Cyberpunk Isn’t Just A Story (It’s a Warning) | Stranger Than Fiction
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ต.ค. 2024
- TODAY, we dig into the core of Night City... that seedy, rotting core, of the City of Dreams.
Sometimes, a setting is just a place where stuff in a story happens. But Cyberpunk has managed to create, in the form of this megalopolis, a setting that breathes. It's got a beating heart that draws us in, but how does it do this?
Is it the aesthetic? Is it the variety of people, roaming its streets? Is it the politics? The style?
Or... is it because we see ourselves, reflected in the chrome?
Let me know what you think of Night City below! What is it that draws you in to its setting? Is the world design the thing that keeps you playing?
Thank you for watching! Have a great day, and I'll see you again in the next one. :D
Shaped by Stories
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As a old timer whose kept up with the Cyberpunk TTRPG from the begining, the depiction of Night City changed over time as the perception of dystopia did. Back when it first started in the eighties, Night City had a more freewheeling nature to it where player let their id go wild in a ludicrous grimdark cityscape akin to Escape From New York crossed with Bladerunner with it's tongue firmly planted into its cheek. You had non-violent gangs of pranksters, or ones devoted to cosplaying Star Trek 24/7. Night City had areas considered safe from violence from all but the utter worst of corpos and gangs and even amusement parks and other family friendly areas.
Then when the 2020 edition came out and as the once distant possibility of the reconstruction of society into a corporate hellscape were fully in swing in reality, Night City became darker and more gritty as result. The goofy stuff was downplayed, the buying and selling of human dignity was increased. Corruption and privilege abuse became more front and center and unwilling human experimentation, the comodification of minds and bodies, was a huge theme. One notable adventure from my GM I recall involved a plotline of people being kidnapped to be reconstructed as cyberenhanced "play beings" left fully aware but shackled by complaints chips in their heads for "select" clientele willing to pay top dollar.
This is the era that led into the Fourth Corporate War and the culmination of the result of unchecked human desire: destruction. Militech, not Johnny, nuked Night City. Originally this was the end of this version of the IP but the other games Pondsmith tried to start in its place failed to take off, so the complete destruction of Night City was retconned and here we are.
Now Night City represents not a complete power fantasy, or a troubling possible future, but the seemingly inevitable future of humanity and reflects the fears of humanity right up to the being replaced by AI but in much more graphic and tangible manifestations. The Dark Mirror in psychology and spirituality is the instrument to reveal what is hidden within ourselves and darker fiction has been humanity's dark mirror for sometime. It is the interactivity of first tabletop games and later advanced video games that give this once hidden image a sometimes alarming degree of resolution.
Read a theory that Johnny's memories are fake. Either screwed up by Soulkiller, or by his own narcissistic delusions.
He could be one of the mercs that lead the assault on 'Saka tower, but he sort of placed himself into the "main character" role in his own, broken mind.
@@MisanThrope-cu1mw7fj3p It is so different from the events of the story and playable scenario that it honestly feels like a complete fabrication from some second rate Arasaka drone who only got a few bullet points.
@@ravendelacour1917 well, could both be a retcon and a fabrication - the Arasaka were trying to get every bit of info they wanted from him before storing his engram. Pretty sure Saburo's cronies shoveled through Johnny's mind rather unceremoniously. Could have implanted fake memories, too.
@@MisanThrope-cu1mw7fj3p Michael Pondsmith declared the RPG story canon and Johnny's memories distorted. In-universe, AI Alt states the.same thing. So it's not a retcon, or retroactive continuity, change but a Rashomon style unreliable narrator.
@@ravendelacour1917 ah, that makes total sense.
One thing that I like about the anime is how it showcases the weakness and futility of living in Night City. V is strong, and truly one of the few who could call themselves different. They kill smasher, save the president, successfully raid Arasaka, defy a dictator and much more. David on the other hand is just a pawn on an endless chessboard. His fate was sealed from the start. No matter what he did, or what choices he made, his story would always end at the bottom of the Arasaka tower. He would never beat Smasher, and he would never give up on his ambitions. This fragility and vulnerability is something we don't see playing as V
V is also doomed from the moment the relic saved her.
