One point I don't understand is the comparison of Thomas Sankara to the UFLL. In game the UFLL are portrayed as hypocritical as they claim to be fighting against the exploitation of the people while simultaneously selling off the country's resources to other nations, something that Thomas Sankara can't be accused of given that he was famously austere and fought against expropriation. Additionally, the UFLL are shown to be isolationist and against wider integration with other African nations while in real-life Sankara was a Pan-Africanist. Maybe a better example of a hypocritical, pretend socialist leader in Africa would be Robert Mugabe.
Thank you for the genuinely insightful comment! I agree that Thomas Sankara was not the best example, as I point out myself. He's not nearly as cynical as Addi Mbantuwe, who is a communist in name only. The reason I chose Sankara was his image as a devout Marxist working for the people, he is what Mbantuwe wants to paint himself as, but in their actual policies and humans rights violations, I agree that Mugabe is a much better example. I would counter, however, that the UFLL are not Pan-Africanist, as I quote Leon Gakumba: (36:27) "All Africa will follow this example." Citing Mbantuwe's Far Cry 2 wiki entry: "[...] Mbantuwe formed a new faction, the UFLL, to claim to free Africa and its workers." Nevertheless, the stress is on "claim". In retrospect, I should have chosen Mugabe, as I also chose Mswati III for his actions, not his political role alone. Thank you for the comment, it's always great to hear from someone who's way more knowledgable about a topic than myself. - Malte
@@crocodilegambitIt emphasizes how delusional both factions are since they claim and genuinely seem to believe that the entirety of Africa will take their example and the entire world will immortalize them and the UAC, while the literal neighbouring country we get a glimpse of at the end very clearly does not give a damn about this Unnamed African Country. Only caring about preventing their chaotic neighbour's violence from spreading to their land and only helping to evacuate the refugees after we bribe them.
Normally I don't post much on TH-cam, but this work of passion forces me to thank the creators for the beautiful work they have created. This video was interesting and gives the game a whole new meaning for me and I couldn't be more grateful for that.
How do you only have 550 subscribers??? This is a fascinating breakdown of both Heart of Darkness and Far Cry 2, and of this type of gaming in general really. Very well done, you've given me some interesting things to think over. I remember playing this game back in the day, but I stopped because it was so unendingly grim and full of despair.
Masterpiece? Respectfully, name a memorable character besides the jackal or tell me how guns jamming and constant enemy spawns everywhere while physically having your map out was a fun experience. I spent a lot of time on the game but it had some issues to say the least
far cry 2 could have as well been set in the balkans where insted of european colonialists coming over from some far away place to force you to conform to their laws it would be the russian communists who would be the "intruders" and the story about racism and ethnic hatred would pretty much be the same
That's why this video is not really good, he could use "mercenaries playground of destruction" as a example of this theme "imperialism and the bad use of ideology" but he choose this game
It wouldnt carry the "heart of darkness" vibe and fit the "far cry" theming though. Took them until fc5 and 6 to just set the games around "exotic" north america
Watching this made me realize how Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole invert Conrad's dichotomy in Black Panther, where the people of Wakanda are trying prevent the darkness of the world from corrupting their hidden light.
I do want to respectfully disagree with some of what you said in this video, although I still dropped you a like anyway because this is very well made & researched. My reading of the story was more that the "other" that the original HoD would depict as just "Africa", in Far Cry 2 is the much broader concept of "War and Violence". I think one thing that supports this is how basically all the civilians are either trying to escape or lamenting how they're too stubborn to try and escape. So while they might be _used_ to the landscape of violence by this point, they clearly remember a time where their country was more liveable and want to return to that state of normalcy. In fact as it's described, most of the violence comes _from foreigners,_ not from the indigenous population, outside of a few faction leaders. In that sense it's almost an inverse of the original HoD, it's the _outsiders_ coming in and making the locals go crazy, not the other way around.
