Homework #3: Visualizing Epidemics

Plague Inc logo

Plague Inc logo

This homework gives you the opportunity to visualize the spread of an epidemic. This homework takes about 60 minutes to complete.


  1. Play Plague Inc. TWICE! If you were wondering why the Plague app was a recommended purchase on the syllabus, here’s why! Download the game app Plague Inc. (ask a friend to borrow their mobile device if you don’t have a device, or email me directly for an alternative assignment)
    • Open the game Plague game app
    • Choose “new game”
    • Choose Bacteria as your game type
    • Choose Casual as game type
    • Name your Plague
    • Play two games: start your first game from a poor nation, start your second game from a wealthy nation
  2. Write a short report (minimum 300 words) recording the data from playing Plague Inc.
    Your brief report should answer the following questions:

    • Identify the name of the disease
    • Identify where you began your disease, first game, second game
    • Identify how long it took your plague to affect 100 people? 1,000,000 people?
    • Identify when the first death occurred. Why do you think it took so long?
    • Did your plague destroy the human race? If not, how long did it last before a cure was found or your disease was eradicated
    • Post your report here on the OpenLab!
  3. Note any differences between the two games. Did one take longer or faster to spread? Why do you think the disease progressed the way it did?
  4. Reflect on whether the game helped you better understand pandemic transmission.
  5. Please brag if you manage to conquer Greenland!

Please submit your post by class on Tuesday October 20th.

1 thought on “Homework #3: Visualizing Epidemics

  1. Alessia Tselouiko

    The name if my game disease was Pax12. It began in the India. Second game began in Russia. The length of the game was about 1,5 hours. First 100 people were affected within 10-15 minutes of the game. First million of people was affected approximately in 30-40 min from the beginning of the game. The infection managed to spread all around the world, but the Greenland was not affected. At the end of the first hour i figured out how to make a mutations and spend the DNA points. But i wouldn’t say it was much helpful, the speed of the game was remaining the same. The last countries were infected Sweden, UK, Finland, Baltic Republics, because of the sophisticated health care systems in that countries. The first death happened on the Middle East, but the mortality rate was not high, death rate was raising at the end of the game, due the mutations happening with my bacteria. The game had showed me how the infection would be spread in today’s world. It was interesting to see the ways of pandemic transmission through the planes and boats, was interesting to play with the mutations. Are those microorganisms really that smart?


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