V as the lucid dreamer in this nightmare would be a great subject to cover! Oooh!!!
@@PatGunn Sure, but V can singlehandedly change the entire world around them. The different endings and choices are all proof of that. V can kill or spare the strongest merc in the history of Night City. V is the sole factor determining weather or not the president lives. V is the only one able to contact Alt. Sure, V was sentenced to death the moment the chip was put into their head, but unlike David, V can mold the world.
In the into for Edgerunners, any lyric saying "burn this city" was removed, even though it was part of the chorus. That because David never gets the chance to burn it all down.
@@lydiscott It would be interesting to contrast V's "lucid dreaming" with Johnny's delusion.
While a lot of V's story deals with coming to terms with the reality of their death, Johnny is plagued by the lies of his own life. We know as a fact that the memories we see of johnny are not only exaggerated, but that they are straight up lies. His memories completely contradict the cannon lore, and even Alt herself claims his memories to be untrue
"Another face in the crowd".
I know the feeling of walking through Night City like a dream very well. In my first game session, just after the limo meeting with Dex Deshaun, there was a shootout between the NCPD and some gangers. Being the fresh innocent player I was, I stopped to watch who would win. The cops soon started firing on me even though I didn't even draw my iron. And from then on, I never got too close to any shooting unless I wanted to intervene. I just ignored those events. Just like the dreamlike state you described walking in Night City
A happy ending? For folk like us? Wrong city, wrong people.
Where is this quote from? I've seen it before
@@Addyboss125 Johnny Silverhand inside mikoshi.
@@CyberpunkF ahhh ok that makes sense
Cyberpunk 2077 is a true piece of art. To me it's a unique experience. Nothing comes close. I will be playing the game in 10 years from now. It's impossible to leave behind Night City.
100%. Such an incredible experience.
The creation of Night City maintains the long tradition of philosophers and writers viewing cities as wicked.
It makes me wonder if there are stories where we aren’t painted in such a light.
We? Are you a city?
That’s a good question! I wonder!!! Always seems so hopeless when a bunch of humans cluster together in super high numbers lmao
@@anythingclose I can't speak for him but I'm Pittsburgh
@@anythingclose”we” as in the royal we.
city residents in media, hyperbolic, of course are depicted as selfish, ambition driven individuals who lack community and humility compared to those with small town beginnings.
that we can’t see the system failing us throughout our small wins of opportunity (things like transport, employment, nightlife etc.) and it takes an outsider to point that out, which is just pompous bullshit.
city residents are well aware of the issues but for those born into them, leaving isn’t always an option because it’s not our faults that our lives start and end in expensive, crime-riddled capitalist havens. we become numb and learn to deal.
@@lydiscott it just depends on how the city is built. There is a difference between Shenzen and Bombay. Tokyo and Lagos.
I’m biased since I grew up in NYC, but cities are a great place. You just have to deal with corruption
I think humanity is much closer to the society depicted in Cyberpunk than most people like to admit to themselves. The things I see in my everyday life, in regards to morality, violence, intrigue and bigotry, regularly remind me of how dystopian futures are envisioned... Reality just isn't as flashy.
NC really is a dark mirror, one that I feel oddly drawn towards.
As I said in another comment, I lost count of how many times I thought "this is happening in real life too"
I think what really gets me about Night City is just how familiar it is. Yes these situations in-game are taken to an extreme but they often have real life parallels. It’s comforting but terrifying
Definitly sends some shivers down the spine sometimes for this very reason.
I lost count how many times I thought "wait, this is happening in real life too"
"The City of Dreams" or more so a waking nightmare of empathetic apathy.
Where everyone goes to become more than what they are and die in the streets or find beauty and peace in less when they leave.
Of all the countless playthroughs I've watched I never actually picked up on the cats. Then to elaborate on that, I was a bit shook actually.
I really only viewed it from the perspective of the human element and how Night City is the place of forbidden desires, lust, greed ect..
