How To Survive A Nuclear Bomb

Objective

BBC History created an educational interactive experience targeting young adults (16–24) to raise public awareness about nuclear survival strategies using declassified UK government documents. The project was adapted from the government's 1982 'Exercise Regenerate' war simulation, aiming to educate players about decision-making and preparedness in a post-nuclear scenario. Additional sourcing drew on eyewitness accounts of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and other Cold War exercises such as 'WINTEX-CIMEX 83'.

Solution

An interactive graphic novel built in HTML5 featuring a hybrid scrolling parallax format combining illustration with live-action footage. Players navigated binary choice scenarios over a three-day survival timeline, beginning moments before the bombs drop—while the government is in hiding and the authorities are crippled—and ending with a 'rescue' by the military on the morning of Day Four. Each decision directly impacted two tracked stats—health and morale, shown onscreen throughout—both of which had to remain above zero for the player to survive; the player's score was assessed at the end of each day, with the possibility of death on any evening, and a final score was given at the end with the option to replay and improve it. The experience emphasized post-impact survival and resource management rather than immediate-impact scenarios, deployed on BBC Taster, the BBC's experimental content platform.

Results

The pilot ran on BBC Taster until 14 October 2016, receiving 7,104 ratings and 10 shares.