Impossible Survival in The Martian and The Long Dark


Patrick Carlson

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Hello everyone,

I've written a new article looking at the survival scenarios presented in Andy Weir's 2011 novel, The Martian, and The Long Dark. You can find this article on our website here

Would be happy to hear your thoughts on the novel, the film adaptation by Ridley Scott that released last year, or any other related comments. In particular I'm interested in how humor might change how we deal with tough situations. Is it realistic to laugh at terrible times?

--Patrick

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In particular I'm interested in how humor might change how we deal with tough situations. Is it realistic to laugh at terrible times?

Humor is the best medicine for adversity. I once went overnight camping in a provincial park. Two hours in from the trial head (long after our ride had left) the worst rainstorm of the summer hit. My friend and I were soaked, lost, broke our tent and were more than a little in over our heads. I spent the entire time laughing. Every slip and fall seemed like a non stop comedy routine. And know what? I had a great time :)

Morale is always critical (as I've started a discussion here about viewtopic.php?f=58&t=10099). If you have high spirits and faith in yourself there is little you can't do.

As for the book versus the movie... the book is far better. Most of my favourite parts in the book were changed, shortened or cut out entirely for the movie. Plus, the ending in the book is far better than the cheesy Hollywood ending that feels really forced and tacked on. Still, they're both good but if you only have time for one make it the book :)

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@KD7BCH Thank you :)

@cekivi Thanks for linking your morale thread. It's interesting to think about the difference in "morale" between what's simulated or processed by a game character versus what's happening in our own imaginations as we play. How do these two systems interact and affect our experience? If a "morale level" was more explicitly tied to your character, would your own feelings change as a result?

Thanks for reading.

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