The coronavirus has influenced the gaming industry and the world at large in a variety of ways, such as self-quarantines and cancellation of many events and services. Now, players inFallout 76have been mimicking some of the real-world panic in-game.
The virus has left many people in a state of intense worry, even leading some of them to partake in ‘panic buying’ mass supplies of goods like paper towels or toilet paper. Players inFallout 76have been seen doing something similar yet slightly different: buying single rolls of toilet paper in-game for absurd amounts of bottle caps.
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The coronavirus has affected nearly every aspect of modern society, including the video game industry. For example, many video game and console development cycles have been halted or interrupted as a result, and major conferences likeE3 2020 were canceledoutright because of the virus. More than that, it’s affected many people’s daily lives across the globe through self-quarantine and business closures.
Thankfully for those people who are video game fans,March has some big video game releasesto hold players over until the world regains some sense of normalcy. Additionally, many online communities surrounding MMOs are still up and running while players deal with the stress of this virus. However, one Reddit user going by HistoricPicDog started a thread on theFallout 76News forum asking why some players are buying in-game toilet paper for high amounts of bottle caps.
It seems like some players are having a bit of fun at the expense of those people in the real world panic buying goods at an alarming rate. Stores all around the US have reported shortages in essential products like toilet paper as a result of the virus. As some readers know,Fallout 76allows players to sell certain items to other players, as the gamepreviously lacked official NPCsto buy and sell from. Apparently, players have been putting toilet paper items up for sale and players are actually purchasing them.
It’s an amusing little tidbit from within the game’s community that mostly seems like a harmless joke. While panic buying in actual crisis situations is no laughing matter and can leave plenty of people without basic necessities, the toilet paper inFallout 76is fairly useless.Fallout 76’s community is a far cry from what it was at the game’s launch, especially after the most recent Wastelanders update. Unfortunately, the dialogue in theupdate might have broken Bethesda’s budgetaccording to the company’s vice president.
Fallout 76is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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