Players in the infamous online game Fallout 76 have taken to collecting vast quantities of toilet paper in a mass parody of current events. With the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic leading to panic worldwide, many citizens have taken to stockpiling food and other necessities. Curiously, one of the most commonly hoarded supplies is toilet paper, which has quickly sold out of numerous stores around the United States.
None of the symptoms of coronavirus call for an increase in toilet paper usage, and to date none of the measures taken to halt the spread of the disease have actually impacted supplies of it. The only reason toilet paper is scarce now is because suppliers can't stock it quick enough to meet demand. There's no real reason to hoard the stuff, but this hasn't stopped millions of people from buying up as much toilet paper as they can. It's become something of a joke across the internet, with many poking fun at panic buyers for collecting such vast quantities of such a commonplace item, and bemoaning the lack of availability this leaves for themselves.
This new form of "toilet humor" has spread to many corners of the internet, including, surprisingly, Fallout 76. Bethesda's oft-mocked online RPG, frequently the butt of many jokes itself, is now home to one of its own. As reported by Polygon, in a bizarre parody of the current market, many Fallout 76 players have begun collecting as much in-game toilet paper as they possibly can. Toilet paper in Fallout 76 is a junk item, used as a raw material for crafting but with little if any other usage. It's not even a particularly valuable crafting resource. Thanks to their real-world counterparts, however, Fallout 76 players are now hoarding the stuff, even proudly displaying rolls like valuable treasure for their fellow wastelanders to marvel at. Much like in the real world, this obsessive TP collection has had an impact on the game's economy; many players are drastically increasing the price of toilet paper in their own in-game stores, and selling out quickly.
It may not be too surprising that the community of Fallout 76 is mimicking the real world so closely. It is, after all, a post-apocalyptic game, and while the coronavirus pandemic isn't an apocalyptic event it has caused vast, severe impacts on the lives of nearly everyone on the planet. Furthermore, players of Fallout 76 have been through a lot together, and the game's litany of bugs, publishing foibles, and errors have made the game pretty difficult for anyone to take seriously. This makes for a fertile breeding ground for jokes and memes about Fallout and everything else.
Among all the cancellations, delays, and closures that have been caused by the coronavirus' impact, it can be heartening to see a community still come together in such a free-spirited and humorous way. Coronavirus news can get pretty grim, and it's nice to see the human spirit enduring, even if they're doing so by jacking up prices of fictional garbage for laughs. These mock-hoarders can teach everyone a valuable lesson, though: if people can endure playing Fallout 76, they can endure COVID-19.
Source: Polygon, Oynlen/NexusMods (image)
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