There’s something alluring about abandoned and run down places. Urban exploring, post apocalyptic games, and archaeology all have this strange “cool factor” to them.
People love seeing what came before them if they’re curious. While some may not care what happened before, others thrive on it. They learn about things that have been lost to the past and find that some practices and tools work better than what we have today. They also find that, at least for that time, what they used was the cutting edge of technology and it reigned supreme for centuries.
Others who think that old methods are just rooted in superstition and malpractice really don’t look at the practices. Just because it doesn’t matter to you doesn’t mean it has no significance to someone else.
There are number of games where you can crawl through abandoned structures as alien and interesting as the ancient temples of Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome. The feeling of being where others have been and learning their secrets is always an experience. Who used to be here? Why have they gone? What can aid me in my journey?
In games like Stalker and Metro there’s no shortage of broken buildings of the industrial age. Rust everywhere, strange creatures and hidden foes, and even the hazards of the environment itself make our adventures even more worthwhile.
It’s a very fulfilling feeling to survive where others used to be, whether decades ago or minutes ago. It fills our need to explore, more importantly it also helps us progress in the game we’re playing.
Real life can be the same way. If we realize someone has done it before, we can definitely succeed as well. We could even surpass them if we learn from their mistakes.
Exploring what others have done saves us time by us not having to expend effort in doing what has been done before. The effort it takes to find something out is much less than re-doing an entire process and it saves on resources as well. You don’t have to waste limited resources to find out what happens if someone has already done the experiment fully.
So learn from old places and ways and see what you can use to save time and effort.
Think about it, and tour the Apocalypse.
Sincerely,
The Irreverent Gentleman
gentlemansuniversityofmanliness 