In this day and age, a growing assortment of movies, stories, TV shows, and even games are advocating what I like to call the 'apocalypse attribute'. Namely, the end of the world.
So why is this genre becoming so popular? It's not like it's new: the idea has been around since the book of Revelation in the Bible, documenting the endtimes. Why do people like it so much?
Even I like the genre...to an extent. I've already written one zombie story and another one's coming up. On a side note, I'm really surprised how gory I'm making this story....hm. Must come with zombies, I guess.
Anyway, as I was saying. The apocalypse genre has exploded in recent years with TV shows like 'The Walking Dead' and movies like 'World War Z', not to mention the games DayZ, WarZ, The Last of Us, etc. As for stories, well, they've been around for a while. Only recently has the media really gotten into the mess that is the zombie era.
The reason I believe this genre is so popular is because it makes a good story. No, really. Just think about it. You've got your typical disease that is turning everybody into zombies, and a small group of 'survivors' are left to try and keep their sanity...and lives.
Zombies are the perfect enemy, because they are very simple, yet terrifying. All they want is "braaaains", but watch out! If they bite you, you become one of the mindless, heartless, brainless creatures that they are. This makes for great tension. It also brings out characteristics that humans may not normally display: in the aspect of survival, even the most timid person can turn into a hard, selfish being. That brings in interesting depth to the struggle.
In the midst of this gory mess of trying to survive, tragic stories arise. People make sacrifices, or maybe they're just stingy and only look out for themselves. What will the main character do? How will it all end? Most of the zombie stories, while having the same plot (survival), are valuable for their interesting endings. What eventually happens? How do they carry on (or do they)?
I don't think the genre will be as popular as some others, but it is certainly an interesting one. And will continue to be, as long as variants can be produced.
Adieu, readers!
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