This video was absolutely phenomenal, from writing to editing! I wanted to thank you for it as it helped inspire me in creating my own video of the first Far Cry game (which also turned out to be ~2 hours), albeit it does not match your level of quality lol
O vídeo é bem ruinzinho mano, ele pega a narrativa do jogo e põe pro lado dele, não tem problema interpretar como o cara interpretou mas ele pegou a mensagem principal do jogo que é "humanidade em crise é realmente horrível" e jogou ela pra "o jogo quer que você veja os africanos como burros" tanto que se você for olhar como o jackal fala, ele mesmo diz o tema do jogo nos primeiros segundos, quando ele dá a arma pra gente e diz que já tentaram matar ele antes, ele é a representação do caos e morte, o jogo não fala sobre como podemos resolver as coisas ou sobre como a África será feliz se fizer x ou y, ele fala de como uma situação ruim vai acabar ruim quando homens mals ficam no controle das coisas, o jogo se passa na África pois na época, era um lugar que realmente tava passando por instabilidade e horror, e não pra parecer que a África inteira em todo momento é assim
you are a ignorant just like the guy from the video, brazil and africa have their problems because they are ruled by corrupt people, so those social problems that your country have it's because of your people, you are to prideful to admit that europe was and is more advanced and developed than your country and just blame it
@@esequieltrindade9244 Tambêm percebi isso, o cara assume uma retôrica vitimista(Homem branco assume ser melhor que homem negro. Essa mentalidade racial que já está mais do que cansativa) e simplesmente jogou fora a possibilidade que o jogo simplesmente quer dizer que em um ambiente aonde a moralidade foi esgotada(Ou no caso do livro, não existente), é quase impossível a sobrevivência de mentalidades morais e isso é uma espiral fatal e destrutiva. Mas é tipico desses ensaistas universitários de querer "problematizar" tudo em questões de exploração social, é a única visão possível para essa gente.
I think this could be a perfect game if there was a coherent political solution in it. Like assisting the UFLL and building a state for the civilians without any outside influence. Also nice Werner Herzog accent, it really adds to the African atmosphere. P.S I played this game when I was like 11/12 and for some reason it engraved itself as anti-neocolonialist critique. When I had my first social studies class at 13 and read on interdependance-theories regarding today's Africa I directly had this picture of the farcry 2 factions and their state being too deregulated to govern themselves in my head. It all made so much sense when you think about how the west(Or China today too) deliberately tries to keep Africa "open", in conflict and deregulated for their own economic interests. In this way I'm kind of glad I played the game when I was so young and pretty much too stupid to realize just how racist the game really is lol. I really remember it being about African liberation and the abolition of western influence hahah
The interpretation I studied in my sociocultural anthropology class was the blank map is white, but the filled parts of the map are colored in. The Heart of Darkness was "civilization" itself-- the known parts of the map as filled in by the European colonizer.
How you managed to so completely and totally miss the point of Heart of Darkness is amazing to me, and pretty roundly disproves anything else said. Way to go dude, maybe climb out of your ivory tower and do some real learning.
"Video games arent art" "NOOOO!! YOU CANT JUST SAY THAT! THEY HAVE DEEPER MEANING LIKE MOVIES AND DESERVE TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY!!" "Video games are art. Therefore, they should be subject to serious critical analysis like any other artistic medium" "REEEEEEEEEEEEEE"
I get a feeling that you are much more versed in analyzing literature than you are in video games and Africa. As an example, you say that the game is teaching and justifying brutal murders both to the character ingame AND the player? If you want to analyze and argue the story of FC2, that is fair enough, but its one hell of a jump to attribute that to the player of a game where most people come for the shooting and "brutal murders" as you call it before even knowing anything about it. Thats the thing they are there for. The whole thing with what it takes for the protagonist to go from innocence to accepting and eventually even enjoying what they are doing is a common theme in all the Far Cry games, I think its most prominent in FC3 where Jason Brody goes from crying every time he sees violence to laughing and cheering when he does "fun" kills at the end of them, but thats still within the fictional work. You just cannot jump from that to the conclusion that the consumer of the content automatically takes on those traits anymore than saying reading books about serial killers make you one, or watching this video makes one a sociopath. I also happen to have some experience with central Africa, both from military service and humanitarian work, and I think you are either lacking understanding or wilfully glossing over alot of issues that is very much present and real there. Which one it is, I dont know, but imo its just as racist and bad as what you are portraying in this video.
Thank you for taking the time to comment! I'm afraid there is a misunderstanding as a result of confusing academic writing with colloquial language when it comes to the word "player". All of my analysis is confined to the meaning of the text, not its actual psychological impact on the consumer, that is up to the psychologists to decide. When I say that a game teaches "the player" to shoot anything that moves, I am of course referring to the in-game reality, not actual reality, that would be absurd. My point was that both the narrative (acting upon the in-game character) and the mechanics (acting upon the in-game extension of the player) align in their rhetoric. Both act in unison upon the implied player in their perception of the game's virtual reality, not actual reality. Of course I argue that by extension, the game communicates values about the very real continent of Africa, but how that is actually perceived by the real, not the implied player, and how it materializes in people's brains or how the audience at large engages with the content, I do not care for, that is not my area of expertise. There is a huge gap between what ideologies games convey and how they are actually understood by their audience, for better or worse. As a German citizen who lived through the "Killerspiele" moral panic as a child, having to consistently hide my love for first person shooters from my parents for fear of having my PC taken away, let me assure you that I will never ever claim that video games make mass murderers. I'm not a Republican politician.