Well done Lydi, this was both beautifully done and informative. BTW the audio sounds mint 👌
👻
Thanks so much for watching Ghost, and for the thoughtful comment. 😊 CATS = oh boy ominous subliminal messaging to come lmao
Cyberpunk 2077 is an interesting psychological take on the dark nature of humanity.
I genuinely think that's why I fell into it so hard. The fact that we're this close to falling over the edge into this exact kind of world, but nobody seems intent on doing anything about it. I discovered this world through the anime about a week ago and I'm completely obsessed. David and Lucy's story broke my heart and has completely engrossed me in this world... I just hope that we're able to achieve wonder that is NC in terms of aesthetic and how awesome things look... without the negativity of oppressive corporations keeping everyone grounded.
rip all the homies I lost in Night City 😞
The sad reality is that we're heading in the same direction as night city. Maybe that's why I find the game so appealing. Well that and the gameplay and amazing graphics
It felt like a warning the entire play through for me. From the start of the game with the scavs, to the sidequests that were just a little too close to home. It’s scary, I truly believe our world could look very similar to the one of cyberpunk and that would fucking suck
thnak you... people often dont realize the true depth of the night city , in other open world games a city is a part of the world but for cyberpunk, night city is the world... its beautiful and poetic from the outside but the more you look closer the more you see the rot inside ... and in the main story V's struggle to lose his/her humanity to a construct reflects the ever fighting battle of the citizens of the night city ...just like V, they know there is no happy ending to their story...
Thank you so much for watching and for this comment! 😄
Night city is a poisonous nightmare that can neither be cured or woken up from
Just like reality. Funny innit?
@@jingalls9142 yup
Freud: "Now Lischen Heah, yhou Fazah killing, muzzuh Fukkuh!"
I love your writing and delivery, its so poetic and powerful!
Awww thank you, Arcane! 😄❤️
Night City a poignant reminder of humanity's greatest flaw: our failure to learn from history. We repeat the same mistakes, blinded by power, greed, and the allure of glory, while the real cost-suffering, war, and the erosion of our humanity-is conveniently overlooked. The lesson here isn't just about the inevitability of conflict; it's about our stubborn refusal to break the cycle. Night City challenges us to see through the neon lights and the allure of the digital age, to recognize that beneath the surface, humanity is stuck on repeat, unable to learn from its past mistakes. In this way, the city tells a story that is as timeless as it is tragic: that the real enemy isn't war itself, it's our unchanging nature that drives us to it time and time again.
Very well said
@@lydiscott Thank you, appreciated.
To quote George Carlin, “It’s called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it.”
Night City, to me, is American capitalism brought to its logical extreme. All vices are legal and easily available, the polity is run by corporations, the police are merely an arm of the powers that already be, and the proletariat, rather than enraged by their impotency, is apathetic and cowed. Even the city itself is a mess of barely functional infrastructure and monumental skyscrapers that oppress the skyline. It is both a reflection of contemporary society and a warning.
And yet it continues to attract through false promises of individual freedom and opportunities; even the so-called legends are either enforcers of the status quo (Smasher) or failed revolutionaries (Johnny, of course). Join, perish, or simply accept your fate.
But worst of all? Almost no kitties. Truly this is a hopeless civilization, utterly devoid of floof.
thats why I use the apartment cats mod so I can pretend my V is working on restoring the cat population. iirc there may be some obscure lore out there about the lack of traditional pets in cyberpunk. Most went extinct due to habitat destruction and the majority that were left were exterminated to prevent disease outbreaks. From what I know owning a pet in "current" cyberpunk comes with boatloads of regulations to do so legally.
They only exterminated birds. Because some new avian flu broke out
@@tilervonbiscuitbrown4393they only exterminated birds bc avian flu broke out
Well said! And 100% needs more cats lmao
Your analysis was really great and it got me thinking
I feel like something that draws a lot of us, including myself to cyberpunk and edgerunners is how it portrays choice juxtaposed to dreams. I feel like among a lot of people, we feel like we're completely out of control of our lives. Our choices, major choices feel already pre determined due to where we were born, our upbringing, who our parents are, etc. So many people have had to give up their dreams for one way or another, and at the same time felt like they never had a choice to pursue it in the first place.
