One redditor Ran the 'Naked Man' Experiment in Arc Raiders, and the Results Prove We Are All Monsters
Science requires sacrifice, and in this case, the sacrifice was one brave Raider’s dignity and K/D ratio.
We like to tell ourselves that extraction shooters are "tactical." We claim we only shoot people for their loot, or to secure resources, or to survive. We tell ourselves we aren't just mindless killers.
Well, a Reddit user named 17prozent just proved that is a lie.
He decided to run a social experiment he called "The Naked Man." The setup was simple and suicidal. He queued into 75 raids on console with absolutely zero gear. No gun, no shield, no augment. Just a hammer and a microphone.
The Methodology of a Victim
His strategy was bold. Every time he saw a player, he used proximity chat to plead his case. He told them, "Yo, I’m worth 500 XP max. It’s not worth the trouble. I have nothing, not even a shield."
He even turned his back to them to prove he wasn't wearing armor. He offered to help them find loot. He was the perfect, non-threatening pacifist.
If Arc Raiders was a game about resource management, people would have ignored him. Why waste ammo on a guy who drops nothing?
The Bloodbath
The results were horrific. Out of 75 runs, he was killed on sight 63 times.
That is an 84% mortality rate. Most players didn't even hesitate; they just shot him in the back of the head the second he turned around to show he was harmless.
It gets worse. In about 28 of those runs, the killers were toxic on voice chat. They called him a "noob" or an "idiot" after gunning down a defenseless man holding a hammer. Congratulations, tough guy. You really outplayed him there.
The Few, The Proud, The Friendly
It wasn't entirely hopeless. There were exactly 12 legends who realized what was happening. They didn't shoot. They chilled, and some even protected him during the run.
But 12 out of 75 is a depressing statistic. It proves that for the vast majority of the player base, the loot doesn't matter. The economy doesn't matter. They just want to see the kill feed light up.
So, the next time you try to use VOIP to negotiate a truce, remember the Naked Man. The guy looking at you through his scope probably doesn't want your loot. He just wants you dead.