The Cyberpunk connection has been there for ages, II think most of us who grew up in the 80's and read Gibson were sorta expecting a much higher level of VR Tech than we got delivered (I think that's the reason why both Gibson, Stephenson and Sterling have been reducing the amount of futuristic tech on cyberpunk novels).
It's good to see Gibson getting recognition where he deserves it.
I find it sad that after all these years there have been so few decent cyberpunk games released. There were a couple of okay shadowrun games... and what else?
Deus Ex
Metal Gear Solid (the themes arguably fit, and they evolve with the series)
System Shock
Syndicate
Snatcher
BioForge
Beneath a Steel Sky
Fallout (arguably)
Blade Runner
Bloodnet
Uplink
Granted, a lot of these are 90s vintage or older, but there are countless other games these days that feature cyberpunk elements like megacorporations, runaway technology, class divides and environmental destruction.
The Deus Ex, Fallout, and Metal Gear Solid franchises are probably the most modern and most accessible cyberpunk-type games you could find, though.
Over at cyberpunkreview.com there is a pretty decent-sized list, as well. The site also covers film, tv and anime with cyberpunk themes.
On a somewhat related note, I am still holding out hope that the Policenauts translation project that's been going the past few years will still the light of day. Such a shame the rest of the world didn't get that one.
People have been wanting to make a Neuromancer movie for years, but there really isn't need for it. Bits and pieces of it are in our movies and video games already, so making a true adaptation would just be redundant. That, and we're already living Neuromancer-lite, minus the nation-buying super corps, extensive ecological destruction and neural implants. I have a frightening suspicion, however, that we will be there soon enough.
Oh, and WoW gamers are today's console cowboys, minus the style and productivity, lol.
I loved that article. Everything about it was spot-on. Especially how the book's dystopia was inspired by the "What's good for business is good for the country" mentality and actions in the 80's *hint* *hint*
The way people are favoring virtual reality, I don't think brain plugging is gonna happen anytime soon. Its seems like this guy has watched one too many movies.
@Boom-Chicka-Ah: Here to Create a Star Commenter Empire:
Did you actually read the article? The idea of plugging in predated any workable VR technology, just read William Gibson's '80s novels for proof. Before we know it, it'll find us, probably in some military application, at the rate that researchers want to advance cybernetic technology these days.
No way in hell would I plug something into my brain. No way in fucking hell. And I'd hope everyone else would be smart enough to do the same. There is no perfect coding, and you can't just buy a new frontal lobe or whatever. Something crashes, you are a vegetable. A root vegetable.
@Placentasaurus: Yeah, I can definitely see your point. A computer virus would in essence be a virus virus... kind of the first instance of created life...
Weaselfingers promoted this comment
Edited by (Zombie) D Mitsuki, Gotta have guts kid! at 08/17/09 6:52 PM
(Zombie) D Mitsuki, Gotta have guts kid! was starred
(Zombie) D Mitsuki, Gotta have guts kid! was unstarred
@Placentasaurus: Well, I'm holding out for Ghost in the Shell-style Cyberization, so even if you do "crash", most of the time you can simply escape or jack-out.
@Placentasaurus: Yes you would. If you were born into a generation that was doing that as a norm, you definitely would.
If you told someone from the middle ages how dangerous a car is, they would never use it as a mode of transportation.
@Placentasaurus: Well, there's also the fact that you'd think there'd be some way to turn off the ability to permanently write things into your brain, and you could instead just leave on the part that can fire stuff into your retinas and ear drums, and takes whatever crazy input.
Essentially, turn off the "I know kung fu" parts of the device.
@Placentasaurus: While there would certainly be risks, especially in the early years, there could be benefits and if the chips, transplanting procedures could be perfected, then a lot of the risks would go and it would become another part of us. Remember, we're essentially organic machines working on electrical currents to power a massive system.
Some possibilities:
Instaknowledge - Imagine being able to upload data directly to your brain that get's processed in the same way naturally learned talent or knowhow is proccessed. For instance, want to know how to program flawlessly? Instaknowledge. Want to be able recite all of Shakespeares plays word for word and understand the meaning? Instaknowledge. Going on a holiday to Japan and want to learn Japanese and it's writing? Instaknowledge.
Alzheimer's Relief - memory chips could be used to act as replacements for the memory centre of the brain, improving memory even to the point of having an eidetic memory.
Psycological Disorders - The possibilty of fully understanding the code the brain uses opens up a world of possibilities for the treatment of psycological disorders, allowing recoding through direct brain to computer connection, it could even be a one off procedure. This could also be applied to other fieds such as repairing or improving nerve connection quality, possibly even giving increased senses.
I ain't going to be first in line but if I was around when it was becoming mainstream and saw that the risks had become disproportianately smaller to the advantages, I'd consider it.
@Lincolnsbeard33: well, to be a dick about things, yeah... aside from a few people key to the storyline, the quality of life displayed in Ghost in the Shell is leaps and bounds ahead of what we have...
