History Videogame / Pandemic

* UnwinnableByMistake: There's an odd glitch in the first game that lets you get your Infection Rating down to zero. Running the simulation will give you negative points, and your virus will go extinct.

Not to be confused with [[TabletopGame/{{Pandemic}} the cooperative board game]] of [[SimilarlyNamedWorks the same name]], where the players goal is to CURE the world of a disease epidemic. It also has a reputation for being fairly challenging. [[{{Irony}} Interesting]], [[HilariousInHindsight eh]]?

A web game developed by Dark Realm Studios that simulates destroying the world with [[ThePlague your very own disease]].

[[https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pandemic-2.5/id483737492?mt=8 Pandemic 2.5]], a semi-sequel to Pandemic 2 for iOS users, was released on the App Store in the summer of 2012.

Come try out [[http://www.freeflashgamearcade.com/games/3369/pandemic-1.html the original]] or [[http://www.crazymonkeygames.com/Pandemic-2.html the sequel]] here!

Remember, in RealLife, [[CaptainObvious moving to Madagascar will not make you immune to deadly pathogens]].

[[https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pandemic-2.5/id483737492?mt=8 Pandemic 2.5]], a semi-sequel to Pandemic 2 for iOS users, was released on the App Store summer of 2012.

** One of the achievements for the Kongregate version of ''Pandemic 2'' is called "President Madagascar Assassination Badge". You have to kill everyone on the realistic (read: hard) setting in 100 days.
** The highest difficulty setting of Pandemic 2.5 is called "Madagascar", a nod to the notorious difficulty to infect Madagascar, which has reached memetic levels.

* ArtisticLicenseBiology: One of the classes you can pick for your disease to be is "parasite". By definition, parasites are not supposed to kill their hosts, merely to live off of them. In real life, if their hosts die, they die as well (unless it's one of those parasites whose life cycle involves multiple hosts). The creator may have mixed up Parasites and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasitoid Parasitoids]] which actually DO kill the host eventually.
** It's a little more complicated than that. Parasites ''shouldn't'' kill their hosts, but this typically applies only to their ''proper'' host, the one they mainly rely on for reproduction and the one that's co-evolved with them over the years so as to not die from it. Parasites can and do infect a broader range of hosts than the one they're "suited" for, and for these hosts, the infection CAN be fatal. The cyclophyllid tapeworm is one such example. Of course, since it's not the proper host, it may not be able to pass on the parasite and allow it to reproduce. (For example, parasites passed on by their host being ingested together with the parasite cyst will have a problem if they infect something on top of the food chain, e.g. a human.) It's a separate discussion whether something that's the wrong host will be able to pass the parasite on effectively enough to make it a plague.

* ArtisticLicenseMedicine: Humans, rodents, insect, etc. are covered with bacteria, but unless symptoms manifest they are not diseases by definition, and unlikely to be noticed by anyone but a microbiologist looking for a discovery if [[http://www.wired.co.uk/article/earth-one-trillion-microbial-species it is extremely (un)lucky]]. This game instead treats microorganisms like Cold-War nuclear weapons: observable, terrifying by their very spread and delivery potential, regardless of their real world (lack of) use. In RealLife of course, bacteria and viruses are incomprehensibly numerous, not observable except with magnification (ie, spy satellites can't pick up bacteria movement across the globe), the vast majority of bacteria are harmless, some even beneficial, and with all the harmful diseases in the world, pharmaceutical companies aren't going to care about its existence unless it may cure an actual disease with symptoms; no one is going to spend a cent to cure it, much less focus global research to stop a newly discovered bacterium with that harms no one.

%%* ButWhatAboutTheAstronauts

* GameplayAndStorySegregation: a disease which has ''no negative effects whatsoever'' will cause a country to start closing ports and burning bodies that haven't died yet. Also, an uninfected country can close its borders and successfully keep a water-, air- or insect-vectored disease out.