Thanks so much for this analysis! It's great to see games taken seriously this way. I have been replaying the FC series and just finished FC2. Indeed the mechanics put you in a world of universal hostility. I was especially interested, watching your video, in the tension between the fun killing central to the game and the moral descent highlighted by the narrative. I remember a moment when they wanted me to destroy the kilns used to make malaria medicine. "What? I've gotta be that bad?" It seemed, however, only a footnote to the fulfilling experience of growing stronger. I agree the game unfairly taints Africa. It's made for Western FPS fans like myself who like having a (fantasy) place that is outside moral restrictions. I was never a fan of Zombie stories, but they seem to offer a similarly hostile space, freeing the viewer/player to become a killer. What if FC2 had been set on a foreign planet-- a purely fictious space? Would we miss the supporting notions of deep primal jungles that we already have? A threatening fantasy space allows us experience drama and overcoming, and calls on our full attention, but using a real continent and our naïve views of it for such a purpose does seem unkind.
"I agree the game unfairly taints Africa" people keep saying this. I don't understand? Failed states on every continent are just as chaotic and dangerous as the Unnamed African Country in FC2
39:13 The NPCs that you see when going through the checkpoint are fully randomized. I recently had a playthrough where a white guy was the one to berate me while a black guy accepted the offer for beer.
Thanks Sesm1c, I was a little weary about putting that claim in there but felt that 3 playthroughs and a handful of clips I found online were big enough of a corpus to deduce it wasn't randomized. Another commenter also pointed out what you said. I'd still say that the languages they speak portray the Other as aggressive and dangerous and the familiar as safe, and there's definitely some skewed probability going on, but I now know that the absolute nature of that statement was wrong.
I disagree with one aspect of your premise, which forces me to disagree with most of the conclusions you draw. While you point out the in-game depiction of Africa as the mystical 'corrupting force' that drives people mad, and Africans as being painted as naive, and foolish, I think you're overlooking something incredibly important. The actual 'corrupting force' in the setting- which is demonstrated through both the story, and the actual gameplay loop that the player is forced into, is war itself. I believe it's a lot more reasonable to draw a 'violence begets insanity' conclusion, than the one you ultimately draw from your analysis (which I enjoyed, and think is worthy of a hundred thousand more views). You could transplant this very same story to south america, or to the balkans, or to southeast asia, and have the very same narrative- the point being made, and exercised in the gameplay, is that war, violence, is a corrupting, primordial ritual of bloodletting, which consumes all men. The cynical mercenaries who sit at the side of the leaders- they're the prime example of someone who is consumed by it, but the ultimate example is the player themself, displayed by the actions you find yourself partaking throughout the gameplay. Where Marlowe traveled up a river, the player travels up a war.
this answer deserve to be at the top. Violence reinforce itself as a negative feedback loop. Once you have system of feedback going, whatever that system is, it will inevitably expanse itself, it doesn't even need to be conscious.
I kinda take issue with the central conceit of this critique. Farcry 2 isn't a game where Africa happens to you Farcry 2 is a game where you happen to Africa. Its why you have to go at the end.
Funny enough, the French version does negate some racial overviews you're pointing out, like the accent, or the naive characters, as all of them are very ironic about the ideas they're fighting for. Therefor, the aide is no more than a greedy military backup because there is no more local manpower for the factions
After playing FR2 my impressions was that it was criticism of interventionism. Our foriegn 'hero', who has a problematic past and a financial motive is sent to solve the country's problem in the name of bringing peace but ends up contributing to the violence. The violence done throughout the game is intentionally meaningless, with our 'hero' killing boths sides only for financial gain. But they persist until they have the Jackal in their sights because they presumed they were just. Ultimately saving the region only in his/her own death.
I would disagree that the 'main point' of the game is about interventionism becaise the country is already at war when the player arrives, but apart from that you are spot on
"... If you succumb to the horror, you become the monster, you become reduced. No more than a man, but less. And it could be fatal." I never thought the horror The Jackal meant would be really deep.
