Survival Horror? In This Economy?

Resident Evil is a video game series developed by Capcom that people like. Personally speaking, I like it a lot. My introduction to the series was the GameCube version (best version) of RE4 when I was 6 years old. I would watch my cousin play with the Chicago typewriter, the hand cannon, and the infinite launcher. I remember he would let me play when he got bored and wanted to play Counter-Strike (Source). I was so bad at the game that I would waste all the healing supplies he hoarded across his many playthroughs. When I say I was bad, I mean I was really bad at the game. Every time I took a hit I would use a healing item, even if my health was still in “green”. I was scared and wanted to make sure I had as much health as possible. I remember I would mute the TV when I would get to the sewers in chapter 3 because the music was too scary (I did this until I was 12). It was safe to say I was terrible at managing resources. Had I not had all of the new game plus weapons, I would have been boned. I got my copy of the game when I was 10 at GameStop for 10 bucks, gamecube games cost a fortune now. Crazy times we live in. Anyway, as I kept playing I began to understand one of the game’s secondary mechanics, resource management. Resource management is a big reason why I think I enjoy survival horror so much. I’d argue it made me into a more responsible adult who can manage the horrors of real life.

In RE4 specifically, there are several “markets” so to speak. Your ammo, your health, and your money. Each is interconnected and forms the overall economy of the game if you want to have a good time you want to effectively manage all 3. Easier said than done on your first playthrough. Your first playthrough of the game will arguably be the hardest, and the best. You don’t know what to expect or what is coming next, so you either a.) be too conservative with your resources or b.) blow through them all because you are desperately trying to not die. To me, this is like managing your money as a young adult/teen. You will either a.) save every penny for unforeseen financial horror or b.) spend a huge chunk as soon as you get paid because you need little treats or else you will convulse and writhe and foam at the mouth. As a kid and young adult, I was type b financially speaking and in RE4. Over the years managing my resources in RE4 became second nature. It was as intuitive as landing a headshot and going for a kick. I would strategically manage my health, saving yellow and red herbs to increase my max health when I had a spare green, cycled through my weapons often to manage my ammo, and strategically sold treasures making sure to complete treasure items such as the masks or the crown before selling to maximize my income. Earlier I described ammo, health, and money as “markets.” This is because each has inputs and outputs (this is an oversimplification of markets, but just go with it). Ammo comes in, you have to spend it wisely to defeat enemies and bosses. Health comes in, you have to spend it wisely to heal and increase your maximum health. Pesatas (money) come in and you have to spend it wisely on upgrades, guns, first aid, etc. In fact, one of the most interesting decisions in the game is “Is it worth it to buy the rocket launcher for 30k to instantly kill this boss?” Some bosses drop a ton of money and the cost can be recovered. Others may not drop as much money, but using the rocket launcher saves ammo and arguably healing items. If you kill the boss in 5 seconds the likelihood of taking damage is decreased. Some of the bosses are ammo dumps and it is better to spend your money than to lose all of your ammo. Most people who have been playing the game already understand the brilliance of a system like this. There are tons of video essays out there discussing what makes survival horror good or why these mechanics are the true essence of survival horror, etc, sorry if this was a rehash of those concepts. It is these elements that taught me of the importance being careful with my spending as an adult. I shit you not.

As an adult, I am very careful of my spending. When you are young it’s easy to be type b. As time goes on you begin to understand that life will fuck your shit and that financial ruin is always right around the corner. It sure doesn’t help that so much of the American economy is dependent on keeping poor, working people in debt, therefor paying working people as little as possible for labor is necessary (under capitalism). If it is less likely you can afford a 400-dollar emergency, the higher the chance you will take a loan or get into medical debt, whatever. Forgive me for reminding you of the horrors, but remember, it is not your fault. You are a victim of this system. In the same vein, you are the victim of all of the horrors that try to murder you in RE games, except the difference is that you choose to play RE games and if you aren’t having fun then you can quit. Isn’t it crazy how to escape the stress and horrors of life, we will play stressful ass video games like RE4? Perhaps it’s because even though games like RE4 put players in stressful situations, the player has control. The player has the ability to influence the outcome with substantially more ease than that of real life. With that in mind, I would like to introduce the secret fourth “market” in RE4. Stress.

RE games put the player in stressful situations. The player must make choices on how they will manage their resources to weather those stressful situations. Feeling stressed is natural. It is important to understand stress and how to manage it. Some are better at it than others and it usually goes with how well an individual also manages anxiety. Anxiety in itself can also vary greatly from person to person. It sounds silly, but playing survival horror games introduced me to stress in a “healthy” way. Today, with the amount of media at our fingertips it is easier than ever to engage in escapism. Escapism is not something that is inherently bad, if not kept in check people will sometimes revert to “escapism” activities by default avoid responsibilities, and choose comfort over important tasks that cause minor inconveniences. It seems that each generation struggles more and more with becoming adults because they are ill-prepared for the increasing requirements of the modern world. In my personal opinion that is not entirely the fault of the average person. We live in a system that wants to keep you on your phone at all times and rot your brain. It makes money. We are victims of the horrors of life much as we are the victims of the horrors in RE games. Perhaps, I am reading far too much into everything. It is just a silly game after all, but making tough decisions in a silly survival horror game and managing and overcoming stressful situations in said video game taught me a lot. Overcoming challenges and managing stress feels good and rewarding. Now some things are simply out of our control and you can’t just magically manifest a stress-free environment or manage your way through it. You can’t just “get over it lol.” What I can assure you though, is that with careful consideration of yourself, you can at the very least, endure the horrors of real life.

I know these games are works of fiction, but I always find myself wondering what I would do in the situations these fictional characters find themselves. Probably die. Who knows though, maybe I won’t. I survive the horrors of everyday living. Maybe I wouldn’t die. I know that characters in survival horror games aren’t real, but they still have the characteristics of humans. They can still demonstrate the indomitable human spirit and the player can feel that when they take control and make choices in the game. I’d argue that as long as you choose to continue playing, you give these silly little characters their indomitable spirit because you control the character. Crazy right? Sometimes life feels like Sisyphus pushing that damn boulder, especially when it’s time to fold the laundry or do the dishes, but you endure those damn dishes and laundry. If you can wake up each day, then you are already enduring the horrors of real life. If you can endure the horrors of real life, you can beat Resident Evil 4 and survive the next global economic crisis.