Simulating An Ebola Outbreak With Video Game The Plague Inc

As news of Ebola outbreaks begins to percolate through the news media and popular TV shows run episodes themed by infectious diseases the gaming public has increasingly shown interest in Plague, Inc. a game about outbreaks.

Plague, Inc. is a mobile game where players simulate the outbreak of a deadly worldwide disease and attempt to kill all of humanity (although that’s not always possible, I’m looking at you Madagascar.) According to Ndemic Creations, the one-man studio run by developer James Vaughan, the game has seen a 50 percent boost to downloads during the past two weeks.

This has happened during a news cycle reporting that an estimated 5,000 people have been killed by an Ebola outbreak in Africa. The outbreak has sparked concerns about spread to the rest of the world as people travel to and from the infected regions. In many ways, the outbreak as seen in Africa reflects the gameplay of Plague, Inc.

“This is the first time something in the real world has had an effect on the sales charts, especially since Ebola came over to America,” Vaughan told Polygon. “People are curious about it and want to know more about infectious diseases. Plague Inc. can play a role because it’s an intelligent look at how infectious diseases can spread.”

As a game, Plague, Inc. is extremely simple. Players start with a set of potential infectious vectors called “plagues” to start as a template such as: bacteria, virus, fungus, parasite, prion, nano-virus, or bio-weapon. From there the player infects Patient Zero and as the plague spreads across the globe the player gets the chance to mutate the plague to change virulence, infectiousness, contagiousness, incubation, and other factors to aid its spread.

Vaughan developed the game in 2012 and released it for iOS and Android. He says that Plague, Inc. has received over 35 million downloads since its launch. He hopes that players of the game can use the game to better their understanding of how diseases spread.

Of course, players can name their in-game disease “Ebola,” but Vaughan himself has no plans to change the game to reflect the current epidemic. He feels that its original purpose–to provide entertainment and a simulation that shows how the world is interconnected–stands on its own and that doing so could trivialize the current outbreak.

Photo credit: Plague, Inc., Ndemic Creations.