Cannibalism has come to DayZ Standalone
It's something that's been talked about for a long time, mentioned and then joked about in the same breath or put out there as viable in game mechanism. No matter what you've said about it or think about it cannibalism has come to DayZ Standalone. Personally I think it's something that the developers have snuck under the radar. Like some evasive stealth bomber this aspect to DayZ Standalone has been dumped on us out of the blue. It was pushed into the latest update 0.51 with little commentary until of course it went viral on Reddit. It would seem that the developers under estimated the reaction to this new in game mechanism. On the surface of it cannibalism seems to be something you would expect in a post apocalyptic world such as DayZ Standalone. But there are a few things I thought I would put here, on my blog, that for me make it too early to introduce it into DayZ Standalone's current state. Not to say it will not have a place as the game develops.
The first thing that occurred to me when I encountered this in game was that it was an easy mechanism to place into the arena. This is because it already exists with animals and so animations, resulting meet, and the required weapons are already available and working well in game. Secondly in a world so stricken you would probably expect some level of cannibalism, especially if there was a severe food shortage. But in DayZ Standalone currently there is no food shortage. This is because there are still berries on the bushes and apples on the trees, animals on the fields and in the hills, cans of baked beans to be found in houses and food to be robbed of other players. Cannibalism for me implies a severe food shortage. No matter how desperate the person is, it has been shown that it takes extreme circumstances or very sick mind to resort to cannibalism. I think most people would agree with me on this aspect and so does it have a place in the DayZ Standalone world? You could say yes and that at some point you may well result to it but currently there is no need. Even with a fall server stripped right down to the bone, no pun intended, you can still find food. There is a problem with this. Currently berries and apples do not give you much energy. These fruits need to be powered up. If you are starving and you eat two apples in reality it's going to make you survive whereas in DayZ Standalone they hardly affect you. This is of course the argument for cannibalism. It is a reality that you could eat your fellow human. Then why shouldn't you have the choice in game? It's not an option you would so willing allow or even consider. At the current stage for me it doesn't appear to need it. What this appears to be is something that they could implement and did period because the mechanisms currently exist within the game. Therefore the same old excuse is put forward: this is a developing game and that systems have to be in place for future progression. In other words this is a lazy implementation of something they have under estimated. What introducing cannibalism does to DayZ Standalone is change the stakes (now human stakes). Certain types of player will now willingly engage in combat so that they can get some meat to survive, when really the game should be about finding other means to gather food or grow it. So will it increase player versus player combat generally? It seems likely that the possible victim of this will be fresh spawn players that large groups, who are potentially short food, come across. The psychology in game then becomes warped by an option that we wouldn't ordinarily consider but one that is now very real.
It has been carefully documented that eating human flesh can cause a form of brain disease and this has been added in game. But ironically it currently takes the form of manic laughter, which strikes a mocking tone that almost seems to be pointing fun at the psychological elements that introducing cannibalism to DayZ Standalone has created. Is this irresponsible by the developers? I think with such a complex game, where fan base is massive and the interaction is intense, dropping this bombshell may well, good or bad, changed the game in a much more significant way then they could have ever anticipated.