Wasteland Wanderer – Exploring Abandoned Places With A Fallout Vibe

Ever wandered past a boarded-up abandoned building, feeling an unstoppable urge to venture inside? Do you peek through the keyholes of closed doors, pondering what lies hidden inside?

As an explorer and photographer I’ve spent years seeking out amazing, forgotten places all around the world. I am also a video gamer nerd, and have spent many hundreds of hours immersed in the Fallout universe. Looking at my huge photo collection, many of them look like scenes ripped straight from the Fallout universe. Abandoned factories where rusted machinery stands frozen, American car graveyards, vacant office buildings with shattered windows, and creepy hospitals with dusty medical relics. No people, just the echoes of my footsteps to keep me company.

So, grab your Pip-Boy and a bowl of Sugar Bombs and explore this specially curated collection of my Fallout-esque photos!

A brief overview of the Fallout universe

The Fallout franchise has become a pop-culture phenomenon. Starting life as a role-playing video game in 1997, the franchise now spans countless video games and, most recently, a hit television show.

Set in a retro-futuristic American wasteland, laid to waste in the aftermath of a nuclear war in the year 2077. Typically, the player/protagonist (Vault Dweller) emerges from their safe, secure underground bunkers (Vault). They step into a desolate wasteland hundreds of years after the bombs fell, and discover the tattered remnants of the once-thriving American civilisation. Radiation is constant threat, along with mutated monstrosities such as Super Mutants and giant cockroaches. Warring factions vie for power and resources, and raiders and cults prey on unsuspecting travellers.

the “Fallout aesthetic” – Atompunk and American Consumerism

The visual style of Fallout is a large part of its identity, which is clearly drawn from “atompunk”. Atompunk is a science fiction subgenre forged in the unique world/political situation of the mid-20th century, particularly the 1950s and 1960s.

This retro-futuristic vision of the future is heavily influenced by the aesthetics (and anxieties) of the Atomic Age. There is optimism for the bright and shiny future offered by science. There are ray guns and chrome-covered metal battle suits powered by pocket-sized nuclear fusion cores. On the other hand, the tensions of the Cold War and communist attacks are likewise heavily engrained. In the case of Fallout this takes a slightly different direction, the nuclear war was with the Chinese as opposed to the Soviets.

Another key part of the Fallout aesthetic, is homage/parody of consumerism-dominated pre-war America. Billboards promote the latest must-haves, dominated by big brands such as the iconic Nuka-Cola. Processed foods line every supermarket shelf, emblazoned with colourful, playful fonts encouraging you to “buy now”.

Photographs of Abandoned places are a real-world Fallout