%%* AMillionIsAStatistic
%%* NewsTravelsFast

** Note that part of the reason for this is simply that the game arguably tricks you. For instance, you shouldn't choose any form of transmission until ''after'' you have infected every region on the planet, because you don't need it to spread your disease and its the ability of the disease to spread through animals, water or the air that makes countries like nation so paranoid. Likewise, you should sell off any symptoms you have at the start. The key to victory is low visibility; again, buy your lethal symptoms only ''after'' you have infected the whole planet. The only thing you should buy is resistance, esp. drug resistance, and you'll need the latter to actually start killing people.
** Even with resistance, you should avoid anything above level II (if even that). Like transmission, the rest of the world will freak out when faced with a disease that cannot be harmed and transmits freely (which has a stone-cold logic, since they are ProperlyParanoid to think that it might mutate and turn lethal at any moment). Of course, its possible to do all this and ''still'' lose the game.
** Several guides will advise you that if you don't start off in Madagascar, you might be better off just restarting the game, over and over until you do. Even then, starting in Madagascar has its problems- it takes much longer to infect the world from Madagascar than from elsewhere (for one of the same reasons its hard to infect it to begin with- one rarely used port); and nations like Cuba can be just as annoying to get at.

* NotSoAboveItAll: Even Madagascar can let its guard down if your patient or lucky enough.

** Interestingly, this response has a valid scientific reasoning in real life. If you find a virus that spreads really easily (eg. is endemic) and then mutates to something [[OhCrap lethal]]... It was the main reason for the response to Swine Flu.
*** Of course, there still needs to be symptoms for it to be recognized as a flu, even if they are "level 1" symptoms.
%%* RiskStyleMap

* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: As stated above, a nonlethal disease with limited symptoms will cause the world to go berserk; martial law, burning bodies, closing ports, and the like.
* TrialAndErrorGameplay: Finding the ''just right'' combination of symptoms and resistances comes down to either this or GuideDangIt, especially for new players. Whatever you do, [[ViolationOfCommonSense don't rely on the common sense]] that infectious disease specialists are focused on actual diseases, i.e., pathogens that cause harmful symptoms. Apparently, in the Pandemic world, they watch each of the 40 trillion bacteria on each human for crazy transmissions first so they can close their sole port and cripple broad sectors of their country's economy, whereas they can let fevers and coughing go on for a bit.

** Some of the symptom's effects are understated, too. For instance, "Heart failure poses severe health problems for the infected.". Or, regarding hemorrhaging, "Is a fairly noticeable symptom", especially for those who are AfraidOfBlood.

* VillainProtagonist: Naturally. This is also an option in ''Pandemic: American Swine'', especially when playing on closed transparency, where one can do any of the following to prevent the spread of swine flu [[ForTheEvulz (or because you want to)]]: intentionally release information to scare the public, covertly murder infected individuals, and [[NukeEm drop nuclear weapons on major US cities to kill the infected in them.]]

* ZombieApocalypse: Combine the right symptoms (necrosis, hemoraging, and insanity) and you get this.

Remember, in real life, moving to Madagascar will not make you immune to deadly pathogens.

[[caption-width-right:280:[[CrowningMomentOfAwesome Did I just hear the Hallelujah Chorus?]] [[FridgeLogic Wait, how can Madagascar close its NON-EXISTENT airport?]]]]

* '''Madagascar''' ([[MemeticMutation Closes its only port if someone coughs in Brazil]]; getting Madagascar will be your Flash gaming career's CrowningMomentOfAwesome.) [[invoked]]

* {{Determinator}}: Greenland's hospital. No matter what happens to the rest of the world, Greenland's hospital won't shut down until the [[DefiantToTheEnd very last person in the country dies]], [[AbandonedHospital and sometimes not even then]]. [[MomentofAwesome It's quite impressive]] if you ignore the FridgeLogic. If Greenland's hospital actually closes before the last person in the country dies, you know the world is screwed.

* ThePlague: You play as one, trying to get the whole world infected and exterminate all humanity.

--->Mister President! A ''[virus/bacterium/parasite]'' that doesn't do anything has been discovered in ''[city/country]''!
--->'''''Shut. Down. Everything.'''''

** Some of the symptom's effects are understated, too. For instance, "Heart failure poses severe health problems for the infected.". Or, regarding hemorhagging, "Is a fairly noticeable sympton", especially for those who are AfraidOfBlood.

Not to be confused with [[TabletopGame/{{Pandemic}} the cooperative board game]] of [[NamesTheSame the same name]], where the players goal is to CURE the world of a disease epidemic. It also has a reputation for being fairly challenging. [[{{Irony}} Interesting]], [[HilariousInHindsight eh]]?

* HollywoodEvolution: Every copy of your disease has the same traits. You can spread your harmless little parasites throughout most of the world, and then give every single one the ability to cause heart attacks simultaneously.

* Peru (Will often close its borders.)

** Madagascar and China.

%%** TechnicallyLivingZombie

** Some of the symptom's effects are understated, too. For instance, "Heart failure poses severe health problems for the infected."

* China (Takes action against the disease much more quickly than the rest of the world after being infected.)

%%* ThePlague

** And if it's not Madagascar, it'll be friggin' Australia, Argentina, Japan, and/or New Zealand. This game just doesn't want you to win.

* TrialAndErrorGameplay: Finding the ''just right'' combination of symptoms and resistances comes down to either this or GuideDangIt, especially for new players. Whatever you do, [[ViolationOfCommonSense don't rely on the common sense]] that infectious disease specialists are focused on actual diseases, i.e., pathogens that cause harmful symptoms. Apparently, in the Pandemic world they watch each of the 40 trillion bacteria on each human for crazy transmissions first, whereas they can let fevers and coughing go on for a bit.
** It's either

* TrialAndErrorGameplay: Finding the ''just right'' combination of symptoms and resistances can come down to this, especially for new players.

** Pandemic 2.5 has three difficulty levels: Casual, Normal, and [[MemeticMutation Madagascar]].

* HelloInsertNameHere: You get to name your disease.
** Cue people killing the world with "Death By Chocolate," or infecting the entire world with "pedophilia". Or even causing a disease called "Tea Partyism" that begins in the United States, or "Communism" that starts in Russia.
** Anything from other works: [[Franchise/ResidentEvil The T-Virus]], [[WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}} Boneitis]], [[Franchise/{{Star Trek}} Pon Farr]], [[Anime/FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren Geostigma]], [[VisualNovel/{{Ever17}} Tief Blau]], or what about [[MyLittlePonyandFriends the Smooze]], [[VideoGame/TraumaCenter the seven strains of GUILT]], or [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil5 Uroboros]]? If you get Madagascar, you might get [[MemeticMutation COMPLETE GLOBAL SATURATION]]....
** Other amusing terrors like [[EnfantTerrible Toddlers]], [[BiggusDickus Giant]] [[GagPenis Green Penis Disease]], and [[TooDumbToLive Stupidity]], the last of which actually killed everyone in the world. Yes, even Madagascar.
--> Mankind was brought to extinction by a severe case of Disco Fever.
** Try going for irony and naming your disease "Living".
-->Victory! Living has successfully eradicated all life on Earth.
** "Tumblr" has caused the destruction of humanity.
** For the lulz, you could name your disease after a supervillain.
--> Dr Doom has wiped out all life on Earth.
** Name it after something that humans would normally need to live. For example, "Dihydrogen Monoxide." [[spoiler: Also known as water.]]
** Name it something completely inane.
--> Three has wiped out all life on earth.
** Or the always apropriate: "FUCK YOU MADAGASCAR". Bonus points if it starts in Madagascar.
** [[TVTropesWillRuinYourLife Death by "TV Tropes"]], anyone?

** Anything from other works: [[Franchise/ResidentEvil The T-Virus]], [[WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}} Boneitis]], [[Franchise/{{Star Trek}} Pon Farr]], [[Anime/FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren Geostigma]], [[{{Ever17}} Tief Blau]], or what about [[MyLittlePonyandFriends the Smooze]], [[VideoGame/TraumaCenter the seven strains of GUILT]], or [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil5 Uroboros]]? If you get Madagascar, you might get [[MemeticMutation COMPLETE GLOBAL SATURATION]]....

* {{Understatement}}: The winning message for ''Pandemic 2'', only occurring if all 6.3 billion people are dead, begins with the sentence "Mankind's numbers have declined".

Funny note; there's also a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandemic_%28board_game%29 cooperative board game]] of [[NamesTheSame the same name]] where the players goal is to CURE the world of a disease epidemic. It also has a reputation for being fairly challenging. [[{{Irony}} Interesting]], [[HilariousInHindsight eh]]? (In addition, an [=iOS=] version was released.)