In 2077 and Edgerunners, we see people who are like us, thrust only 50 some odd years into the dark future. Cyberpunk as a genre is so contemporary because it's what we're already seeing in the world. Extreme inequality which perpetuates alienation, loneliness, which guts communities, which destroys the concept of "community" as a whole, which creates a perfect environment for business - a fractured mass of individuals with no safety net, to be swapped and replaced like gears in a machine of infinite human suffering. MAX-TAC is literally a stand in for the total and complete gutting of social services and funneling that money intp hyper-militarized police.
Seeing these choices play out, sometimes in conjunction to and in opposition of the dreams of these characters, even mirrored by our own dreams is all the more real for us. It's all the more saddening and enraging, it's all the more uplifting and jubilating, it's... the one of the most human feelings imaginable.
I think that search for humanity, that jubilation and rage we feel as we see these characters make their choices. We see so much of ourselves in them, even being so far in the future. We see terrifyingly similar circumstances for housing, labor, community and those societal aspects, taken from the worst elements of our world. And STILL, in the face of everything - we see humanity, the likes of which we rarely ever see in our own world. Sometimes, having even more choice (however percieved this choice may be) than we do in our lives.
That yearning for humanity, choice, meaning and the fucked up, direct, roundabout ways the characters in edgerunners make those choices, find (or lose) their humanity, is so fucked up to watch because we can so easily apply similar situations to ourselves, and it terrifies us as much as it uplifts us. It's human. And searching for humanity is something we are always doing, I think.
But just like real life. In edgerunners, we see where going to the top gets you- nowhere, usually followed by an early grave. It's so bleak and pointless and it's by design, playing into the whole "It's lonely and brief at the top" trope. But also like in real life - what matters truly is in your final moments, who you had with you. Because when your world comes crashing down, you only have yourself and the people you held closest. And sometimes, that's nobody.
Another great video Lydi! Its fascinating how settings can take on a life of their own, like Gotham City or the Parishes in season one of True Detective, and feel so integral to a story that removing it would be nothing short of absurd. Night City looms so monolithic over the story that even in the Panam end you go out of your way to say goodbye, and if you have Judy lament on feeling like you’ve betrayed it.
Very good point! The guilt it makes some people feel is quite twisted. Thanks so much for watching, Mecoolerest! 😄
Love your content.
You're inspiring me to continue on writting my Cyberpunk Short Story.
I started it writting for a german writting-competition for short stories but never finished it 'cause of disagreements with their terms.
Now I'm trying to flesh out the world, it's characters and most importantly it's themes.
And your videos are a great initiator for get started and be inspired!
AHHH THATS AWESOME!!! Wishing you the best of fun with your story, you got this! 😄
I love to hear you takes on Cyberpunk. I usually listen to your videos while working out and they are a great help to distract me. ;)
I absolutely adore your language, rich vocabulary, and the way you build narration. English skills, clear pronunciation are keeping me immersed in the story. I hope you have fun making those because I share have fun listening to them. Low bow with a hat down to the amount of work you put into it. Thank you ❤
Night City would be my worst nightmare
Walking around night city is like walking around any major city in 2024.
Havent even watched this vid yet, but I will say that living in DTLA irl makes playing cyberpunk 2077 that much more uncanny in a good way. CDPR really nailed the urban congestion and environmental indifference in both the architectural AND narrative worldbuilding
You really get a sense of “it was like this before you were born and will remain like this after you’re dead” Just like real life, we are just passing thru this hotel we call earth
Crazy thing is PR went to Cali recently. It's such dogsht over there that they felt they failed to capture just how horrendous it actually is. So they're opening up a branch over there to get more immersed or something. Good luck with that, I say. 😅
I'm at the point where I find Shaped by Peak talking about the game far more interesting then the game itself
oh WOW! Thank you!!! 😊
Excuse the shit out of my goddamn French but lets fucking go! Whatever form of Cyberpunk you consume, you have to admit that the true main character is Night City.
