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Dys to pia n V id eo G am es a n d H um an N atu re

By Ta ra Z ella m - J u ne 5 , 2 017

We have reached a point where video games are more varied than ever, with something out here for just

about everyone. There are dierent platforms, genres, categories, and niche markets that are consistently

expanding for gamers to consume as they please. With the expansion and variety, a sizable portion of the

market has been cornered by dystopian games. While the genre’s literary roots reach back to 1726 with

Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels , recent years have seen the exponential growth of dystopian environments

within video games.

“Dystopia” is a broad term with many denitions, each with their own merits. For this article, the denition I

have chosen to work with is: a dystopia is a community, world, or world state in which there is something

inherently wrong, frightening, or oppressive that is being or can be fought against. The possibility of hope and

potential for action are key features that set dystopias apart. We’ve seen it applied to books, lms, and TV

shows ( Ready Player One, Hunger Games, The Walking Dead ), but the world of video games is undoubtedly

holding its own in the dystopia department.

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To put the prevalence, popularity, and versatility of dystopian games into perspective, here are some

examples. BioShock gives us a steampunk landscape that seems to lack morals and pits science and humanity

against both themselves and each other. The Metro series ( Metro 2033, Metro: Last Light ) presents a landscape

laden with killer radiation that has sent humans underground where they are forced to hide from and ght

with mutants. Presentable Liberty  greets the player with the helplessness of isolation in a world where a super

virus/cure combination has eradicated humanity for the sake of money.  We Happy Few gives a retro-futuristic

view of just how far humans will push themselves and technology to run away from their guilt. Even the

recently released  Horizon: Zero Dawn undoubtedly ts the category: living in the carcass of a world that was far

more advanced, dealing with the creations left behind by the fallen masters without understanding how they

work, with human civilization a thing of the distant past.

Video games are more interactive than books and lms, making the dystopian phenomenon even more

intriguing when explored through this medium. Games make the player actively participate in the desolate

world state, whether it involves zombies, governmental corruption, or the complete eradication of human life

at the hands of machines. Instead of being a passive viewer that watches the story unfold, we get to

experience – and even shape – the world rsthand. Something draws us in, makes us want to take that world,

explore it, and then bend it to our wills.

Reasons that these types of worlds appeal to gamers are deeply rooted in psychology and human nature. The

games engage a part of us that many may not get to exercise in the day-to-day. They show the sides of

humanity and human nature that make us uncomfortable with certain possibilities. We can weep with joy or

rage at the truthful nature of the ctional world. Some showcase the same pessimistic view of human nature

as Thomas Hobbes . Hobbes philosophized that there is no true cooperation between individuals in the

absence of civilization; there is only a war of all against all with survival as the prize, as we have seen evidenced

in games like  Fallout . Putting humans into societies triggers a loss of innocence, allowing for the development

of right and wrong, just and unjust, and moral ethics. The societies introduced by dystopian games warp those

developments, putting players into a world where instead their own values are under attack.

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A common thread traced through dystopian games is survival. These games allow for players to esh out that

primal need to survive without such real, dire consequences. We learn to survive from how we are conditioned

– whether it is societal, parental, or otherwise – and apply it in any way that we can. These games put us in

uncomfortable situations where we must sharpen the survival sword, using it to ght against mutant creatures

and overbearing governments alike.

There are a few theories for the current popularity of dystopian worlds. One such theory is that dystopian

worlds give us hope that major change can start with an individual. Having games where our choices aect the

story and world makes the time we sink into them have a purpose. With everything that goes on in the world,

you may often hear the cliché phrase “What can I do about it? I’m just one person.” A lot of dystopian games

throw that helplessness out the window. They transform a weaker will into one that says that you can and

need to act if you want anything to change.

Another theory is that the human brain makes connections between that dystopian “future state” and the

current societal/political/economic state . People in today’s world can looked at the oppressive, problematic

scenarios of a ctional future and see the possible pathways humanity could take to reach the dystopian

destination. In the last century, the human race has seen more than its share of war, destruction, fear, and

conspiracies. Those societal experiences have conditioned us view these scenarios not with a sense of shock,

but understanding of the paths which could lead to these destinations. That preparedness of mind has

allowed for games to start players in an idyllic situation and rip it from them before they have a chance to

settle in, a tactic that The Last of Us brilliantly utilized.

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Seeing what we have, all the ways it can go wrong, and being intrigued by this potential for drastic change

allows dystopian worlds to grow in popularity. This theory implicates survival and resistance as tools that are

being ingrained within our psyches through life experiences. If we can make the connection between the

current state of the world and those dark worlds that we enjoy, any methods we use to x those digital worlds

can be seen as a form of preparing ourselves. If you look closely enough, and sometimes not far beneath the

surface, you can see the connections that these games have made to scenarios that are not so far-fetched.

What does the popularity of dystopias say about human nature? Are we so obsessed with death and

destruction that we need new ways to interact with them without lasting repercussions? Or are we so

fascinated with being heroes that we keep creating scenarios where our uneventful lives can turn into

something greater? Whichever is the case, human interaction with dystopian worlds is dened by deep-seeded

roots within human nature, and our inherent fascination with overcoming the obstacle of helplessness

presented by these scenarios.

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Tara Zellam

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