This is a great essay about one of my two favorite games (the other is Horizon, so I love that essay as well) particularly for the narrative. Content about the medium of gaming is a sea of dudebro-style content that is often blind to the thematic, sociological and literary aspects and subtext in games so I really appreciate videos like yours. The quality of your content vs. it’s reach is criminal and would love to see your channel explode.
Breaking my comments about Cyberpunk and your essay apart from the appreciation for the algorithm🙂 Plus it’s really long… I really enjoyed your insightful analysis of Cyberpunk 2077 and its exploration of transhumanism. I think it’s focus is a specific aspect of the humanity question you addressed: how can you be human in a dehumanizing system. The portrayal of irresponsible transhumanism is a part of it, combined with depiction of overwhelming consumerism, commodified sexuality and the power of the corporatocracy all contributing to the system. The game effectively captures the essence of this world through small details like the grotesque "hate your meat?" ads that highlight these dehumanizing trends. Notably, when you look closely, "cyberpsychos” are often revealed as victims of isolation and systemic stress not just by the technology - highlighting the interconnectedness of these issues The dreams and aspirations of our initial V, Jackie and several others are buy-in to the ‘Blaze of Glory’ choice (vs ‘quiet life’) and revolve around the pursuit of individual glory and status within Night City - ultimately prioritizing solo, isolated Legend status over connection. The endings that don’t focus on going with the Nomads along with possibly Judy (notably the only group and characters that prioritize human connection) all leave V fundamentally isolated and alone having bought into the false dreams propagated by their hyper-individualistic, hyper-capitalistic, and consumerist society. Returning to the theme of transhumanism, it is worth noting that the characters who value human connection the most tend to be the ones least ‘chipped’. The act of "chroming-up" represents an acceptance and integration into the corporate-controlled system, where individuals become products themselves. By surrendering their humanity, as V does in the "Devil" ending, they become enslaved by the very system they sought to thrive in. I notice a lot of players had a problem with their being no truly ‘happy’ ending, a choice that changes the status quo or big glory moment where you destroy it all a la throwing the One Ring into Mount Doom. But I think that’s the point. Regardless of the choices made, none of the endings fundamentally change or dismantle the dehumanizing system - just as Johnny’s actions nuking Arasaka 50 years earlier fundamentally changed nothing. The system persists.
P.S. I agree that it being part of the cyberpunk genre grants it a relevance not afforded fantasy, because as William Gibson said these things are a reflection of today’s world and concerns taken to the logical next step
This is a great essay about one of my two favorite games (the other is Horizon, so I love that essay as well) particularly for the narrative. Content about the medium of gaming is a sea of dudebro-style content that is often blind to the thematic, sociological and literary aspects and subtext in games so I really appreciate videos like yours. The quality of your content vs. it’s reach is criminal and would love to see your channel explode.
Breaking my comments about Cyberpunk and your essay apart from the appreciation for the algorithm🙂 Plus it’s really long…
I really enjoyed your insightful analysis of Cyberpunk 2077 and its exploration of transhumanism. I think it’s focus is a specific aspect of the humanity question you addressed: how can you be human in a dehumanizing system. The portrayal of irresponsible transhumanism is a part of it, combined with depiction of overwhelming consumerism, commodified sexuality and the power of the corporatocracy all contributing to the system.
The game effectively captures the essence of this world through small details like the grotesque "hate your meat?" ads that highlight these dehumanizing trends. Notably, when you look closely, "cyberpsychos” are often revealed as victims of isolation and systemic stress not just by the technology - highlighting the interconnectedness of these issues
The dreams and aspirations of our initial V, Jackie and several others are buy-in to the ‘Blaze of Glory’ choice (vs ‘quiet life’) and revolve around the pursuit of individual glory and status within Night City - ultimately prioritizing solo, isolated Legend status over connection. The endings that don’t focus on going with the Nomads along with possibly Judy (notably the only group and characters that prioritize human connection) all leave V fundamentally isolated and alone having bought into the false dreams propagated by their hyper-individualistic, hyper-capitalistic, and consumerist society.
Returning to the theme of transhumanism, it is worth noting that the characters who value human connection the most tend to be the ones least ‘chipped’. The act of "chroming-up" represents an acceptance and integration into the corporate-controlled system, where individuals become products themselves. By surrendering their humanity, as V does in the "Devil" ending, they become enslaved by the very system they sought to thrive in.
I notice a lot of players had a problem with their being no truly ‘happy’ ending, a choice that changes the status quo or big glory moment where you destroy it all a la throwing the One Ring into Mount Doom. But I think that’s the point. Regardless of the choices made, none of the endings fundamentally change or dismantle the dehumanizing system - just as Johnny’s actions nuking Arasaka 50 years earlier fundamentally changed nothing. The system persists.
P.S. I agree that it being part of the cyberpunk genre grants it a relevance not afforded fantasy, because as William Gibson said these things are a reflection of today’s world and concerns taken to the logical next step
Humanity never turns things around. The only exception is the Montreal Protocol with global extinction being the only other option.