Thefts, threats, assaults… “Outlast,” the amoral adventure game from Netflix

Their names are Nick Radner, Justin Court, Corey Junon, Jordan Williams, Seth Locker, Amber Asai, Gil Ashok, Paul Brace, Andrea Hilderbrand, Don Nelson, Javier Colon, Joel Hongate, Angie Esparza, Lee Ettinger, Timothy Spears, and Brian Kars. . these Sixteen lone wolves are survival experts. Those between the ages of 25 and 59 were challenged to survive as long as possible In the freezing cold of Chichagot Island on the east coast of Alaskawith the sole obligation of being part of a team of at least two. “To win and to survive, every candidate is prepared for anything, no matter the cost.”The voiceover announces the introduction. At the end of the day, he won $1 million to participate in for the winning team.

creators of “Outlast: At The End Of Ourselves” It started from the principle that, from time immemorial, humans owe their development and existence to their ability to live well in society. By combining candidates who were used to advancing on their own and being their own boss, the production forced them to use violence to advance in a game with simplistic rules. In the beginning, four teams of four adventurers are formed (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta) with a set of equipment each (fire stone, axe, knife, cloth, fleece blanket, flashlight, two iron cups, bow with eight arrows, and a map). area, bear spray, and a medical kit) and four separate geographic areas of occupation around the Neka River.

Filmed in the fall of 2021 at the edge of an arm of choppy water and ice whose level is constantly changing depending on the tide. During the 36 days of adventure, told in eight episodes, temperatures fluctuated between minus 5 and 5 degrees Celsius with omnipresent humidity and many bad weather conditions from rain and then snow. For feeding, the nomads drew their resources mainly from the Neka River, from small seashells collected at low tide to giant crabs trapped in the traps provided to them later. And for the most skilled shooters, small rodents can be captured. To drink, they had to find the safest point possible before boiling the water to make it drinkable. The first episodes show the teams mounting in a sublime and wild environment like Alaska is captivating.

“If they had the chance, they would cut our throats.”

Vomiting, fatigue, fever, or even malaise were all better frontrunners for “Outlast.” The game took a very nasty turn after 15 days of survival when participants made the decision to weaken their opponents to force them to give up. In a particularly diabolical way, the members of Alpha Team agree to go and ransack Team Delta’s camp by stealing their sleeping bags, needed to protect themselves from the cold at night. A totally unethical act the production would allow, and puts two of the candidates at risk of hypothermia. “I don’t want to be part of this circus and this cruelty around it. It’s an act of protest.”Announce a candidate before surrendering. Two more would make the same decision as the disruptive team continued their transgressions.

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If given the chance, they would cut our throats ”, witnessed at that moment Javier Colon, one of the most successful adventurers, who was forced to surrender in the face of threats and depredations from the Alpha Trio. The 42-year-old compared the game to Netflix for the novel hm flies by William Golding Where children abandoned on a desert island create a new social order disrupted by violence. “It wasn’t a fantasy land where all the rules were gone, and theft and assault were illegal.”Tell television Guide.

The producers were surprised by the turn of events, and preferred to let things happen rather than intervene. Alpha Team gang mastermind Gill Ashok maintains on her social networks that no one was in danger during the game and that the show only shows a small part of what they experienced. She says the idea to steal Team Delta sleeping bags came from teammate Justin Court. In the momentum of this robbery, she says she took the same initiative with her friend Amber Assay to go and ransack Javier Colón’s camp. “Gill is a pathological liar and the most dangerous person on the showWitness the latter. Justin was manipulated and Amber was just a follower. »

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After these events, which distorted the entire course of the adventure and which could have turned into a tragedy, the outcome and outcome of the game is no longer of much interest. Listening to viewer feedback, the producers have promised to make changes to their rules if Netflix bothers to order a second season.