darker and more cynical. Another difference would be America's pioneer culture and the influence it had on Fallout. Fallout has a lot of cowboy imagery and tropes, as well as the element of trying to survive and thrive in the uncivilised wilderness. British fiction doesn't really have that element, and in any case it doesn't really fit with British geography.

Another thing that I would expect to influence a British Fallout would be the tradition of the cosy catastrophe in British apocalyptic fiction. As such, in between the decay and ruins there would be almost absurd elements of normalcy.

Finally, I would expect a British Fallout to be even campier and more tongue in cheek and twee than OTL Fallout.

So here's what I imagine what a British-made Fallout would look like.

The West Country and South Wales are under the control of a warlord who styles themselves as King Arthur and who is advised by a mysterious figure claiming to be Merlin. It's later revealed that Merlin is an AI who thinks that humans cannot be trusted to govern themselves and is seeking to impose feudal order for the greater good. Arthur and his henchmen are either in on the plan or are robots or something.

In North Wales the people are fighting a guerilla war against Arthur, possibly using the old mines as vaults. Anglesea/Ynys Mons is controlled by neo-pagan Celtic revivalists, trying to bring back the Old Gods through human sacrifice and led by an Alistair Crowley type.

The centre of London is now a vast lake after being nuked, but the outskirts survived. The West fell under the control of a charismatic Thespian (voiced by either Judy Dench or Patrick Stewart) who has gone Richard III. The East fell under the control of an alliance of criminal gangs and remnants of the police force.

Briton is controlled by a gang of viscous Mods led by an Alex DeLarge expy.

Essex and Northern Kent are under the control of National Front types.

Sussex, Surrey, and Southern Kent are under the control of French/EU peacekeepers trying to establish order. Their leader (who is short and has an outrageous accent) is trying to find any excuse to try and conquer the British Isles.

Manchester managed to survive the apocalypse largely unscathed and with much of its technology intact. As such they are currently trying to restart the industrial revolution. It's the most Dickensian feeling place, with just a hint of Terry Gilliams's Brazil thrown in for good measure. Surrounded on all sides by warlords, and facing internal strife, there's a strong sense that they are the last beacon of civilisation about to be snuffed out.

Leeds is a workers republic under the command of totally not Arthur Scargill.

Liverpool is a wretched hive of scum and villainy. Also in this version it's become a hotspot for pirates who control the city. Among the pirate factions within, one of them is led by an eccentric who styles himself as the King of the Pirates and used to be based on Cornwall until Arthur took over, and another one has access to a submarine and dreams of launching an invasion of America.

York and the surrounding areas are under the control of a self-proclaimed King of the North, who has a Viking aesthetic and is voiced by Brian Blessed.

The Isle of Man has an Island of Dr. Moreau deal, inhabited by intelligent mutant animals, with the Moreau expy voiced by David Attenborogh. I could also see expys of various animals from British pop-culture, such as Aslan, Dangermouse, Bagpuss, Wind in the Willows, and Basil Brush/Fantastic Mr. Fox.

In Northern Ireland the troubles have been jacked up to eleven, with protestant and catholic warlords tearing into each other.

Scotland is divided between forces loyal to the British Monarchy based in Balmoral, and Scottish Nationalists.

Other ideas:

Ruthless biker gang led by the Chuckle Brothers.

Cannibal Delia Smith.

Murder Mystery side-quest in a hotel whose manager is voiced by John Cleese, combining Agatha Christie with Fawlty Towers.

Rothamstead Research Centre is overrun by Triffids.

 

[RyanF]

snip

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Even if it weren't a video game I'd want to check this out in any medium!

 

[MusuMankata]

There is no era in post-unification Italy that is nostalgically regarded as a golden age, either. Any post-apocalyptic video game set in Italy would resemble Bioshock much more than Fallout, in my opinion: a Bioshock game set in a Fascist version of Rapture on the brink of collapse, and all the factions fighting over its spoils are either authoritarian or corrupt, when they aren't both at once of course.

Maybe I still have a distorted prospect, but I have always thought that the sixties were Italy's "golden age" post-unification. If anything else because, as somebody put it, we felt like "Europe's Factory" and a key piece to be toyed around in the Cold War.

Sure, the last bit came to bit us hard in the ass and brought and end to the latter.

...

Well, that, and inefficient administration and the following years' instability.

Anyways, I think that a Fallout equivalent would have a setting where a major war lost by Italy resulted in a government that has conquered Europe, tried to cleanse Romance languages/culture, broke up communities by cancelling entire cities and resettling new ones around... then quickly disappeared, leaving the new communities to fend off for themselves.

 

[Johannes Parisiensis]

For France, the equivalent of the Fifties there might be the Sixties, and specifically the period between 1962 and 1968: economical expansion (les trente glorieuses), peace, less political unstability and the European construction.

Moreover the technocratic training of the management staff (Polytechnique, Centrale) might fit in the theme.

 

[Alexander the Average]

Where can I subscribe to your newsletter?

Even if it weren't a video game I'd want to check this out in any medium!

Aww thanks. At one point I did want to be a video game designer, so maybe one day it could happen.