There is a decent lecture on
post apocalyptic video games/worlds with some discussion of the primary literature they are based on (the Road, Metro) here:
This lecture was created by Dan Pinchbeck of The Chinese Room, who hasn't made any post-apocalyptic games; and if you don't like Dear Esther and other walking simulators, arguably hasn't made many games at all. However his analysis of isolation, negative space, and how rewards and pacing work in survival games are worth while. There is a boring part for more than 5 minutes after he finishes gushing about Day Z/beans that lasts until he reaches the next section.
Pinchbeck states one of the primary elements of post apocalyptic (video) games is the lone wanderer. He also suggests a game designer can get away with only building a limited economy because the complexity of the previous economy cannot be supported in the post-apocalyptic world.
While I was listening to this argument I was thinking that
Red Markets is a direct rejection of this tenant. Caleb makes it very clear that without constant movement of goods (by scavenging, repairing and creating) a post-apocalyptic small community
will die. Perhaps Pinchbeck would consider Red Markets an early post-post-apocalyptic world, because communities still exist and the DHQS is turning it's colonial attention to the west for expansion. Or Pinchbeck's focus on the lone videogame wanderer is the lens through which he views post apocalypse fiction. Or he's just wrong.
Anyway mostly interesting talk. Some useful points.
