Historical Influences

The story of 60 Seconds is based in a 1950s suburban neighborhood in the United States. Having been placed right at the beginning of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, the 1950s saw both countries mass-stockpiling nuclear weapons in the aftermath of World War II. Tensions between the two countries grew along with fears of global nuclear warfare sparking at any moment during this era. In response to this, the Federal Civil Defense Administration (FCDA), founded in 1951, set out to convince American citizens that they would be able to survive a nuclear war (Bishop). The FCDA would try to quell public fears through campaigns such as school nuclear bomb drills and distributing pamphlets depicting the "all-American" family surving in nuclear fallout shelters (Bishop). These depictions would oftentimes be of suburban white famililes carefully stocking the shelves of their bunker with canned goods and holding their children by the had (Bishop). Due to lacking weapons surveillance technology at the time, incoming nuclear strikes could only be discovered minutes before they struck and could sometimes even go completely undetected. This also helps to contextualize a realistic time limit of 60 seconds for a warhead to strike. After witnessing the devastating aftereffects of nukes in Japan during World War II, coupled with people’s mounting fears of experiencing these terrifying weapons again, the mid-1950s could be said to be the origin point of radiation eco-horror.

Mutation

Mutation is a major theme amongst many works that feature radiation eco-horror, whether that be through the mutation of people or nature. In many cases, these mutant beings are portrayed as mindless, savage creatures spawned out of nuclear wastelands to wreak havoc on what is left of civilization. 60 Seconds also does not shy away from this idea. Several events in the game have players interacting with mutant creatures, with one such event leading to a radioactive spider turning your daughter into a mutant creature you can utilize to more effectively explore the nuclear wastelands..  

Though the idea of mutant monsters set out to destroy humanity is purely based in works of fiction, these fears did stem from media reports of the aftermaths of events like the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the nuclear reactor meltdown of Chernobyl. In the wake of the atrocities that had come from these events, pop-culture began to over-embellish and shape the perception many in modern society have of mutation through works such as Spiderman and Godzilla. In reality, while high levels of radiation exposure can result in cellular mutation, the end result is often death. 

Survival

Survival is yet another popular theme amongst many works in the radiation eco-horror genre. The genre is commonly set in an apocalyptic world, where the surface of the earth is irradiated beyond habitability in the wake or aftermath of a nuclear disaster. In these worlds, the characters we follow not only have to worry about the environment passively working against them, but they also have to face off against other survivors for limited resources to fight for another tomorrow.

The theme of survival in 60 Seconds is once again portrayed in the many events that can occur to the player in the game, as well as through the different types of endings that can be achieved. For example, the initial stockpile of food and water gathered by a player will eventually run out during their playthrough. This forces the player to have to decide who among their family they need to send out into the wastelands to scavenge for more supplies, which risks that character dying as well. The two main winning scenarios for 60 Seconds is to either make contact with the military and get rescued, or to join a newly formed survivor community. These events also reflect that only by persisting and working together can people succeed in the apocalypse.