Build-A-Biohazard: Plague Inc's Mod Tools

While I was off on my hols last week, video games found new ways to kill everyone in the world. Oh, video games! Plague Inc: Evolved are now making their own pandemics and epidemics as developers Ndemic Creations have released the scenario creator they used to make the game. More than simply making horrific diseases (though some are making horrific diseases), folks have whipped together plagues based on vampirism and lycanthropy, Triffids, a cyberpunk technobrain virus, and even political movements. Plague Inc is a game modelling how things spread within society, after all.

After a week in public release (and a few of closed testing), almost 800 new ends of the world are up on the Steam Workshop. You can try to wipe out everyone with Day of the Triffids, subjugate them as demons, or be generally monstrous with lycanthropy, vampirism, or spiders.

Or, in a techno-thriller sort of way, play with an aquatic infertility virus inspired by Japan's low birth rate and fondness for hot springs. Or hack the planet with hacktivism. Or try to take down The Man with anarchic revolution. That last one's a pretty interesting idea.

Plague Inc models society, albeit very crudely. New forces try to change things, society pushes back, and the force needs to adapt to overcome. There's space for some clever educate-o-politics there, presenting ideas in a familiar and fun format.

This being the Internet, you will of course also find mods based on cats, brony fandom, SCP stories and creepypasta tales.

The scenario editor's not quite done yet, given that Plague Inc's still in Early Access, so it doesn't have every plague type yet. We'll see some novel things after Ndemic release the tools for plagues based on things like zombies and brainworms, I hope.