Fighting for your life. Every next day.
This War of Mine is a depressing game of survival where you control the characters of civilians who are affected by war and help them make ends meet. Life doesn’t feel so good when the fact that you might not live to see another day hangs over you like a razor sharp sword, every time you leave the shelter to scavenge for supplies.
We’ll take a look at some interesting facts about this game, some of which played a major role in making this game such a huge hit.
1. Soul-warming Story Elements
This War of Mine’s storyline is that of a group of survivors who try desperately to survive in a war torn country. But the events that happen within the story are seemingly random. Two kids might come knocking pleading for medicine to heal their sick mother, or a neighbor who asks for assistance to board up their shelter.
There are many events like this, but they are shuffled together to form a collage of heartwarming moments. More elaborate incidents occur when you send one of the characters out to scavenge for supplies. For example, you might overhear a gang of thugs planning their next raid or witness a sick mercenary who tries to abuse and molest a young girl where you can either play the hero and chase him away if you’re armed or just stand there hopelessly watching her desperate attempts to escape. Choosing the latter will leave your character depressed and sad.
2. Production Costs Earned Back in Two Days
This simple fact is a testament to how big of a success this game is. Obviously, this game has gone viral within the gaming community mostly by word of mouth and recommendations from fellow friends, as 11 bit studios hadn’t relied much on marketing and ads to promote this game. Basic human psychology says that people are more likely to trust a personal review from a friend than an advertisement that they saw somewhere.
3. Game Completion
Not many players had the privilege of playing till the game’s end to witness the official ceasefire. Reportedly, less than eleven percent of the game’s players lasted until the end of the war. This is one tough game where you’ll have to scratch and claw your way till the end. As a matter of fact, it took me over five attempts before I saw the war’s end on day 30. The duration of the war is randomized, so the end day may vary.
4. Dissecting the Bowels of War
The developers had done a great deal of research before they actually implemented the game mechanics. The wars they have studied include the ones that took place in Kosovo in the late 1990s to more recent ones in Sarajevo, Libya and Syria.
Concepts such as snipers who actively hunt down civilians in the daytime were derived from these wars, and the ability to trade alcohol for weapons from nearby military outposts. Some of the developers have lived through the atrocities of war with first hand experiences themselves, so they sure did know what they were building.
5. Emir Cerimovic, lived through war at the age of 9
Of the many people that the game’s developers have interviewed, one of them is Emir Cerimovic who lived through war at a very young age witnessing unspeakable horrors until his family fled the country when he was 9. Nevertheless, it has left him scarred and he says that he had been thinking about all the things he saw ever since.
The developers have interviewed him and Emir has contributed a lot in helping the team get an idea of how it feels to have a war raging outside one’s doorstep.
6. Game Bought by Players from over 92 Countries
The game was bought by players from 92 countries including Jamaica and Zimbabwe. This fact is rather intriguing since most of the gaming done in Zimbabwe is on consoles and preferences are pretty low for PC games. Thus this makes this game truly an international spectacle, captivating players from around the world, enticing them over the darker side of war on a grimmer note.
7. 16 Hours of Continuous Gameplay
Reportedly, on average a single play session lasts around 82 minutes, but the longest session is said to have lasted 15 hours and 58 minutes of continuous gameplay! Imagine that! Reasonable playtime sessions can last 8 hours, because I’ve been there, and done that. But 16 hours is sheer ridiculousness, especially when you have to live through 16 hours of thoroughly depressing hell.
Whoever that gamer is, hey fella! You’ve earned my respect. Salutes!
Gaming is not all about having fun.
When the dev team were interviewed and asked whether they were concerned about their players having fun and enjoying the game. The interviewer received a straight out No, with the team further explaining that gaming is not just about having fun but it’s about the experience. And this game is a living breathing testimony to their words.
