The incredible world of "Fallout 4" is a creation of Bethesda Game Studios, a company that currently operates out of Maryland.
But the world that "Fallout 4" is based on is pulled squarely from an era that's long-passed: the post-World War II age of American exceptionalism, of Cold War worries, and the "miracle" of canned/frozen foods.
And yes, of nuclear "fallout" shelters.
It may not look familiar to you, but it probably looks pretty familiar to your parents.
In "Fallout 4," it's called the "Atomic Age."
In reality, it was the Cold War: an almost 50-year period of hostility between Western governments (primarily the US) and the Soviet Union, played out through competition in everything from systems of government to food distribution to armaments.
And yeah, both sides were building up massive nuclear arsenals in the process — which threatened to end human civilization as we know it on more than one occasion.
My parents were born during World War II, and I grew up with stories of "duck and cover" being taught in schools — that's the concept of "ducking and covering" under your desk when the nuclear bombs hit, for those of you who've luckily never heard about it. It wouldn't have saved many (any?) lives, but it was a normal part of human life for a huge part of the 20th century.
There's even a (terrifying) short film that's aimed at teaching kids the concept. It was produced by the United States government in 1951, and stars a turtle named Bert — check it out right here if you're looking to get freaked out by a constant refrain of "when the atomic bombs hit."
Watching this short film reminded me of the "S.P.E.C.I.A.L." videos that Bethesda Game Studios prepared for the launch of "Fallout 4." These guys:
Everything about the style, the stilted way of speaking, the "aw shucks" cartoon approach to teaching people about the nuclear apocalypse — it's all spot-on with propaganda of the Cold War era, especially the first 20 years (or so) directly following World War II's end in 1945.
But that's not the only similarity that Bethesda Game Studios pulled from the Cold War. A quick look through the National Archives reveals loads of old photographs that could be pulled directly from a "Fallout 4" photo album.
Like this: The caption on this photograph from the National Archives is too good not to share:
Fallout shelter built by Louis Severance adjacent to his home near Akron, Mich., includes a special ventilation and escape hatch, an entrance to his basement, tiny kitchen, running water, sanitary facilities, and a sleeping and living area for the family of four. The shelter cost about $1,000. It has a 10-inch reinforced concrete ceiling with thick earth cover and concrete walls. Severance says, 'Ever since I was convinced what damage H-Bombs can do, I've wanted to build the shelter. Just as with my chicken farm, when there's a need I build it.'
And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Everything from the style of canned food to the fonts used in "Fallout 4" is pulled straight from the post-WWII period of astronomic economic growth in the US (think 1945 - 1965, give or take).
This woman — dressed as what can only be described as "a dictionary definition of a 1950s American housewife" — taking inventory of her fallout shelter's supplies looks to be pulled directly from "Fallout 4's" in-game propaganda:
Does that food look familiar? It should, "Fallout 4" fans!
But most of all, it's animations and cartoons of the Cold War era that most heavily influence "Fallout 4."
How about this 1950s Coca-Cola advertisement juxtaposed with this "Fallout 4" Nuka Cola advertisement?
These artist renderings of fallout shelters are eerily reminiscent of the tattered posters seen scattered throughout The Commonweatlh, post-nuclear war:
And:
Looking for even more? The folks at Atlas Obscura put together a great piece back in October with even more excellent photos and graphics from the National Archives.