Thoughtful commentary as always! Despite the darkness and excesses, let's not forget those treasured moments when V is helpful, caring, and moved by the dilemmas of others, despite her career as a merc.
Very true! V’s like the rare lucid dreamer here
Night city is a pit of suffering and despair apathy but on the plus side amazing water physics.
10/10 water lol
Damn, I've seen so many hours of videos about Cyberpunk 2077 and this is the best one for me, not only what you talk about and how everything flows with the music but the visuals you captured with the slow movements and the whole edit makes this video look like the best Cyberpunk dream I've ever seen, congrats and happy I found your channel!
aw seriously thank you for that! I'm so glad you enjoyed, im really glad to know the clips feel like a dream!!! ahh i was hoping that would come across okay! :D
_balls up and shakes metal fist_ "SMAAAASHERRRRR"
LOLOL
Such an amazing character analysis on the character of Night City!!! 🌃 Bravo!
Aww thank you for watching!!!
I think Night City obviously brings out some of the worst of humanity, but we love it because it also brings out some of the best, and almost always at the almost same time with the exact same people. We saw it in David and the gang, we saw it in V and Johnny, and we see it through all of the Cyberpunk comics (which, if you haven’t read, all have huge moral dilemmas that drive the story).
Night City always felt cold and ominous. Like someone's always watching you, like the world is a giant living conspiracy, one which just eyes you from everywhere.
Conspiracy is a great word for that sensation, honestly! It’s just this constant uncomfy undercurrent like ahhhhgg
@lydiscott
An absolutely fantastic essay! Puts into words so many of the reasons why I love this game so much. Subscribed right away
This video is bye fare my favorite one out of all them amazing job amazing work 🤘🏾🔥🔥🔥🤘🏾
aw thank you!!!
aw thank you!!!
Well great now I have to watch another amazing video essay. I hope you’re happy with yourself!
LOLOL IM SO SORRY
@@lydiscott keep them coming. Night city and cyberpunk is such a deep world to dive into.
Like you said, people are attracted to Night City almost as if by willful ignorance. I have like 3k hours in the game and have listened to many video thesis about Night City like this so I know that it's supposed to be a horrible place, but if a genie appears in front of me right now and asks if I want to be transported in the world of Cyberpunk 2077 and live in Night City, I would choose yes with almost no hesitation.
5:00 tbf they ruined Varys' character too. And now with HoTD they've ruined Alicent which is the final straw for me, I'm dropping that show.
It’s crazy how well they built the setting, how poisonous it almost is in drawing you to it! AND OHH god they butchered Varys gahhhh it’s not fair lol and alicents story has just…. Its departed from sense!
dunno if you’re ever planning to do so but i would absolutely love an analysis on v themselves, and even some of the differences between fem! and male! v as cdpr have confirmed they are different people and not just a gender bend mc. v, even being a player character v is honestly one of the most interesting characters in cyberpunk to me, especially after phantom liberty.
what always struck me is misty’s “blend into the crowd” speech and yes, things have become more dire in nc since arasaka’s fall but that ride in delamain shows the truth of night city for the average joe, and not a one-man army that is v. v has became the very people they committed themselves to protect throughout their merc career who everyday live in constant fear because they can’t solo a room with a glance or stand up to maxtac, arasaka and millitech with their wits and a pistol and puts the player in such a uncomfortable and vulnerable position that they aren’t used to after so many hours of playing like a god.
This world is where art imitates life... Then I think the art was inspired by life itself, just hyper visualized.
YUUUUP it’s a sad thing
the song in game titled after the city itself describes it perfectly. "It's a danger pretty here in Night City". It's a city that's so alluring to the point of keeping it's inhabitants lethally addicted to the setting itself.
The most disturbing part is that we're heading to something similar to Cyberpunk 2077 and we're already a Cyberpunk dystopia.
Yuuuup we’re just missing the aesthetic and cyber parts now lol
@@lydiscott don't forget the world order in Cyberpunk that we're slowly shifting to.
Almost all Sci-Fi is a warning, which we invariably ignore. Hence the classic twitter meme:
Sci-Fi author: In my book, I invented the Torment Nexus as a cautionary tale
Tech Company: At long last, we have created the Torment Nexus from classic sci-fi novel Don't Create The Torment Nexus
Great analysis of the genre. Utopian rebuttals to cyberpunk's bleak critique of our society (mostly in the solar punk genre) often feels undeserved and uninspired to me by comparison. I would add that we live in this world already. It's not the future, its the present. It's Capitalism, and the only escape is to overthrow it! This is why if you want a revolution, if you want to fight for the future we deserve, you need to take the next step and organize against this corporate nightmare. The best advice I can give anyone is to find the Revolutionary Communists of America (RCA).
Terrible place, would love to visit.
It also explains how all character models seem to have a near-uncanney valley strangeness to the movement.
LOL I mean that’s one explanation lol
Another great video keep it up!!!🔥🔥🔥
Thank you so so much for watching! 😄😄
@@lydiscott absolutely I love your cyberpunk videos and the perspective that you bring to this genre which I love so much
Absolutely well done. 💯
Thank you!!
The greatest lesson you can gain from night city is one thing-- that status isn't power, resilience is.
love your videos, could you make a video on V as a character? they are always overlooked but no matter how you play them theyre their own character, and i *love* how theyre written
Happy endings? Wrong city. Wrong people.
Babe, wake up, Lydee dropped a cyberpunk vid…
At least it had funny cars going boom in funny ways early on. Oh, wait, that wasn't a good thing.
I mean it still happens when I drive in this game
@@lydiscott Then that means I just got lucky.
Excellent, well done.
I always thought that the world of cyberpunk is not a possible future but rather a distorsion of our reality, one flambollant enough to aloud us to peak into the dark corners of reality. Horror is a means to delight and captivate ourselves , transcend the veils that corver our preconceptions of reality, bispectacles made for focusing our vision into hidden truths...
Is it just me or does anyone feel like the world of cyberpunk doesn’t feel so far away IRL
Night(mare) City
Yes indeed lol!
Johnny silver hands speech is true to this day
I know a guy that was all in on becoming transhumanists and wanted cybernetics. One of those kids that was so smart in school that they were awkward with humans. Never giving any thought to the fact that they might get "hacked" I wonder if he ever changed his thinking?
Cyberpunk 2077 and RED made me really question whether I'd like to live loud and fast, or live quiet and slow. It's a good game; fingers crossed the sequel is even better
Fantastic video!
Would love a video on Kirk
Would love to take a look at him and all the fixers in the game 😄
Worst part is, this situation has actually happened before. There werent any body modifications and soul engrams obviously, but early 20th century America was a lot like night city. Capitalism was new and unregulated and corporations treated their employees like disposable trash. You were either at the top, preying on the working class or you were slaving away at disease-ridden factories without any sort of sanitation or safety regulation laws in place. People immigrated to America believing they could achieve the “American Dream.” That they could work their way up the chain to a life of prosperity. Many of them were killed by the system before they even made it out of their first entry level job, only for more delusional optimists to take their places. You could almost rewrite Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle” set in night city without changing too much
Cyberpunk 2077 is a lot less fictional than it may seem at the surface. This situation has been proven to be an actual possibility. It has happened before. And CP2077 is a warning of what could very plausibly happen in the future if we let dont learn from our history and let it repeat itself.
Night City is awesome! The wild west in the near future.
5:00 But what if we really want you to get into that?
Loved it. Wow. 🎉❤
Thanks so much for watching! 😄
Fantastic content narrator
Awww thank you so much!
Vam-peer-ik
Great video
The V with the blood red hair featured in this video, is that your V?
Yes indeed! 😊
@@lydiscott cool design. 🤟
This is what happens when Capitalism is left to run amok.
boy do i love capitalism
12:11 Why?
It's pronounced, Vam-Peer-ick
🗿
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Ночной город похож на Москву
wouldnt mind essays about game of thrones...
Would love to get into that subject LOLOL I’ve got a lot of love for the lore but anger for the show
NightCity is based on LA in a nutshell