Classic Sci-Fi Games That Predicted The Future
The sci-fi genre has always found ways to imagine what our futures could look like. From foreseeing resource shortages to close encounters with extraterrestrial beings, there are many possibilities and stories revolving around our potential paths. However, in some cases, those probabilities come true. This has happened several times in video games which has left gamers and non-gamers alike surprised, fascinated, and distur
Hideo Kojima loves movies and loves video games; it’s no surprise that he wants to combine the two. As players take on the journey of a delivery man across a fractured America, there is plenty of room for human connection when Sam Bridges meets other humans in person, despite his fear of to
Released in 1995, I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream is a point-and-click adventure set in a nightmarish apocalyptic future. Here, only a handful of people have been kept alive by a malignant genius artificial intelligence that seeks to torture and humiliate them endlessly. Players have to deal with disturbing ethical dilemmas that revolve around themes of genocide, abuse, insanity, and r
This extremely alien and unrecognizable vision of America arguably strengthens the game’s themes, instead of conflicting with them. Death Stranding’s resemblance to Iceland does not appear to be accidental. A PBS Nature episode called Iceland: Fire and Ice notes that " Iceland is a mere child in geologic terms ." Death Stranding predicted the future in a variety of ways, but with its geography, it reaches into the ancient past of the Earth. The game imagines an America reshaped by geological processes, with countless years compressed into the mere decades since the Death Stranding 2 missions Stranding event took place thanks to the influence of Timefall. The literal imagery of America is not recognizable to players familiar with the real-world country, while the game’s themes symbolize an America that is becoming something unrecognizable thanks to increasing polarization, as the population is spiritually separated by insurmountable political divi
What would one do if they could predict the future? Mankind has always encountered and been fascinated by soothsayers or those that demonstrate clairvoyance. The prophecies and declarations of individuals such as those of Nostradamus and Baba Vanga have stirred many people so deeply that their words are still regarded and discussed to this
Death Stranding 's prophetic story is maybe even more impressive than that of MGS . While issues like drone warfare, bloating online information, and digital surveillance were novel to audiences at the release of Metal Gear Solid 2 , they were part of smaller academic and theoretical conversations. Death Stranding is different in that its development began years before the world knew COVID-19 existed. Emotional themes about loneliness are nothing new, but the ways it portrays a global lockdown, fear of physical contact, and Sam's occupation are strikingly similar, lending credence to Kojima and his staff's capacity for storytell
Although it may seem like a fluke and it was not intentional, this demonstrates the potential and effects of what a solid algorithm can do. Imagine mapping the universe and discovering real planets all in the comforts of h
This analysis seems compelling, yet the AI is clearly still malicious. As such, it has been compared to the Cambridge Analytica scandal of the late 2010s that had the falsely righteous aim of improving society. The Metal Gear antagonist's real aim was censorship and control of information, just as Cambridge Analytica's data was used to push targeted campaigning for Facebook users. Additionally, it was doing so for the Patriot's aim of covertly controlling society, while Cambridge Analytica was covertly using power for far-right political campaigns. Kojima's story highlighted the dilemmas between security and freedom in data privacy long before it became a common is
With **Death Stranding , _ ** Kojima Productions made a point of setting the game in a ruinous future version of the United States of America, but the America depicted in the game bears little resemblance to the real-world country, though this does not lessen the game’s message or its impact. Where the actual USA is about 3,000 miles across from coast-to-coast, the map of America in _Death Stranding is estimated at roughly 200 to 500 miles from end to end. Prior to the game’s release, some theorized Death Stranding would be set in Iceland. The environment of Death Stranding certainly seemed to support the theory, with its prevalence of cliffs, black sand, moss, and lava rock formations. There are very few trees to be seen, and no conventional wildlife roams the land, making the game look very different from America’s geography - all of which is by des
When characters like Harley Quinn break into a mischievous grin, it feels all too real. Even when characters are speaking, it’s as if the team has taken an extra amount of care in their character designs to make sure everything works so well toget