- Have some sardines, I'm gonna warm them on the fire,
melt some snow, and welcome any living people that come.
Even dead people are welcome, but mostly living people.
(mellow rock music)
My name is Christopher Nyerges, and I'm a survival educator.
I've been teaching outdoor survival skills since 1974.
When people come to our classes, we primarily teach them
about increasing their awareness of the outdoors,
how to recognize the plants that are growing everywhere,
how to recognize the minerals, and then how to use them.
But it's like anything else.
The more you do it, the better you get at it.
This is my first experience
trying to play a survival video game.
I'm thinking that at the very least,
the intellectual knowledge of what to do will translate.
I guess it's been 30 years since I've played Pac-Man,
so let's give this a go.
A mysterious geomagnetic storm
has brought your plane crashing down.
Okay, how long can you survive?
Oh my God.
Okay, press any key to continue.
Okay, so here I am.
Wow, okay, I didn't realize there'd be snow.
Okay, now I'm gonna.
Let's see.
I'm gonna walk, check this out.
Thought there'd be some buildings or something here.
Of course, the plane crashed, I could be anywhere.
Let's see what I have in my pocket.
Okay, I have stuff in my pocket.
Looks like I have a way to make a fire.
Okay, so I'm probably okay.
See what we've got out here.
I can run a little bit and I'm warming up, that feels good.
Hey, what's that?
Some not frozen, but that's still
not a great area to be stuck in.
What do I push to see if this a resource?
There's no name.
So that might be a resource despite the game.
That might be grass that I would eat.
The reality is, most people survived
by the minimal use of the landscape
and the most minor thing is often the thing
that you would survive with.
So those grasses growing in the winter?
I mean, it could be a cattail, it could be a grass.
But none of 'em are toxic.
Hey, hey, hey, there's something, look at that.
Look at that.
Oh, let's go check that out.
At this point I have no weapons with me.
I would probably look for a rock.
Where'd that guy go?
Okay, he got away.
That's typically what happens.
Okay, there he is.
You could actually run one of these guys down sometimes.
And I wanna apologize to all the vegetarians in the group,
but in a survival situation,
you're gonna eat whatever you can.
Alright, it looks like, oh,
hypothermia risks, I've been running.
So that guy might get away.
I'm getting tired chasing the rabbit.
That's good for a day's, look, there's another one!
There's probably a whole colony of these rabbits out here.
Okay, I'm gonna go through that pass.
Just to see.
That's where the rabbits are going,
so maybe there's food out there.
See that right there?
I could, if I was literally stuck here
and I had to last this storm,
this is where I would make a lean-to.
So I got stuff to make, oh, there's a can to cook in.
But I'm looking for something to make a shelter.
Boy, I got nothing for a shelter.
This is getting rugged.
Oh.
I'm going downhill.
Good, good, good, oh, look at that.
All that grass.
I could cut grass fast.
Try to make a lean-to.
But it doesn't allow me the option to do that.
Hey!
Look at that.
I'll get in that car.
Enter vehicle.
Alright, awesome.
Okay, now I'm just gonna hang out
in here until the storm passes.
Search the glove box, alright, look at that.
Wood matches, strike anywhere matches, awesome.
Take it.
Flare.
Take it.
Open, the glove box is empty.
Good, so we can make a fire.
Do I wanna leave the vehicle, no.
See, this is a terrible situation.
I don't know where I am, but for several hours
I could get out of the wind and out of the cold
and it's still gonna be cold in the car,
but being in the vehicle, I could trap some of my body heat
and I won't go into hypothermia.
So I might try to get a nap in the car.
Sleep.
Advance time by sleeping.
Reduce fatigue, okay, let's do that.
So I'm gonna advance five hours.
Alright, sleep, wonderful sleep.
Ah.
Okay, you faded into the long dark.
What does that mean, I died?
Hours awake, wow, I died after three hours.
That's terrible.
How long can you survive?
I can hopefully do more than an hour.
I'm just gonna go like this.
Oh!
Okay, I foolishly did what I tell people not to do.
Rather than rush out to what seems like a good area
and just rapidly go, you hug the tree,
you take stock of your situation,
and I went in the opposite direction
of where all my supplies were.
So that's why I lost.
This is like, some old outbuilding.
Let's see what's in there.
Just walk up to it.
Hello?
Anybody home?
