When it comes to enemies in video games, two common adversaries are zombies and Nazis.
And it is understandable, as there is no moral responsibility associated with gunning through hordes of zombies or troops of Nazis. Few rivals have such a universal disgust and loathing to them.
In a medium that uses violence as a design mechanism, it is no wonder they appear in so many games. When it comes to zombies, their motives are simple — they want to eat you. There is no reasoning with them, no happy medium or compromise. And you would be hard put to find anyone willing to argue that Nazi weren”t evil.
Despite my love for games such as Left 4 Dead, Resident Evil and the like — I am ready for something new. In my two-and-a-half decades of gaming, I have killed a world of zombies and Nazis alike. But what can replace them?
Aliens and robots are viable options, although both have a clich? connotation to them. Demons have been done, and more often than not are associated with the likes of Doom or Diablo. Dinosaurs are also a viable alternative, but not all dinosaurs were threats.
Beyond the type enemies, a narrative would have to be written to explain why any of the alternatives I mentioned would be present.
With zombies, there is 50 years of pop-culture references that can be made with people immediately understanding. The same goes with Nazis, you don”t have to explain why they are present or why they are a threat that must be initially neutralized.
You just start shooting. There is no ethics to mull over, no moral conundrums to work through. Zombies want to eat you, Nazis want to kill you and everyone else — case closed, magazine loaded. Pull the trigger.
Granted, games like Wolfenstein: The New Order present an alternate history in which Germany won World War II, but the story is a backdrop to the core aspect of the game, which is defeating the Nazis.
Another option could be Vampires, but there are too many rules in the Vampire mythos to warrant their use as a enemy in the same vein. Likewise for werewolves.
However, out of those two, werewolves would fit better, as they are more instinctual.
A vampire is evil, but has just succumbed to the disease that made them so. More often than not, vampires are used as an insight into living as a necessary evil, as an antihero. Dracula only wanted love, but by being a creature that drinks blood and murders people for his own survival, was pitted as a bad guy.
The last option I can think of to replace zombies or Nazis is mummies. But, honestly, that just sounds stupid. And honestly, a mummy is nothing more than a zombie.
Although nothing other than zombies is probably going to make much headway in the near future, because, as the adage goes: “If it isn”t broke, don”t fix it.” And game publishers have been raking in millions upon millions of dollars using the undead and Nazis as antagonists.
Contact J. W. Burch, IV at 900-2022.
