Everyone’s favorite moth-based cryptid (get wrecked, Mothra) makes a surprise appearance in Fallout 76, Bethesda’s new(ish) post-apocalypse survival MMORPG. Mothman’s role here isn’t to do much more than scare the actual crap out of an unsuspecting player, but boy does he scare the crap out of you. And how. He’s not an especially threatening presence here, unless you decide to mess with him, but his departure certainly leaves you feeling much more wary of the desolated West Virigina landscape.

You can also find his eggs and cook them into an omelette. Which is. Yikes.

 

There’s something weirdly delightful about encountering this dude in-game. Mothman’s assembling power is felt even as a digital entity; just the other day I was invited to a “Mothman hunting party” by a few wandering strangers as I hiked across the fictive West Virginia countryside. Nothing quite like enjoying a video game with your cat on a Saturday night and then hearing: “Hey you, wanna go fuck up Mothman with us?” I politely declined the invitation—I was ghoul-hunting, you see—but did stop to marvel at this ragged band of some fifteen players off to find the legendary moth.

 

As we might expect, Mothman’s presence in Fallout 76 has generated a storm of writing around which rhetors congregate with enthusiasm. Google searching for “Mothman Fallout 76” will yield over 20,000 video results and over 10 pages of relevant articles and websites.

It’s also interesting to note that Mothman’s presence in Fallout 76 has infiltrated the Mothman culture in Point Pleasant. The Mothman Museum now has a selection of merchandise featuring Fallout 76 and as of March 11, 2019, this merchandise is advertised on their front page. This is just another example of the way Mothman’s sphere’s of devotion intersect and interact—even if they may appear at first as if they are exist as completely different.

Additional note: Mothman may also appear in other video games to unknown extents. Learn more or explain further Mothman gaming options here. If video games aren’t for you, there are some escape room franchises that host a Mothman-themed escape room narrative.