He was particularly drawn to the resilience of the characters as they not only survive but try to lead meaningful lives in the aftermath of disaster. Game-playing Global downloads for Plague Inc, a 2012 video game that encourages players to spread a disease around the world before a cure is found, increased by an annual 123% from January to March this year, as the spread of Covid-19 began to gather speed internationally. These tales are traditionally told from the viewpoints of inhabitants in ruined societies, which allows people to immerse themselves in the challenges faced by protagonists, says Daniel Davison-Vecchione, a social theorist currently studying for a PhD in sociology at the University of Cambridge.