Frostbite risk.
So see, I would probably get into that in real life.
So let's get out of this area.
Is that just a rock?
Uh-oh.
Okay, search frozen corpse.
Somebody died there.
Hey, God, I don't know if I want the dead guy's thing,
but I'm freezing so I'm gonna take it.
Okay, there's kind of an open road.
If there was a road through here, it'd been a long time ago.
See, if I follow the clearing where a vehicle could go,
it might get me out of this area.
But it could be miles.
Hey!
Look at that.
An old tractor, there's fuel in there.
There's your barn.
So that's really rundown.
Oh my God.
I'm gonna go into that barn
and I'm gonna break one of those bales open.
And what's that, look at that prybar!
That's awesome.
I'm gonna use that.
What's that say?
Prybar.
Take it.
Cloth.
Take it.
Okay, I got a cloth.
What I'm trying to do is break this bale open.
It doesn't allow me to do that,
but I would break that open,
have it all loose in the pile of the shed
and just burrow into it to stay warm.
Okay, what's that?
Awesome.
Jerry can, I'm gonna take it.
Containing fuel, okay, that's good, too.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, what's that?
That looks good, whatever it is.
I don't know what it is.
Oh, rifle ammunition, alright, take it.
Ammo is good for fire starting.
So let's go back to the crate.
Click the crate, reclaimed wood.
Break down, let's do it.
I'm not seeing much else in this barn.
Let me see what it shows me for my toolkit.
Okay, that means make a fire.
So I'm gonna use wood matches to start it.
Okay, let's see what that does.
So that might be a signaling for somebody else.
It'll keep me warm.
Hey, alright!
My hands are warm.
I've got a fire, let me see how that feels.
That feels good.
Now I need a can to cook some tea.
Recycled can, alright.
So I could melt my snow.
And let's see if there's anything to eat, food.
Looks like this thing with sardines.
I'll eat them.
Have some sardines, I'm gonna warm them on the fire,
melt some snow, and welcome any living people that come.
Even dead people are welcome, but mostly living people.
Water unsafe.
But you see, you know what, it doesn't,
oh, melt snow, that's what I'm gonna go to.
Hell with the unsafe water.
Melt snow.
18 minutes until melted.
So it does take energy to do,
but we've got enough wood burning,
so what should I do in the meantime?
Fiddle around and play cards?
I probably would not be in a hangout mode,
'cause there's a dead person nearby.
Hey, hey.
Okay, let's be quiet.
We got some deer.
Oh, check it out, check it out.
You go for the weakest one or smallest one.
You don't get the strongest ones.
Okay, I'm gonna approach very slowly, hello, guy.
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh okay.
I can't outrun a deer.
When you're really in the situation,
you get the umbles, the fumbles, the mumbles, the stumbles.
If this is more than just a game to me,
if I really would wanna know how I could do
if I was in this situation, I have to then apply something.
So I have the intellectual backing to then go,
okay, there's a deer, he's not far.
Could I make a spear?
So let's go back to the barn, wherever it is now.
I'm probably lost 'cause I ran so far.
Look at that guy.
See, they're all taunting me.
I didn't even, oh, there's the barn.
One of the things that happens
in the snow is snow blindness,
and then you wander off in the wrong direction.
If this was a blizzard, I could've wandered off
in the wrong direction and not even found this part.
There's my, oh.
Look at that, it died down.
I have some drink.
Potable water, boiled.
Drink it, ah.
Ah, that's good.
You know, because you could go into dehydration
even when there's snow and water around
if you're not drinking.
Let's get out of here.
This looks good, this looks really good.
I should be able to wiggle, jiggle this door open.
Oh my God, let's go inside, I gotta get inside.
Hopefully there's, open door!
Okay, did I die?
No, I'm inside!
Nothing in the crates?
What kind of a barn is this?
Keep walking, let's see what else we got.
What is that?
Oh, that's just the wall.
Okay, now I'm starting to see a little better.
Oh, there's the vehicle.
Is that an old truck in there?
Maybe I can wheel this truck to somebody before I die.
What happened to that truck?
I'm getting the umbles, the fumbles, I.
Okay, where is that truck?
I thought it was over here.
There it is.
Basically, ah!
Oh my God, I didn't even survive a whole day.
That was actually kind of enjoyable, though.
For what it was.
Hey, it's daytime, look at that.