Kids who are born with horrible diseases are given replacement bodies... the socially inept can find happiness in the tender embrace of an artificial life form, and sexy special agents can be seen leaping naked from tall buildings! Hows that working out bad for everyone? :P
Far from the OP's point of view, I feverishly await the day I can plug stuff into my brain... or transfer data wirelessly preferably... Don't understand how to drive a car, speak Korean, shoop da woop or code a program? Download a service pack in an app-store style interface and learn it, Matrix style!
@D Mitsuki : Gotta have guts kid!: Your brain IS, in fact coded. Organically, in a way your body can understand. If you want your computer to understand what your brain wants it to do, you're going to need to get the computer to understand the "code"(Basically, to understand how the neurons in your brain are placed).
To me, this just smells like a disaster waiting to happen. IF, by chance, the thing that senses the messages in your brain burns something, somewhere, you are dead. Your arms might contort, violently. ANYTHING. Humans and machines can mix, but not always in a good way. They'd need much more than just simple "safety measures", when you let anything into your brain, you WILL change. For better or worse.
@TookiGuy: Your brain is NOT coded, your brain is crafted, through experiences and knowledge gained is how neural pathways develop, that is NOT how programming works.
If you had a shitty program put in the chip in your head, you would simply not be able to use the chip, your brain wouldn't explode.
@Lincolnsbeard33:
Speaking as somebody who's body is fighting a war against itself and can see the degradation in JUST the physical aspect of my being I'm going to go ahead and say I would take the problems of cyberization anytime.
In fact if anybody wants a volunteer to test out a working full body cyberization I'm available.
@-MasterDex-: In Neuromancer, there are plug-in "Instaknowledge" chips that mount in sockets behind the ear that gave you knowledge/skills for as long as they're plugged in.
@D Mitsuki : Gotta have guts kid!: You mean to say your brain, in effect codes itself. Or rather, the environment codes your brain. It's not as simple as "Putting a chip inside", you have to make sure it UNDERSTANDS your brain. The electrical signals flowing through your neurons. It just doesn't click, in short. I'd go on forever, but I'll just say - it's not that simple.
PS- ANY KIND of electrical device in your brain spells trouble, unless it's 200% insulated. If even an electron spills out, no one knows what would happen.
@Placentasaurus: It's not as dangerous as you make it out to be. In fact there are already primitive forms of this technology in use.
One such type is a device that allows blind people to see. Basically it's a small camera inserted where the eye is, and another "chip" inside the brain that converts the signal into a form that stimulates eye sight. It does not talk to any other part of the brain - the only information it is giving is "sight", and it's only being fed to the part of the brain that deals with this, so the worst thing that could happen is that it glitches and you can't see properly.
A similar technology exists for people who are completely deaf.
At the moment, these technologies are fairly primitive, so the quality of the sight given is blocky / black and white, while the quality of sound given isn't very clear and has an electronic sound to it.
For the people that have a disability, these technologies can greatly increase their quality of life.
It's fine that you are wary of doing such things to your brain, and I'm sure once this technology becomes mainstream, many people will feel the same way - preferring to stay entirely "natural".
However, to say that "everyone else should be smart enough to do the same", well .. are you really going to deny blind people sight, or deaf people audio? That seems pretty selfish to me.
I always figured that the first people to use the neural jack would be the military, if they *ahem* aren't using it already. Still, I would gladly install one.
My parents always told me that my video games were my escape from life. I never wanted to tell them I was waiting for games to completely replace it. :P
Any other gamers ever feel that way at any point in time? (Come'on, everyone had their "emo" period.)
@zixaphir (I can go ever further): When I first played Ragnarok Online, I basically didn't have a life outside of the game. Get up at 2-3 PM, start playing, eat dinner at around 8-9, keep playing, go to bed at 7 AM. Every day. All days. Luckily, this phase only lasted during the summer between 8th and 9th grade, so I wasn't really missing much (too young to get a job in my state too).
Great article! The day I read the "Neauromancer: 50 years later" will be filled with retrospection and possibly depressing reflection with a bottle of something strong in-hand. Or maybe I won't even need the alcohol with the neural implant in my brain transmitting me any pleasure I want.
Is N3 any use? I wanted to buy it but my mate works in a gameshop and refused to sell it to me because he didn't want to see me disappointed. I'm pretty sure he was taking the piss but I ended up not buying it.
@seo_ace: There's a demo on XBLA. It was just a button masher but I loved the visuals -- you also have to beat the game with all 3 (4?) characters to get the whole story or so I read.
I would pick it up if I can find it for $10 US or so.
08/18/09
08/17/09
It's good to see Gibson getting recognition where he deserves it.
08/17/09
08/17/09
Deus Ex
Metal Gear Solid (the themes arguably fit, and they evolve with the series)
System Shock
Syndicate
Snatcher
BioForge
Beneath a Steel Sky
Fallout (arguably)
Blade Runner
Bloodnet
Uplink
Granted, a lot of these are 90s vintage or older, but there are countless other games these days that feature cyberpunk elements like megacorporations, runaway technology, class divides and environmental destruction.
The Deus Ex, Fallout, and Metal Gear Solid franchises are probably the most modern and most accessible cyberpunk-type games you could find, though.
