Swine flu (aka H1N1) continues to inspire a great deal of speculation and anxiety as we head towards the flu season, and now it’s inspired a new video game that puts you in charge of handling a new worldwide pandemic.  I tried playing The Great Flu, and while I did ultimately manage to control the outbreak of a fictionalized flu virus, I don’t think the World Health Organization will be calling me for advice anytime soon.

The online-only game is free, and players choose the type of virus they wish to monitor and then using a variety of preventative measures try to control the spread and minimize the damage.  The actions you can take include closing schools, developing vaccines, and assigning research teams to learn more about the virus.  Part of the challenge is also keeping your work within the confines of a limited budget, which I found fairly easy to spend quickly.

At a certain point the game starts to feel a bit overwhelming as you try to keep up with global reports about the spreading virus and monitor many different regions at once, and all the while the flu continues to take lives.  The spooky music is also a little unnerving.  Of course, I did choose the level of highest difficulty, so maybe next time I’ll start with something a little more manageable.

I began to learn that some precautionary measures create new challenges, as international leaders and the public sometimes disagree with your choices.  The game definitely gives you a sense of how challenging it must be to deal with a global pandemic and could be a useful tool to help educate people on those challenges. Here’s a little preview of the game: