3. During the climax of the video - game The Mat rix : The pat h of Neo
(2005); the series writers and creators Andy and Larry Wachowski
burst on the screen as 8Bit Atari characters which are the digita l
representatio ns of their mental selves. Talking directly through the
fourth wall and address the player on a slight hindrance with video-
game adaptions of their films. They claim that martyrdom works in
film, but in a game its “lame”. Rather than N eo reaching the satori
state, agent Smith and his clones become mega - Smit h, the game’s final
boss. To understand why this is, we ne ed to compare how the two
mediums work.
In human interactio n, one of our most accumulated commodit ies
is story: Stories with life- cha nging advice, escapist drama or
adventures into the fantastic or the contemporary: All with narratives
that can engage us in theologica l, ideologica l debate, with critical
thinking after the digest. In today’s three main mediums of narrative
storytelli ng, these being books, films, and video - games, the reader,
viewer, or participant must follow a character or characters through
their journey. After the birth of cinema, narrative storytelling change
to incorporate the moving image: The edited montage of compressed
time shown as a viewable piece of entertainme nt, which would be
accused by large portions of the populous in destroying the written
format in integr it y and respect, but would eventua lly be given a
justified position in the public zeitge ist as a worthwhile, intellige nt,
and provocative art form and storytelli ng medium.
Very much like early cinema, video- games were considered
nothing more than a fun, interesting spectacle, but with no real
contribut io n to the world. N ow in 2013, the video - game industr y and
their products are just as critically engaged, reviewed, and in many
ways publicall y regarded in the same way as film. In 2013 the video -
game ‘Grand Theft Auto V’ (2013) became the most profitable, most
units- sold piece of electronic entertainme nt in history, grossing over
one- billio n dollars in just 15 days of its release. Film has been the
dominant form of entertainme nt for the last half century, now video -
games are showing the capabilit y of taking the lead. Could this be
because computer- games gives its audience somethin g that film never
could: Choice?
Although choice in gaming is not constrained to video - games
entirely; with the likes of the board - game role- playing games and test
your fate books. Video - games delivered a much more open feel to the
experience that the player creates. This allows for real- time feedback
of the consequences of their choices: A way to explore the results of
their own moral ideologies, and explore escapist role - playing and
inhabit i ng a character that doesn’t conform morally or ethically to the
ideologies or practices of the pla yer or society. Video - games allow a
4. player to shoot and kill another human- being, hijack a car, or hold up a
bank; then deal with the consequences of those actions. Committ i ng a
digita l murder will have repercussions in the game world, the narrative
changes due to a character being killed, and police being sent to hunt
the player down. Regardless to whether or not the player ideologica l ly
agrees with the actions being done, it is the players’ choice to engage
in those actions, to escape and engage in a fant asy, as opposed to
simply reading or watching it in a book or film.
This report will critically analyse the audience member’s abilit y
to observe and/or participate with the main character; our proxy in
each of these mediums going into greater detail on differenc es in
practise such as; Film forces the viewer to see though processes on the
character's faces. (Providing the direction and acting is good), a nd in
games the player is sometime s made to perform the thought process ; he
or she won't see the thought process. They create the action on the
screen creating their own experience. But they do get the satisfactio n
of completio n and get to make choices that can alter the interact ive
narrative experience . A comparison is required to better explore the
outcomes of the differe nt media, what happens when a character
performs an action, in relation to what happens when a player choices
to perform the same action. To better compare the mediums of film and
video- game; a comparison of two examples with simila r stories will be
presented. ‘The Mat rix ’ film trilogy (1999 - 2003) and the videogame
‘Deus Ex ’ (2000).
When your only tool is a hammer, then all your problems start to
look like nails. By flipp ing the analysis parameters to analyse The
Mat rix (1999) as a video - game, and analyse Deus Ex (2000) as a movie,
this report will reveal some interest ing outcomes that will reveal how
the ideologies of the ancient Greeks, N ietzsche, Voltaire, and
Baudrillard cross over into both mediums in identica l and differe nt
ways.
“A man choses, a slave obeys.” – Andrew Ryan
(Bioshock , 2007)
5.
6. Chapter 1: Nietzsche’s Übermensch, Baudrillard’s Nihilism,
and the Greek’s Deus Ex Machina
7. Deus Ex (2000) and The Mat rix (1999), The Mat rix Reloaded
(2003), and The Mat rix Rev olut ions (2003); follow a simila r plot. Both
are Cyberpunk action orientate d stories about the rise of a single
individ ua l who embodies the characterist ics of Frederick N ietzsche’s
concept of the Ü bermensch and the Deus Ex Machina. Ü bermensch can
be translated in three relevant ways; superhuma n, over - human, and
beyond- huma n. N ietzsche’s famous comment “God is dead” (Strathern,
1996:6) will also play into this comparison. N ietzsche’s concept of the
‘Eternal recurrence’ plays into The Mat rix (1999) plot as N eo is born
again and again, living different existences that have the same purpose.
“When God died, there was still N ietzsche to say so - The nihilist
before the Eternal and the cadaver of the Eternal.” (Baudrilla rd,
2010:159). When N ietzsche said “God is dead”, he wasn’t only
referring to Christia nit y or any deity; he was also referring t o
governme nt and over oppressive authoritar ia n bodies. François- Marie
Arouet or ‘Voltaire’ as he is better known; is a French philosopher that
said “If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him.” By
taking God as the embodime nt of oppressive authorita r ia n bodies, then
Voltaire’s statement that “if God didn’t exist, it would be necessary to
invent him” means that we, the people, would create an oppressive
body or governme nt to create the authorit y figure in our societies. Both
of these ideologies are integral to the plot and themes of both The
Mat rix Trilogy (1999 – 2003) and Deus Ex (2000). Jean Baudrillard
called N ihilis m a post- modernit y epoch which is a rejection of theism;
a rejection of Abrahamic deities and religio ns. Returning to N ietzsche
his concept of ‘Will to power’ is also an important concept that runs
through The Mat rix Trilogy (1999 – 2003) and many video - games not
confined to Deus Ex (2000). The ‘will to power’ is what N ietzsche said
to be the main driving force in human- beings : the desire achieveme nt,
gain and use ambitio n, and strive to reach the highes t possible position
in life. “He developed it (the Will to power concept) from two main
sources: Schopenhauer and the ancient Greeks” (Strathern. 1996 - 29).
“N ow in order from the outset to avoid the vacuity of the word “Will, ”
N ietzsche says “Will to power.” Every willing is a willi ng to be more.”
(Heidegger, 1984- 60) Finally the Deus Ex Machina, translated from
Latin reads ‘God from the machine ’. The God from the machine is a
writing tool still used today, dating back to the writing of the Greek
tragedy’s, it is the use of a character who shows up at the end of the
story and ‘wraps’ everythin g up, fixing the problem and plugging up
any plot holes.
Both stories follow an everyman protagonist going through a
quest of enlighte nme nt and becoming a form of ‘superman’ through the
will to power as they become aware of the rules of their respected
worlds and the governing bodies that control them before meeting
8. actual Gods from the machine and themselves becoming Deus Ex
Machina. Deus Ex (2000) is the story of JC Denton, a rookie recruit of
UN ATCO ; (United nation’s anti- terroris t collatio n organisat io n.)
Taking place in 2052 in the dystopian cyberpunk future of an America
under terrorist threat, JC is the second prototype of N ano -
Augmentat io n agent, he is second due to being a clone of his elder
sibling; Paul. An allus io n to the apostle Paul; JC is a manifes tat io n of
N ietzsche’s eternal reoccurrence, being reincarnat ed again and again.
N ano- Augmentat io n being a form of biologica l s cience blending human
tissue with technologica l upgrades, it is a theorised method of trans -
humanis m {H+³}. This is the game’s method of player upgrade and
progression. JC can upgrade his legs and jump higher or run silent ly,
upgrade his heart and he can r un longer or heal himse lf with nano - bots
in his blood This is akin to Power to will, the human race working to
better themselve s through the will of technologica l advancement to
better the species. After working with UN ATCO to “deal” with terrorist
threats, JC starts to believe something else is going on behind the
scenes and uncovers a conspiracy against mankind. The elite and the
wealthy of the K nights Templar, an offshoot on the illumi nat i have
developed a plague and antidote and infected the world with the “Grey
Death”. Controlling the vaccine has given them power over the people
and control over what groups should survive and live in their new
world. These are the ‘Gods’ that N ietzsche would reject, and the player
and character JC must also rebel agains t, fight i ng for freedom. JC
embarks on his quest to make the cure accessible to all and destroy the
K nights Templar.
The Mat rix (1999) Follows Thomas (N eo) Anderson. A hacker in
an unnamed seemingl y American city in 1999, he feels acutely aware
that something is not right with his world and scours the internet for
infor mat io n that could better give him control and understanding of his
life. After being caught by some agents of the “System” N eo is
questioned if he knows anything about the whereabouts of a terrorist
known as Morpheus. N eo rebels against the system and denies the
agents any infor mat io n and demands his human rights be met. The
systems fights back and bug N eo and let him lose, hoping to trace him
to Morpheus. N eo is then approached by Trinit y; a hacker who claims
to have found the answers that N eo has been searching for, a meeting
with Morpheus can answer N eo’s questions and show him the truth.
Upon meeting Morpheus, N eo is infor med that he is trapped in a
computer simula t io n prison that keeps the human race subservie nt to
machines using them for power. N eo is given a choice, take a blue pill
and live out his life believing whatever he wants to believe, or ta ke a
red pill and find out the truth at great risk. (Figure: 1) Choosing the
red pill, Morpheus hacks N eo o ut of the matrix and infor ms him that he
9. believes N eo is the one, someone who can change the nature of the
Matrix at will and liberate the human race from their prison and end
the war with the machines. With that, N eo begins that quest.
(Figure : 1) To rebel; is a choice. The Mat rix (1999)
Both The Mat rix (1999) and Deus Ex (2000) contain themes of
controlled underdogs trying to break free, systems of control keeping
everyone ignorant and down to mainta in their elitis m with their
agendas, and their protagonists are beyond human or have the potential
to transcend human limitat io n; to become N ietzsche’s conce pt of the
Ü bermensch with the Will to power. Improving and transforming
oneself into a form of superman. However it veers away from
N ietzsche’s origina l ideologies somewhat : “N ietzsche’s superman had
nothing whatsoever to do with the cloaked figure who flies through the
skies of comic books.” (Strathern, 1996- 32) The Ü bermensch wasn’t
constrained init ia ll y to the values of black and white moralit y. Rather
it was the embrace of trans- huma nist practices of ideology in an atheist
mentalit y. “N ietzsc he preaches nothing less than the overthrow of
Christia n values: each individ ua l must take absolute responsibil it y for
his own actions in a godless work. He must make his own values in
unfettered freedom” (Strathern, 1996 - 32)
In an email correspondence with Warren Spector, Deus Ex (2000)
designer and producer: I questioned him to see if the superman
ideology was present in the design phase of the game.
>>N H: I find that both The Mat rix (1999) and Deus
Ex (2000) have a common theme of wanting to become
superman, both JC and N eo become gods of the machine
through a journey of trans- huma nis m. What are your
10. thoughts on this and do you believe that games deliver
this fantasy well?
>>WS: I can't speak to the goals of the creators of
The Mat rix (1999) but I can tell you the desire to become
a superman was never part of my (or the team's) think ing
on Deus Ex (2000). We were exploring several critical
questions in the game but the most important, to me, was
this: "What does it mean to be human? " At some point,
human augmentat io n makes us inhuma n. Where is that
point? What are the ramifica t io ns of crossing that line?
How much autonomy and/or power should we give the
machine in our lives? That's not a superman fantasy. It's
a cultura l shift we have to negotiate carefully or be hoist
by our own petards. <<
Although the focus towards creating a superman is claimed to be
false, it is fair to point out that the game’s main writer was Sheldon
Pacotti, not to mentio n that like in film, ideologies from other team
members can slip by unnoticed. But by dissecting Spector’s stated
goals for the project, it does return to N ietzsche’s philosophy. The
super man or Ü bermensch isn’t constrained by black and white moralit y
with absolute responsibilit y in a godless world of unfettered freedom.
The liquid notion of what makes us human is subje ctive to each
individ ua l member of society. The lines between human, inhuma n, and
superhuma n shift radically from one person to the next: So the
challenge of whether or not JC is a superman fantasy or a warning of
inhuma nit y is very much a variable of the consumer/p la yer, based
entirely on their own experiences, ideologies, and morals; with the
ramifica t io ns having varying impact on different players.
The machine in our lives has already happened arguably through
the advent of mobile devices, social networking, constantly plugged
into the internet ; even wearing a wristwatch is a form of augmenta t io n,
substitut i ng our interna l body clocks for an external device. Arguably
this has already changed the human form into something post - human.
We are already augment ing ourselves, adapting and evolving
independent l y of natural stimul i and free of God in the Abrahamic
sense. But it could also be claimed that we are already creating a God
or machine to rebel against, due to our reliance on these augmenta t io ns
such as the internet and smartphones. But this is N ietzsche’s Will to
Power in action, we are willing to improve ourselves through cosmetic
alterations to ourselves, as a society we are both harmed but bettered
by contently being in contact with the rest of t he world, and being able
to download any informa t io n we desire at anytime, anywhere. Is the
line where JC’s augmentat io ns of better limb strength and resilie nce to
11. harm? This again is subjective to the ideologie s and morals of the
player and individ ua ls wo rldwide.
Deus Ex (2000) approaches the problem of individ ua l players
with differe nt moral values by allowing for three ideologica l ly
differe nt endings to the story: A ‘Dark age’ ending, an ‘Illumina t i’
ending, and the ‘Deus Ex Machina’ ending. With thes e differe nt
endings and design mentalit y of freedom of choice in relation to
problem solving. The player feels that not only the choices they made
were relevant and meaningful, but that they aren’t completely
constrained by the moralit y of the author in re lation to the narrative,
but aren’t constrained by moralit y in their approach to playing the
game. But regardless of the players’ morals, the story is that of an
oppressed underdog who comes to see the world for what it really is
and goes to fight the N ietzsche gods. Regardless of the players’
choices and morals, the player must fight the gods because they are
inherent l y evil by the standards of N ietzsche and the author.
Syst em Shock 2 (1999); Deus Ex ’s (2000) pseudo- processor
demonstrated the same theme through a subtle detail in an exaggerated
design of a level in the game. The inverted crucifor m in the upside -
down chapel represents two themes (Figure: 2), the theme of chaos and
loss of values in faith and order, and the rebellion against control. The
game deals with two villa ins, SHO DAN an artific ia l intelli ge nce
delusiona l with ideas of godhood, and a hive - mind entity referring to
it- self as “the many”; a biologica l organism which has socialist and
communist ideologies. Syst em Shock 2 (1999) contains a single dictator
and a body that lacks individ ua lit y, both extremes of control that the
player/protago nist fights against. SHO DAN believes herself to be a
god; she attempts to better the human species through biologica l
experime nts. SHO DAN was born out of the actions of the protagonist
of Syst em Shock (1994) where the ‘hacker’ removed the ethical
subroutines from SHO DAN ’S programming, resulting in SHO DAN
being unhinder ed by human control. So fight ing SHO DAN is to an
extent the fight ing of God and a vicious monster.
12. (Figure : 2) Fighting God; in a Godless world. Syst em Shock 2 (1999)
But Deus Ex (2000) and the Mat rix Trilogy (1999 – 2003) give
the player in the former and the protagonist in the latter choices.
Syst em Shock 2 (1999) is a linear story that doesn’t give the player the
abilit y not to rebel. Scott Rigby discusses in his book G lued t o G am es
why we play video- games. His answer is we play for three reasons, to
satisfy our competence, Autonomy, and Relatedness needs. If Syst em
Shock 2 (1999) gives us a fix in competence, then Deus Ex (2000) and
The Mat rix (1999) both utilise the theme of Autono my.
14. Autonomy is a concept of the capacity of a rational individ ua l to
make an informed, un- coerced decision.
(Figure : 3) “Choice, the problem is choice.” The Mat rix : Reloaded
(2003)
“Isn’t it true that just imagining having more freedom and choice
in your life brings a feeling of vitalit y and sometimes even longing? ”
(Rigby, 2011:39). Scott Rigby’s question seems rather rhetorical in
nature, but it is the fundame nta l idea of autonomy. Those who reject
determinis m, follow Baudrilla rd’s concept of post - modernist ic
nihilis m, are atheist in belief, or all of the above; embrace the theology
of free- will (Figure : 3). Themes of autonomy show up thematica l ly in
both Deus Ex and The Mat rix , an interest ing, possibly deliberate
contradictio n made by Morpheus in The Mat rix around the concept of
fate. Morpheus asks N eo “Do you believe in fate?” to w hich N eo
replies no; claiming that the concept of an outside force controlling his
life is farfetched. Morpheus concurs w ith N eo, claiming he agrees,
however later on Morpheus states that “fate – is not without a sense of
irony” and goes on to talk about the prophecy of the one. This is a
blatant contradictio n of Morpheus’s belief in free - will. “As with
competence, if autonomy is truly an intrins ic motivat io na l need, we’d
see it in many domains of life – deepening positive feelings and
motivat io n where it exists and seeing negative consequences when it is
thwarted.” (Rigby, 2001:41). During the clima x of The Mat rix : The
Pat h of Neo (2005) the Atari- character versions of the Wachowskis
explain that:
15. “The real reason we’re here is to discuss the big problem
we faced turning these three movies into a video - game:
At this point in the story N eo stands on the verge of
satori; ready to resolve the paradox of choice and
choicelessness, free- will and fate, but this can only be
done through an act of surrender.”
– Larry Wachowsk i (The Mat rix : The Pat h of Neo –
2005)
Already in the games clima x the brothers stated that “Martyrdom
is lame in a video- game ” the story had to change to allow for the
player to win and “kick some ass” as the brothers put it, as this is how
a video- game should end. (The Mat rix : The Pat h of Neo – 2005).
However one of the endings to Deus Ex (2000) involve s the
player choosing to merge with JC with Helios and become truly capable
of understand ing humanit y and taking them on a course of trans -
humanis t evolutio n through benevolent dictatorship. Helios in Greek
mytholo gy is the embodiment of the sun and in the cannon of Deus Ex
want to bring the new day to the human race: Believi ng that thro ugh
historica l evidence that humanit y will inevitab l y self- destroy with a
guiding leader to control them. By choosing the Helios ending to the
game, Voltaire’s statement “if god didn’t exist, it would be necessary
to invent him” comes full circle. We creat e the control that we so
readily rebel against. JC’s sacrifice is a form of Martyrdom that
wouldn’t work in a video - game according to the Wachowskis. But it is
the most favoured of all endings to the game in fan- circles, and the
sequel Deus Ex : Inv isible War (2003) follows on from this ending. Why
is the martyrdom possible in Deus Ex (2000) and considered a ‘good
ending’? Because the player made the choice; just like N eo in the film.
In The Mat rix Rev olut ions (2003) N eo meets the Deus Ex Machina at
the climax of the story. O ffering to end the war by ridding the matrix
of the Smith virus : N eo ultima te ly sacrifice s him- self to free humanit y.
In comparison with JC’s sacrifice, N eo removes god’s influe nce on the
people giving them control; JC however, becomes a god to control the
people benevolent ly. The endings of Deus Ex (2000) and The Mat rix
Trilogy (2003) are simply at opposing ends of the autonomy cycle:
N ietzsche’s eternal reoccurrence; as N eo is reborn and JC is a clone
and is cloned again. Proving that rebellio n against gods is a
reoccurance in these games, in Deus Ex : Inv isible War (2003) the
player can rebel against JC/Helios, rejecting dictatorship regardless of
its benevolance or moral intent. Although these protagonists deny the
presence of fate, they do have to contemplate the possibilit y that
determinis m is effecting their actions. Although Morpheus contradicts
himse lf, this is a deliberate error because the theologica l debate
16. between determinis m and free - will is a persistent real world argument
that The Mat rix Trilogy (1999 – 2003) addresses.
Being that determinis m to an extent is the metaphys ica l
embodime nt of control, in autonomy it is then plausib le that we would
fight against the ideas of fate. N eo constantly is fight ing the ceiling of
choice; red pill or blue pill, save Morpheus or save himse lf, save
trinit y or save him, left door or right door, save trinit y or save
humank ind. A thematic theme of The Mat rix (1999) is the “Illus io n of
choice”; an illus io n that plagues video - game design. However in The
Mat rix : The Pat h of Neo (2005) it is possible to make some of these
choices yourself, for example taking the red pill or the blue pill.
(Figure : 4)
(Figure : 4) Choice not free. The Mat rix : The Pat h of Neo (2005)
For a film, a linear experience that moves from point A to B to C
to D, the illus io n of choice is only in the mind of the protagonist, the
audience has already resigned any ideas of control over the narrative
and story. But a video - game like Deus Ex (2000) which presents itself
as a non- linear story in which the player can make decisions that will
influe nc e the narrative and the world therein is built on smoke and
mirrors; illus io ns. Most notably the illus io n of choice is presented in
the form of conversatio na l trees: A conversationa l tree is the mechanic
of diplomat ic gameplay, you converse with a character and the player
is presented with two to four options in retort. The game makes a note
of the choice you made and responds with the appropriate response
17. from the character you are conversing with. “Whiche ver the player
choices, a segment of the scene is triggered which relates to that
choice.” (Ince, 2006 - 81) From a technica l point of view this is very
cold, but in relation to Rigby’s autonomy, it gives the player
satisfact io n in that area. Players feel like the choice they made had
weight and relevance, it mattered and affected the story and change the
presented to reflect their choices. But is it true freedom? N o. A film
follow a linear path, games can also follow this mechanic of
storytelli ng. (Figure : 5)
(Figure :5) A linear path.
In a game the player or viewer still follows pre- determined paths laid
out by the designer or filmmaker ; reflecting their own academic and
design biases. The player isn’t free to make a choice; they are forced
to make a choice. It is ironic that the basic fundame nta l core design
element of autonomy would be subverted and undermined in a medium
that promises to do the exact opposite of what it achieves. (Figure : 6)
(Figure :6) A non- linear path with mult ip le outcomes.
18. “In a very pure sense, this would be the ideal situation
from the player’s point of view – having complete
control over the unfolding story – but the practicalities
make it impossib le to create.” (Ince, 2006 – 51)
However this technica l issue resulting from memory capacity of
optical mediums, budgets and talents of the design team, and how much
time in the day there is to create a product is a rguably isn’t the illus io n
of choice, but the illus io n of free choice. An element of comparison
occurs in The Mat rix : Reloaded (2003) when N eo meets the Architect :
N eo is presented with a lot of informa t io n in the Architect scene.
The prophecy of the one is revealed to be another level of behaviour a l
control to keep a chain of events in motion, the ultima te purpose of the
one is to return to the matrix and choose the next generatio n of “Free
minds” to start the next cycle, and is then presented with a choice. The
door on his left will lead to the conclusio n of the prophecy and
complete the cycle to start a new, humanit y will continue in slavery but
continue none the less. O r go through the door on his right and save the
woman he loves, rebel against his “destiny” and cause the death of the
entire human species. But this is an illus io n, how many choice s does
N eo really have? N eo is blinded by the rules of the system that he
believes that there are only two choices, what stops him from denying
to make the choice altogether, kill the architect, or kill himse lf? This
is the exact problem that gives video - autono my a problem in
applicatio n today.
This is the paradox of determinis m and free - will collid ing
together, N eo’s path is laid out for him and he follows it obediently,
although ignorant of it, and is then presented with a choice. JC faces
the same problem; if his existence is solely to provide a vessel in
which Helios can interact and understand humanit y, then to be given a
choice to reject his fate is paradoxically problemat ic considering his
purpose. Fundamenta ll y JC’s rejection comes from the external source
of the player and their own moral and ethical views, it is the player
who can ultimate l y create this paradox out of rebellio n of the systems
of fate and control and pursue other ventures that closer match their
own preferences. N eo on the other hand, don’t have any external
influe nc es, although one could argue that the author and his or her
morals are the external influe nce, N eo’s character design is tailored to
attempt to avoid this in a similar way JC is designed.
A key element of preventing the player from being disillus io ned
from the protagonist they play as is to avoid the character from doing
actions that contradict what the player has learnt or is feeling. JC talks
19. in a very monotone manner, he doesn’t express anger, hate, or joy. This
is because if the player feels one way, but the character acts in a
contradictory way, then a barrier will go up between the player and the
character. If JC is angry and the player isn’t, this is going to cause a
translat io na l problem in emotiona l and causative feedback between the
player and the game. N eo is portrayed in a similar manner, he speaks in
a monotone fashion, he rarely shows elevated emotion, he acts and
talks in a similar fashion to JC. N eo is the audience’s proxy into the
world of the matrix, they see what he sees, they experience what he
experiences. But if his reactions don’t match the viewers, then once
again a barrier goes up before the viewer and the film.
Through their quests, JC and N eo both attain satori; they reach
enlight e nme nt and become Deus Ex Machina in two ways. Both JC and
N eo link with literal machine gods, Helios and the Deus Ex Machina
respectivle y, but there joining with these two machines that popped up
at the end of the story as Greek Deus Ex Machina plot devices, they
themselves become that story telling device. JC resolves the problem of
agents of materia lis t ic accumila t io n from attaining godhood and
becomes a benevolant dictator that will lead humanit y to the better
path. The game ends with Voltaire’s quote “If god didnt e xist, it would
be nessacary to invent him.” And with that game ends. N eo saves the
matrix from the smith virus in exchange for peace with humanit y and
the release of those who do not wish to stay in the matrix program.
Resolving the issue and fulfil li ng his destiny through an act of
martyrdom.
JC and N eo achieve what so many of us in the western world
strive to do, become supermen, fight evil, fix problems. They are
embodime nts of our interna l desires and our social needs.
21. Steve Rigby states that the three reasons we play video - games are
to satisfy the needs of competence, autonomy, and relatedness. The
three can stand alone or work together in combinat io n. (Figure: 7)
Relatedness
Competence Autonomy
(Figure : 7) The trinit y of needs.
The majority of games coming out of the eastern world, namely
Japan; are rhythmic games and dating simulat io ns. This is due to the
culture of Japan. Japanese men now are substitut i ng relations hips with
real people for dating simula t io n software to satisfy their relatedness
needs. After a quick scan of the apple app store, western store searches
for ‘XXX’ came back with a plethora of strip poker games and
K amasutra guides, all games that are either casual games with a sexual
aesthetic or games for two playe rs. Searching the eastern store with the
same search parameters of ‘XXX’ came back with a menager ie of
dating simulat io ns and virtua l girlfr ie nds. This is down to the state of
cultura l affairs going on in the east. “Research has found that female
protagonists are presented as sex objects more often than male
protagonists ; they are more hyper sexualized, with exaggerated female
bodies; and they are more often presented partially or fully nude than
male characters.” (Corneliusse n, 2008 - 67) Japanese men aren’t getting
married because of the lack of involve me nt they have in marriages they
spend radically high work hours to support. Video - games are providing
them with substitut io ns. Remnants and artefacts of this can be seen in
Japanese exports to western countr ies. Women in imported games are
hyper- sexua lised not due to an objectifica t io n out of malice, but out of
cultura l need in its male citizens. “The truth is that the average age of
MMO RPG (Massive Multip la yer O nline Role Playing Game) players is
around 26. In fact, only 25 percent of players are teenagers. About 50
percent of players work full time. About 36 percent of players are
married, and 22 percent have childre n. ” (Cornelius se n, 2008 - 6) “This
need for relatedness occurs in all of us, requiring no exter nal
incent ive. We are simply evolved to connect and feel like we belong.”