08/18/09
Over at cyberpunkreview.com there is a pretty decent-sized list, as well. The site also covers film, tv and anime with cyberpunk themes.
On a somewhat related note, I am still holding out hope that the Policenauts translation project that's been going the past few years will still the light of day. Such a shame the rest of the world didn't get that one.
08/18/09
08/17/09
Oh, and WoW gamers are today's console cowboys, minus the style and productivity, lol.
08/17/09
08/17/09
08/17/09
Did you actually read the article? The idea of plugging in predated any workable VR technology, just read William Gibson's '80s novels for proof. Before we know it, it'll find us, probably in some military application, at the rate that researchers want to advance cybernetic technology these days.
08/17/09
08/17/09
Well Shirow Masamune ftw.
08/17/09
08/17/09
08/17/09
That's awesome, why wouldn't I want to do that?
Also I think it's important to note your brain isn't "coded", so I'm not seeing how a computer crashing GG's you.
08/17/09
08/17/09
If you told someone from the middle ages how dangerous a car is, they would never use it as a mode of transportation.
08/17/09
08/17/09
08/17/09
Essentially, turn off the "I know kung fu" parts of the device.
08/17/09
Some possibilities:
Instaknowledge - Imagine being able to upload data directly to your brain that get's processed in the same way naturally learned talent or knowhow is proccessed. For instance, want to know how to program flawlessly? Instaknowledge. Want to be able recite all of Shakespeares plays word for word and understand the meaning? Instaknowledge. Going on a holiday to Japan and want to learn Japanese and it's writing? Instaknowledge.
Alzheimer's Relief - memory chips could be used to act as replacements for the memory centre of the brain, improving memory even to the point of having an eidetic memory.
Psycological Disorders - The possibilty of fully understanding the code the brain uses opens up a world of possibilities for the treatment of psycological disorders, allowing recoding through direct brain to computer connection, it could even be a one off procedure. This could also be applied to other fieds such as repairing or improving nerve connection quality, possibly even giving increased senses.
I ain't going to be first in line but if I was around when it was becoming mainstream and saw that the risks had become disproportianately smaller to the advantages, I'd consider it.
08/17/09
Kids who are born with horrible diseases are given replacement bodies... the socially inept can find happiness in the tender embrace of an artificial life form, and sexy special agents can be seen leaping naked from tall buildings! Hows that working out bad for everyone? :P
Far from the OP's point of view, I feverishly await the day I can plug stuff into my brain... or transfer data wirelessly preferably... Don't understand how to drive a car, speak Korean, shoop da woop or code a program? Download a service pack in an app-store style interface and learn it, Matrix style!
I just hope I don't get Cyberbrain sclerosis!
08/17/09
To me, this just smells like a disaster waiting to happen. IF, by chance, the thing that senses the messages in your brain burns something, somewhere, you are dead. Your arms might contort, violently. ANYTHING. Humans and machines can mix, but not always in a good way. They'd need much more than just simple "safety measures", when you let anything into your brain, you WILL change. For better or worse.
08/17/09
If you had a shitty program put in the chip in your head, you would simply not be able to use the chip, your brain wouldn't explode.
08/17/09
Speaking as somebody who's body is fighting a war against itself and can see the degradation in JUST the physical aspect of my being I'm going to go ahead and say I would take the problems of cyberization anytime.
In fact if anybody wants a volunteer to test out a working full body cyberization I'm available.
08/17/09
FYI, they were called "microsofts."
08/17/09
PS- ANY KIND of electrical device in your brain spells trouble, unless it's 200% insulated. If even an electron spills out, no one knows what would happen.
08/17/09
08/17/09
On a side note, I should really get around to reading Neuromancer, it's been responsible for so much sci-fi I love.
08/17/09
One such type is a device that allows blind people to see. Basically it's a small camera inserted where the eye is, and another "chip" inside the brain that converts the signal into a form that stimulates eye sight. It does not talk to any other part of the brain - the only information it is giving is "sight", and it's only being fed to the part of the brain that deals with this, so the worst thing that could happen is that it glitches and you can't see properly.
A similar technology exists for people who are completely deaf.
At the moment, these technologies are fairly primitive, so the quality of the sight given is blocky / black and white, while the quality of sound given isn't very clear and has an electronic sound to it.
For the people that have a disability, these technologies can greatly increase their quality of life.
It's fine that you are wary of doing such things to your brain, and I'm sure once this technology becomes mainstream, many people will feel the same way - preferring to stay entirely "natural".
However, to say that "everyone else should be smart enough to do the same", well .. are you really going to deny blind people sight, or deaf people audio? That seems pretty selfish to me.
08/18/09
08/17/09
08/17/09
Any other gamers ever feel that way at any point in time? (Come'on, everyone had their "emo" period.)
08/17/09
I think a escape from life was good.
08/17/09
08/17/09
08/17/09
Anybody with Half Life 2 is obligated to check out that game if cyberpunk interests them at all.
08/17/09
08/17/09
08/17/09
01/28/09
01/28/09
I would pick it up if I can find it for $10 US or so.
01/28/09
01/28/09
01/28/09