So the storm is over, what is all this stuff in the barn?
Hey, you know, could I just drive this truck outta here?
Enter vehicle, why not?
Okay, I don't wanna leave.
Let's see, search the glove box, why not.
What's in there?
Empty.
There's the seat covers, see, that would be useful.
'Cause that's a fabric.
But I guess I'll get out of there,
because there's nothing to do in here.
Oh, upstairs.
Let's check that out.
I would hang out in here.
It's always warmer the higher you go.
Okay, let's search the locker.
Gotta be something good in there.
A book.
Something to burn when you're freezing.
I'll take it.
Hey, what's this?
Looks like lighter fluid.
Alright, that's awesome.
Lighter fluid, I'm gonna take that.
Accelerant, alright.
Oh, there's a metal container.
Search it, let's see what it is.
Hey, of course, take it.
Tin of coffee, awesome, I'm gonna take it.
Hey, look at that.
There's a toolbox right there.
Hey.
Fish hook, take it.
Okay, let's try the other drawer, search the drawer.
Alright, now things are getting good.
Things are looking up, alright, take it.
Take it!
It just looks like some seeds.
Oh, beef jerky!
Okay, I'm taking that.
Hey, look at that drawer.
Search the drawer.
Okay, worn, I'll take 'em, take 'em.
Take it.
Stale, I don't care if it's stale.
You haven't eaten for two weeks,
stale doesn't mean anything.
Plank.
Okay.
Okay, so you break it up for wood.
Now, I'm not gonna be carrying wood around,
but let's just say I'll break it down, why not.
There's the game, and then there's what I really might do.
The wood I could go burn some more
without having to burn the barn down.
Leaving the barn house, okay.
Uh-oh.
Sprained ankle and wrists affect movement.
Oh my gosh.
Let's just do a quick 360.
Take stock of our situation.
Okay, let's go over there.
What is that?
Some fire, cedar firewood.
Okay, you know what?
I'm gonna make a little fire.
Uh-oh, hypothermia risk.
Oh, hey.
What is that?
V8, it looks like.
Dog food?
Hey, I'll take it.
Small arms handbook.
But you see, I don't really need a book about small arms.
I don't have a gun with me.
I'll take it anyway.
I can burn it if I had to.
Okay, I'm gonna make a fire.
Start fire, let's do it.
I'm gonna keep it small, though, guys.
I have all that wood that I've been carrying around.
I'm gonna put some wood in there.
I would put some of the bundle of...
Oh, what?
I don't think I would've failed, really, but I understand.
Okay, there's no, where's all the ash?
It just disappears and goes to fire heaven?
Okay, let's try it again.
I need that fire.
Insufficient materials to start a fire.
Need tinder.
So maybe, what about the book?
It says I have playing cards, so I have tinder.
It won't let me burn these.
These bales of hay are a major resource,
so I would use those bales of hay for shelter and for fire.
Oh, look at that wind is picking up, too.
I'm starting to get a little worried here.
Now I wonder if I could get into that little tractor thing
and just stay warm, 'cause my vitals are getting cold.
That's not gonna have much insulating value, though.
I'm gonna try to get into the barn.
I'm gonna collapse and sleep for a few hours
and hopefully I won't die in my sleep.
Okay, I'm in, good.
That's that vehicle.
Is this, I can't tell if it's the same place I was just at.
My mind is playing tricks on me.
I've been in this place.
Glove box is empty.
Okay, let's get out of here.
So let me see if I can eat something.
Banged up pinnacle peaches.
Stale granola bar, I'm gonna eat it.
Let's see if there's something else I could eat.
Energy bar, let's eat that.
Okay, now I gotta get some water.
Some water.
Okay, I don't wanna die today.
Got nothing to drink.
There's snow outside.
Let's just look around in this place.
Since I'm here.
You fail, oh.
This is almost like various dreams that I've had
where you're experiencing it but you can't do anything.
In a real emergency, the reason it's an emergency
is the supplies and the resources that you need
are scarce and you're not finding them.
That's, by definition, why it's an emergency.
So whoever put this together,
they gave you scant few little resources.
Any one of them I could have exploited more fully
than I was able to in the game.
Helps your mind expand, think, consider the options.
But really, if you're doing this for more than entertainment
and you really wanna know the skills,
you gotta get out there and do some training.
(uplifting music)