Swine Flu: The Video Game

By Marcus Gilmer in Miscellaneous on Aug 17, 2009 2:20PM

Remember the great frenzy over Swine Flu H1N1 Influenza A? Well, it's going to start up again as we move into the school year and the colder fall and winter months, so we might as well have some fun with it, right? Enter The Great Flu, a game that "Dutch researchers" have created that challenges the users to fight a global pandemic. WBBM has more on the game.

[Game co-creator Albert] Osterhaus said the video game's approximation of combating a pandemic, choosing between various interventions yet still watching the outbreak spread, gives people a sense of how difficult it is to make decisions in the public health world.

The specific disease is never mentioned, but giving the timing and the images used in the game, it's pretty clear what disease they have in mind. While it seems like something akin to SimCity or Oregon Trail ("You have died of dysentery") we get the sneaking suspicion this whole thing is actually more akin to War Games or The Last Starfighter. We're not saying the government will come knocking on your door if you beat the game, but we're also saying don't be surprised if they do...