Zombies Aren't That Bad After All

Until a few days ago, the idea of getting attacked by an undead person was horrifying enough for me to steer clear of all zombie-related content. As fate would have it—as it often does—I somehow found myself smack in the middle of the perfect zombie apocalypse video game: The Walking Dead by Telltale Games. And then three hours happened. And then six more. And then I lost track of life as I knew it. 

I’m here now to tell you why I think I got sucked into this game the way I did. 

First things first, I was tired of watching happy stories. That’s what people are supposed to do, right? Escape into worlds where everything is fine, charming even, where goofy characters travel to worlds unknown and have an adventure. Supposedly, yes. 

Any show on Netflix with characters wearing cute clothes going to sunny, tropical places only depressed me. It all seemed like a dream I couldn’t have; far away from my current state of being. But a survival game crawling with undead walkers vying for my flesh? Ah, now that somehow felt less removed from reality. 

What I quickly realised while playing the game was that it isn’t about zombies at all. It’s about forming and maintaining human connections in the face of death, depression and destruction. It’s about making tough choices when you’re in a world where survival matters the most. It’s about hope, humanity and love. And given what the world looks like for us right now, I resonated with it. Hard. 

Crazily, it somehow made sense. Turn down the violence and replace zombies with an invisible virus, and I think it’s fair to admit we’re living lives where our “survival mode” is always turned on. We’re watching our back. Tempers are high. We’re hyper aware and trying to protect ourselves and our families, just like the characters in the game. The only difference is that in the game of reality, you can’t turn off your console and walk away from the horror. 

Apart from the fact that The Walking Dead has won a tonne of awards and is a testament to story-based great interactive games, what stood out to me was my own state of mind. Maybe I wouldn’t have played it if I weren’t so anxious all the time. The characters in the game let me face my own mortal fears and reminded me of who I really am as a person. 

In some ways, the tone of the game soothed me because I felt I could relate with all the grief and sorrow. And in other ways, it reminded me that there’s still a lot we must hold onto because if there were, in fact, flesh-eating, human-sized viruses lurking around outside, things could have been much worse. And that’s a little perspective that always comes in handy.  

At the end of it, the only thought I’d like to leave you with is this: indulge in whatever seems to comfort you right now. Serial killer documentaries? Sure. Endless episodes of True Crime? Of course. Horror stories and gore? Go for it. It doesn’t make you a sad sack emo person. Don’t fall into this trap of staying away from dark content and watching only what’s meant to be uplifting. Embrace your sensitivity. 

Human psychology is more complicated than “staying positive” and hiding away from the darkness of the world. It disallows us to understand important emotions. So let go of possible aspersions and implications and allow yourselves to feel scared, vulnerable or hurt. Let feelings of fear, grief and sorrow wash over you. Acknowledge the feelings you try to push down, and maybe someday, it’ll help you help someone else. You’ll be surprised by how the dark can also help bring in the light.