(Rigby. 2011- 65)
Across the whole world, relatedness needs are satisfied by
mult ip la ye r gaming, the likes of St arcraf t (1998) and Team Fort ress 2
(2007) are the prime candidates for mult ip la yer cross - world relatedness
today. “Video games offer a strong opportunit y to instant ly connect
22. and experience companio ns hip in these ways. Sitting here at my desk, I
could enter a multip la yer game and be with friends within 60 seconds.”
(Rigby, 2001- 66) Relatedness is the only need that is satisfied across
the world in requireme nt. Games of competence are more constrained to
the east, whils t games of autonomy are constrained to the west. Why?
“There is the simple fact that Blizza rd (creators of St arcraf t (1997)) is
an American company, which likely influe nces its tendency to
construct its games’ ethnocult ura l schema along the lines of Western –
particular l y American – social ideologies. ” (Langer, 2008 - 89) St arcraf t
(1997) and World of Warcraf t (2004) both created by Blizza rd
entertainme nt are games that embrace the concept of autonomy twinned
with competence, World of Warcraf t (2004) does give a more global
sense of relatedness being that it is a MMO RPG whereas St arcraf t
(1997) and more recently St arcraf t 2 (2010) lean more towards
autonomy than its predecessors : Giving the player more freedom to
augment their experience and constructed narrative through a series of
choices in the gameplay and characters decisions on how should live
and who should die, which has a lasting impressio n on the games play
though making the choices relevant. This is the design basis for Deus
Ex (2000) which was created by an American company that was called
Ion Storm Austin. Warren Spector, designer on Deus Ex (2000)
explains that “Electro nic games welcome intellige nce and
improvisat io na l abilit ies of the player ( they are used to let the player)
direct their own, unique experiences – empower the player to make
their own choices – and deal with the consequences of those choices.”
(N ewman, 2009- 33&34)
“Early in the Christian era, philosophy fell asleep. –
Philosophy was rudely awakened from these medieval
slumbers in the seventeenth century by the arrival of
Descartes, with his declaration ‘Congito ergo sum’ (I
think, therefore I am). An age of enlightenment had
begun: knowledge was based on reason.” (Strathern,
1996- 1)
Atheist scientis ts are celebrates today, N eill DeGrasse Tyson,
Carl Sagan, Bill N ye, and Michio K aku, and so on. There is a large
increase in the amount of western citizens that are r ejecting deism and
adopting other forms of theology: Hedonism, Existent ia lis m, and
N ihilis m. People are trying to find solace in a godless, meaningless
universe and live a life free of God and/or Gods. The only Gods they
answer to are their bosses, their governme nt s, and their social media.
Rejecting fate and determinis m in favour of the more seductive free -
will and ambitio n of improving themselves, they’re social and
23. professiona l status and their understand ing of the world therein. People
strive to be in control of their own lives now that they can’t be held
accountable by God, and that their lives are not guided by fate.
However in the real world, our abilit y to make choices are hindered by
living requireme nts : We need to work to feed, clothe, and house
ourselves. We must abide by the law to be assimila ted into society.
Work and abiding the law leaves us with less time and freedom of
choice, so we need an autonomy outlet. Video - games help deliver that
outlet.
The public however like JC and N eo, feel instinc t ive l y that
something is wrong in our society. O ur awakening in logic opened our
minds to treat governme nt and corporate divulged infor mat io n with a
level of scepticis m and to filter out the lies. The internet opened up a
wealth of infor mat io n that allows people to be wiser to the world
around them. Like Atheist activist s fight the Abrahamic Gods, the post-
modernist ic nihilist activist s fight against the Voltarian Gods through
cyber- warfare and anarchist demonstratio ns like that of Hacktivis m.
Another large demographic of the characters and populous of The
Mat rix (1999) and Deus Ex (2000) are the hackers: Those who break
into security systems and computer networks to gather sensitive
infor mat io n or make changes. In The Mat rix most of the hackers are
hacktivists. “A hacktivist is a hacker who utilize s technology to
announce a social, ideologica l, religio us, or politica l message. In
general, most hacktivis m involves website defacement or denial- of-
service attacks. ” (Wikipedia). The crew of the N ebuchadnezza r in The
Mat rix are all hackers, either in meatspace or cyberspace. All pursuing
the ideologica l and politica l agenda of showing the people what the
world really is. “(Hacktivis m) is carried out under the premise that
proper use of technolo gy can produce results simila r to those of
conventio na l acts of protest, activis m, and civil disobedience. ”
(Wikipedia). Being that cyberpunk themes often includ e people being
‘jacked- in’ and always connected to forms of technology and social
media, hacktivis m when compared with real- world events can be seen
in the internet attacks by hacktivis t group; Anonymo us. The
Wachowskis have used hacktivis m on another occasion outside of The
Mat rix films, in V f or Vendet t a (2005) we see the protagonist anarchist,
V as he hacks into a nationw ide news room and sends out a message of
libertar ia n and anarchist promotion, encouraging the masses to rise up
against their governme nt.
