In Rage 2, there’s a little known detail that might help save someone in real life, although it doesn’t seem to help much for an NPC.
As much as Rage 2 failed to be a ballpark knockout blockbuster (if we’re allowed to mix our metaphors just a bit), it succeeds in including tons of tiny details that really make the game seem polished. One of those details might even help you save a life one day.
Just before meeting Mayor Hagar in Wellspring in Rage 2, the player and the Mayor’s security forces get ambushed by bandits. Typically, none of the security forces survive, but if one of them does, they’ll actually go over to one of their fellow NPCs and start performing CPR. Not only that, they’ll do it following the guidelines set out by the American Heart Association.
This tidbit comes courtesy of Reddit user DropKickToTheFace over on the r/GamingDetails subreddit. They also point out that the compressions-to-breaths ratio is also performed at the approved rate of 30 compressions per two breaths at about 120 beats per minute.
Believe it or not, this level of detail is great for also teaching gamers how to perform CPR in real life. Although it’s always best to take a first-aid course and learn how to do things properly, the AHA has guidelines for untrained bystanders to perform a simplified version of CPR that emphasizes proper chest compressions without the mouth-to-mouth ventilation.
First, clasp one hand over the other and place firmly on the victim's sternum. Next, press into the chest 2 to 2.4 inches at a rate of between 100-120 bpm. Continue like this until help arrives.
The objective of CPR in this way is less about spontaneously restarting a stopped heart (which typically needs a defibrillator) and more about increasing that tight window of survival between a cardiac event and tissue death. The statistics for untrained CPR and survival aren’t great, but it’s definitely increasing the person’s chances from 0, and things get even better when you take an AHA-approved first aid course.
So if Rage 2 doesn’t make publisher Bethesda many millions of dollars, at least it will teach a few gamers how to perform CPR.