From Fallout to Fury Road: The Post-Apocalyptic Narrative

Radiation sickness. Mutants. Drought. Cannibals. Starvation. Megalomaniacal opportunists. Barren vistas. Blind idealists.  Acid rain. Let’s not forget zombies. If the popularity of the post-apocalyptic setting suggests anything, it’s that we really like to spend time with these staples of its narrative landscape. This talk will use, primarily, the lens of the Mad Max films and the Fall Out Amazon series to explore the post-apocalyptic sub-genre of storytelling, and conclude with a focus on how video games can innovate on our experience of these stories through the use of player agency. Along the way, we’ll also try to figure out why the post-apocalypse is so darn compelling.

Presenter Biography: 

Jake Agatucci teaches writing, literature, film, and popular culture at Central Oregon Community College.