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Coping with Late Stage Capitalism Through Post-Apocalyptic Media
#384: In this episode of GT Radio, Josué Cardona is joined by Marc Cuiriz, Link Keller, and Lara Taylor for a wide-ranging conversation about the Fallout franchise and why it resonates so strongly right now. What begins as a discussion of the new Fallout TV series quickly expands into a deeper exploration of nuclear anxiety, late-stage capitalism, climate fears, disaster capitalism, and how post-apocalyptic media gives people a safer way to process very real anger and dread about the world.
Lara shares how many of her clients have brought up Fallout in therapy sessions—not just as entertainment, but as a way to talk about fear, exhaustion, and rage related to the future, economic instability, and global conflict. The group reflects on how the franchise presents a world where corporations profit from destruction, how survival replaces progress, and how people inherit the fallout of decisions they didn’t make.
The hosts examine Fallout as both satire and coping mechanism, discussing how camp, humor, and nostalgia soften otherwise grim themes. They talk about how the games and the show sidestep the immediate horror of catastrophe and instead focus on survivors generations later, raising questions about memory, misinformation, and myth-making. The conversation also explores how media can provide catharsis without necessarily leading to real-world action—and how anti-capitalist stories funded by massive corporations create complicated emotional contradictions.
Along the way, the group dives into game design, player experience, and adaptation choices: Bethesda jank, rage-quitting moments, different Fallout entry points, the strengths of the TV adaptation, and how multiple characters reflect different player styles. They also branch into related games and media that use environmental storytelling, fragmented narratives, and discovery to explore collapse, trauma, and power.
Ultimately, this episode looks at Fallout not just as a franchise, but as a mirror—one that reflects collective anxieties about war, profit, climate, and survival, while still giving us something weird, funny, and meaningful to hold onto.
Characters / Media Mentioned:
- Fallout (franchise)
- Fallout (TV series)
- Fallout 3
- Fallout: New Vegas
- Fallout 4
- Fallout 76
- Vault-Tec
- Walton Goggins
- BioShock (series)
- Horizon Zero Dawn / Horizon series
- Gone Home
- Orwell (video game)
- Saving Private Ryan
- Grave of the Fireflies
- Sorry to Bother You / I’m a Virgo
- WALL·E
- Arkham VR
- Anthem
- Cyberpunk 2077
Themes / Topics Discussed:
- Apocalypse and Post-Apocalyptic Worlds
- Nuclear Anxiety
- Late-Stage Capitalism
- Disaster Capitalism
- Climate Change Fears
- Corporate Power and Exploitation
- Anger and Hopelessness
- Media as Emotional Catharsis
- Nostalgia and Camp
- Adaptations from Games to TV
- Player Agency and Perspective
- World-Building and Environmental Storytelling
Relatable Experiences:
- Feeling Anxious About the Future
- Anger at Corporations and Systems
- Using Media to Process Fear and Rage
- Rage-Quitting Games
- Getting Lost in Open-World Games
- Loving a Franchise While Critiquing It
- Feeling Trapped by Systems You Didn’t Choose
- Finding Humor in Dark or Hopeless Settings
Join the conversation on the GT Forum at https://forum.geektherapy.org and connect with the Geek Therapy Network through the links at https://geektherapy.org.
What feelings does Fallout bring up for you right now?
Do post-apocalyptic stories help you cope, or do they make things feel heavier?
View all episodes
By Geek Therapy Network#384: In this episode of GT Radio, Josué Cardona is joined by Marc Cuiriz, Link Keller, and Lara Taylor for a wide-ranging conversation about the Fallout franchise and why it resonates so strongly right now. What begins as a discussion of the new Fallout TV series quickly expands into a deeper exploration of nuclear anxiety, late-stage capitalism, climate fears, disaster capitalism, and how post-apocalyptic media gives people a safer way to process very real anger and dread about the world.
Lara shares how many of her clients have brought up Fallout in therapy sessions—not just as entertainment, but as a way to talk about fear, exhaustion, and rage related to the future, economic instability, and global conflict. The group reflects on how the franchise presents a world where corporations profit from destruction, how survival replaces progress, and how people inherit the fallout of decisions they didn’t make.
The hosts examine Fallout as both satire and coping mechanism, discussing how camp, humor, and nostalgia soften otherwise grim themes. They talk about how the games and the show sidestep the immediate horror of catastrophe and instead focus on survivors generations later, raising questions about memory, misinformation, and myth-making. The conversation also explores how media can provide catharsis without necessarily leading to real-world action—and how anti-capitalist stories funded by massive corporations create complicated emotional contradictions.
Along the way, the group dives into game design, player experience, and adaptation choices: Bethesda jank, rage-quitting moments, different Fallout entry points, the strengths of the TV adaptation, and how multiple characters reflect different player styles. They also branch into related games and media that use environmental storytelling, fragmented narratives, and discovery to explore collapse, trauma, and power.
Ultimately, this episode looks at Fallout not just as a franchise, but as a mirror—one that reflects collective anxieties about war, profit, climate, and survival, while still giving us something weird, funny, and meaningful to hold onto.
Characters / Media Mentioned:
- Fallout (franchise)
- Fallout (TV series)
- Fallout 3
- Fallout: New Vegas
- Fallout 4
- Fallout 76
- Vault-Tec
- Walton Goggins
- BioShock (series)
- Horizon Zero Dawn / Horizon series
- Gone Home
- Orwell (video game)
- Saving Private Ryan
- Grave of the Fireflies
- Sorry to Bother You / I’m a Virgo
- WALL·E
- Arkham VR
- Anthem
- Cyberpunk 2077
Themes / Topics Discussed:
- Apocalypse and Post-Apocalyptic Worlds
- Nuclear Anxiety
- Late-Stage Capitalism
- Disaster Capitalism
- Climate Change Fears
- Corporate Power and Exploitation
- Anger and Hopelessness
- Media as Emotional Catharsis
- Nostalgia and Camp
- Adaptations from Games to TV
- Player Agency and Perspective
- World-Building and Environmental Storytelling
Relatable Experiences:
- Feeling Anxious About the Future
- Anger at Corporations and Systems
- Using Media to Process Fear and Rage
- Rage-Quitting Games
- Getting Lost in Open-World Games
- Loving a Franchise While Critiquing It
- Feeling Trapped by Systems You Didn’t Choose
- Finding Humor in Dark or Hopeless Settings
Join the conversation on the GT Forum at https://forum.geektherapy.org and connect with the Geek Therapy Network through the links at https://geektherapy.org.
What feelings does Fallout bring up for you right now?
Do post-apocalyptic stories help you cope, or do they make things feel heavier?