this post was submitted on 04 Oct 2023
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[–] [email protected] 122 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (33 children)

I love the Cyberpunk 2077 universe. Ive played the TTRPG, the Game from CD Project Red, and loved the anime. But no way in hell would I want to actually live in Night City...

Cyberpunk 2077, the video game, is a great story partially because Night City is practically more a character than a setting. It consumes and shits out all who are bold or stupid enough to think they can make it there.

The person romanticizing their world has somehow missed every theme of the story. Immortality is only achievable by sacrificing every last bit of your humanity through either replacing every part of your body with chrome (Smasher), or through horrific body snatching tech (Soulkiller).

Illness does exist in Cyberpunk, many characters through the story refer to their sick relatives. V themself is portrayed as being sick after installing Soulkiller after the Arasaka heist with Jackie. Indeed, Soulkiller is portrayed like a high tech, fast acting cancer.

The world in Cyberpunk reflects a kind of criticism of capitalism in showing us how excessive the divides in economic and power dynamics can become if capitalism is left to rule unchecked by governmental power (i have not yet played phantom liberty, which I assume addresses in part the corrupted and futile attempts to restore governmental agency in a world that long has handed off the reigns to unfettered capitalists).

The characters generally live in squalor. Vs initial apartment is little more than a glorified closet in a bleak concrete monolith. Quality Health care is only available to those that can afford an ultra Premium plan, executed by a Military Style Medical Corporation. Otherwise, you're lucky if your loved ones' ashes are dispensed via a Vending Machine, as seen in the anime Edgerunners.

Again, love the game, love the anime and TTRPG. NEVER in a million years would I want to live in that universe... unless maybe it was a choice between there and literal Hell, cuz at that point the line of difference befween them starts to blur...and they end up looking the same.

[–] [email protected] 62 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Exactly, what's so grueling about the CP universe is that they have the tech and means of creating a utopia, but due to the extreme capitalism, corruption and overwhelming power of corporations nothing gets better. It's like everyone who cares just gave up on fixing that society and everyone is just fending for themselves.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 year ago

Exactly, what's so grueling about our universe is that they have the tech and means of creating a utopia, but due to the extreme capitalism, corruption and overwhelming power of corporations nothing gets better. It's like everyone who cares just gave up on fixing that society and everyone is just fending for themselves.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

I think it’s just that the psyche of the world just broke at some point and this is the remnants of a broken people.

At least LGBT people are well accepted, I suppose🤷🏿

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