Considering how much the general population likes to hate cliché’s, the census still would like to see the world burn. And that’s exactly what wastelands and ruined cities allow us to play out. To live vicariously in these dangerous environments, just so we can lean over to our friends afterwards and ask, “what are the odds you even last a week?”. Our brain automatically puts us in the environmental situations. To me this is where all the appeal lies.
In these narratives the environment is alive, breathing the dark smoggy air it produces. The setting acts as another character in a sense because there is some much interaction between the two, normally playing some part in the conflict’s that arise as well. Writers like to play on this usually needing the protagonist to use their creativity to solve issues faced along the journey, where understanding the environment plays in your favour greatly. Video games do an exceptional job of this, most notable being the series Fallout and Borderlands where you are dropped into these massive sandboxes and are asked to adapt to your new surroundings whist completing tasks.
Although we need to remember with these environments there are different ways in how we come about the finished product. What I’m talking about is finding the distinction between science fiction apocalypses and those that are supernatural. Now this is pretty simple, sci-fi examples are either caused by nature (climate change, astronomical factors, etc.) or by humans (world wars, pandemics, etc.). Whereas the supernatural goes as told, going against the laws of nature, featuring elements like magic and gods. A good example for this would be “X-Men: Apocalypse”, where the source of conflict is brought by the awakening of an enchant Egyptian mutant god wanting to end all of humanity. Think of it like regular burgers and impossible burgers, you may not be able to clock the differences based on the surrounding conditions until you sink your teeth into it. Similar audiences but serve different purposes.
As a writer creating a narrative that takes place in wastelands and ruined cities can’t be as daunting as physically living them out, as the idea relatively stays the same, almost with interchangeable detailing. There is great flexibility when using this particular setting as long as you cater to your distinction, meaning what you chose the cause to be. A formula bound for success as the theme has aged like wine, allowing itself to be recycled time and time again yet we are still hypnotized by our own imagination pulling ourselves into these worlds.