TikTok is now a great way to experience the Fallout games
Since watching the Fallout show, I can’t get enough of it. The show was my introduction to its world, and the ending only inspired me to dive deeper into the worlds of the video games that inspired the show. Everything from the evil of Vault-Tec to the eccentric characters fascinated me. Clearly I’m not alone – the game series received an influx of players after the show’s release – but not everyone can commit to playing the games. It can be a huge time investment and even require hundreds of mods to play. Luckily, I’ve found a great way to experience the games without actually playing them: watching clips on TikTok.
I can already hear the groans from die-hard fans – that’s right! – as watching short videos about specific quests, locations or characters is not at all a substitute for actually playing the game. But now I get to see a highlight of the people who put those hundreds of hours into the game and learn about the series in a way that’s tailored to the show’s viewers. For example, the video below shows an unexploded bomb Fallout 3‘s Megaton and discusses theories about who first dropped the bombs – which the show directly addresses.
Clips like the above allow me to learn more about the world as presented in the game series, as well as provide additional information about the background of the game. Sure, I could start reading Wikis about the game, but that’s just not as much fun. In the clip below, we can learn more about a man who runs the radio – a role played by Fred Armisen in the show – and what happens if you kill the radio man in the game. (Spoilers: It’s funny.)
Even if I put the time and effort into the games, it wouldn’t guarantee that I’ll be able to see everything I want in a perfect way. For example, I could play, but I might not know how funny the outcome would be if I killed the radio host. In other examples, people are just really good at highlighting silly moments. The clip conversations below about a mysterious cult that surrounds the Gravitron amusement park ride.
People also just perform hilarious stunts in the games that I wouldn’t have the time or patience for. Like this person, who collects dozens of Protectrons to defend against an invasion of The Brotherhood of Steel Fallout 4.
Before the show, I may have scrolled past these videos, and TikTok’s algorithm may have taken that as a sign that I wasn’t interested in that content. Now, though, the show has given me just enough knowledge to contextualize the big moments in the clips. The videos hit a sweet spot where I know enough to understand the clips and can recognize certain cults or recurring characters, but I don’t know so much that it doesn’t surprise me. All in all, it was a fun way to learn more about the games, and I recommend poking around TikTok if you want to scratch that Fallout itch.