In Deus Ex (2000) the player is the hacker, able to hack into
personal computers and read emails, break into security networks and
reprogram militar y robots and automated gun- turrets to fight for you,
and uncover the hidden motives and agendas of o ther characters in the
game. The player can become a hacktivis t and make choices on how to
24. solve problems and which allegia nc e they wish to inform and aid in
their own endeavours if the player agrees with them. But in both Deus
Ex (2000) and The Mat rix (1999) the system is able to trace the
hacktivis m back to the hacker: Agent Smith traces N eo’s attempts to
find informa t io n on Morpheus, and the Helios AI in Deus Ex (2000)
traces JC to Paris and monitors his communica t io ns infor ming JC’S
enemies of his actions, location, and intentio ns.
These mediums are not only trying to raise our cultura l awareness
of post- human dangers, but the dangers of naivety in the face of
governme nt and technology. The audience is warned about conformit y
in the face of diluted infor ma t io n being regurgita ted to us by faceless
media that may have agendas. They want us to become supermen not
because we can, but because we should. People have become docile and
dependant on things they don’t quite understand, and trust God in a
way that lacks the adequate scepticis m it deserves. Are we at a
standstill? If so we need to grasp and use the Will to power, even if its
definit io na l requireme nts today have altered since N ietzsche’s origina l
declaration.
It is in our nature to rebel against authorit y and choiceless ness.
It is our nature to endeavour to become more than human. And it is in
our nature to want freedom of choice and feel that our choices had
relevance and impact. It is a cultural need of the western world to
become, even in forms of escapism, superman. N eo and JC are not only
our proxies into worlds and quests that reflect our cultura l need to
reach satori and express the willing to improve ourselves. But they
stand as example, showing us to collate and assimilate as much
infor mat io n as possible, ubiquito us ly so. They tell us to improve on
ourselves and our abilit y to survive in a hostile godless universe. But
they also stand as warnings, the perils of determinis m and what will
happen if Voltaire’s statement comes to fruit io n, we will rebel against
God.
26. The use of different entertainme nt formats are to cater to
differe nt individ ua l needs like different genres cater to our emotiona l
needs. We watch horror films to be scared, romantic tragedies to cry,
and superhero movies to achieve an e scapist high. Using video - games
is a way for us to cater to our autonomy and give us a sense of freedom
and abilit y to make choices in our lives. We in the western- word favour
the videogames that give us feelings of autonomy; because these are
the human needs in our society that we need to satisfy. Why do we
empathies with the underdog? Because we all dream of breaking free of
our mundane lives and becoming a superman, free of social stigmas and
capable of being individ ua ls rebelling against systems of authorit y and
control. In video- gaming we are the architects of our own amusement,
we to extent become gods, driving the narrative forward and shaping
the experience to our needs. Comparing Deus Ex (2000) and The Mat rix
Trilogy (1999 – 2003) has revealed that they are both social
commentar ies on autonomic needs of the people, the need to wake up,
the need to be aware, and the need to be free of God and authoritar ia n
bodies.
In many aspects of social culture we dive into anti- confo r mist
groups, we try to be unique and stay clear of the systems of authorit y
and control. Like JC in Deus Ex (2000) and like N eo and the rest of the
“free minds” in The Mat rix . (1999) If there was nothing to fight
against, we would create it in Voltaire’s opinion. As time goes by and
our entertainme nt and educationa l tools improve, our abilit y to convey
this message and help people to satisfy our needs will get better. But
for now, we read books, watch movies, and play games to educate
ourselves and escape into fantasy lives and sett ings. The people in
western culture yearn for control over their own lives and achieve god -
hood through autonomy and the Will to Power. “- with the advent of
mobile computing – new forms of games, called “augme nted reality”
will go even further – overlaying virtua l content into the molecula r
world in an effort to make “real” life more interest ing and exciting.
(Rigby, 2011- 103)
We need autonomy and Ü bermensch ideologies in our media as
well as our lives, because they inform us as well as entertain us. We
need freedom of choice, we need to question the outside world and
figure out what it is, and we need to better ourselves. We strive for
independence, but it is the strife that gives us the s kills and need for
freedom. Granted, simplified this simply means it’s not the destinatio n
but the journey, but simple or not, this is the case. Why do we rebel?
To get power and strength, if there isn’t anything to rebel against then
we may cease to evolve and better ourselves. So we would create God:
27. Simply so that we might overthrow him. “Whatever is a need for
N ietzsche, and therefore a right – as he is unique – such singular it y
take on definit io n – within the basic movement of western thought. ”
(Heidegger, 1984- 66)
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