I disagree that this is what Far Cry 2 is about. The protagonist, and the West, is not portrayed as superior to Africa or Africans, and the game’s elements (the cab driver, choice of the player’s ethnicity) do not reflect such. It is about the depravity and horrific capabilities of man in general, not linked specifically to Africa; as another commenter said, the backdrop of the game could have been a multitude of locations, the fact of them being war-torn being what is relevant, not to suggest that the locations themselves are at fault for being so. The central character of the game, as expected to be the protagonist, is really The Jackal (he’s the reason you are there, and he motivates your actions throughout the game), and he expresses the game’s message, as he quotes Nietzsche: “A living being above all else seeks to discharge its strength. Life itself is will to power, nothing else matters.” There is no link to Africa or its suggested primitivity whatsoever. Neither your actions as the protagonist, nor the Jackal’s, nor any of the central characters’ or groups’, are excused, justified, or approved on a meta level beyond the will to power; on the contrary, given that the game’s events grow more & more detached, and their ending. The Jackal didn’t “learn it” from the Africans, he’s the one that brought it, and the game doesn’t try to make you forget that. It is on you if you forget it.
@@bigmouthprick5852 close , its slightly more insidious racism. It's institutional racism, finding ways to not just belittle those you view as beneath you, but cutting off ways for them to better themselves, in this case higher level language, to hinder communication.
I disagree with one point: (the book) Heart of Darkness does not try to convey that the white/western world is somehow less savage than that of African tribesmen, it compares the two as being no different. By the end of the novel, Marlow see’s that Kurtz’ success was only achieved through utter savagery and subjugation of the natives he has encountered, not through traditional colonial methods, but by becoming something completely different; a synthesis of both worlds. They see him as both more and less of a man, as some kind of malevolent spirit that must be placated through labour and sacrifice. At the beginning of the novel, when Marlow first lands at the worksite, he sees the endless and seemingly fruitless struggle of the natives at the hands of colonial masters who have little to no understanding of the place they are raping the resources from, as no different than that of the endless and fruitless waiting for resources from their own lands (Europe). The colonizers waste away as they wait, without venturing into the wilderness to reap whatever benefits they are looking for; unlike Kurtz, who leaves his old ways behind (saving for his unending quest for resources), and adopting the ways of the native population who know the land only gives what it wants to give. The natives have survived for millennia by understanding that they only take what they need, unlike colonizers who think they can take whatever they want because they believe themselves to be masters over foreign lands. They work against the native population for resources, instead of with them as Kurtz does; trapped by their own greed and racism to die a wasting death. The antagonist is not Kurtz nor the native land/people, not even disease, the antagonist is the very thing that brought them all there in the first place: greed. Indeed, the book was written at a time of peak colonialism in Africa, and thus suffers the same pitfalls in it’s own writing that it tries to demonize. Far Cry 2 suffers from something similar, in that in trying to portray the brutish behavior of natives as being similar to the savage land-grabbing of post-colonial entities, ends up rewarding the player for becoming the very thing they sought to destroy. Neither entry tries to portray Africa itself as the savage, but of the people who aim to rape and subjugate it. Far Cry 2 especially falls short of this message at times, but the theme is there throughout the game. You are safer by avoiding humanity altogether, but cannot progress in the narrative without joining in on the conflict for your own personal gain. One could simply stop playing the narrative altogether and live at a safehouse without ever having to kill, but it’s a video game and thus forces you to play. It would be an incredibly boring game if you followed the “stay at home” mentality and didn’t play the missions, and the only way to avoid becoming the very monster you sought to destroy would be not playing the game at all. Essentially, only by never taking the contract to kill The Jackal in the first place, and thus staying out of Africa would save you of becoming the monster. The colonizers wasting away from disease have only themselves to blame; likewise, the white mercenaries who die only have themselves to blame for taking part in the conflict in the first place. Another point of contention for me with this analysis was how the white “aides” speak down on the native leaders like they are children is not present in the original version (French), as all leaders in that version (whether native or foreign) speak in a tone of sarcastic indifference. That indifference is lost in the English version.
This game is not about Africans as a whole. It's about civil war. If you are trying to proclaim that the developers are racist for portraying guerrilla fighters as savages just spit it out and say so.
Yeah being from northern ireland and comparing it to the troubles, i saw a lot of the “racism” as overblown, as the point of the natives being “savage” is more a point of all sides being incompetent and savage, no one is correct, and power corrupts. The white guys appearing to be “reasonable” are foreign aides and worm tongues benefitting from the conflict, similar in position to the british army here fucking up and aiding paramilitary groups in the name of peacekeeping missions, Ideologues on both sides blowing up civilians I think the point isn’t to claim Africa as a savage land, but all humanity as savage, its just the backdrop of the setting that brings race into it, if the game was the exact same but set in ireland in the 70s the message would be the same but the set dressing would be wildly different
That's right. It's about a civil war. And the place that caused it to last like forever. But it's not really about painting anybody to be spearchuckers either. It's because the book is the source of the game, it's just convenient. That's why they also nerf the prejudices. Then again, the book draws so much criticism. Again, this isn't about pointing out racism. It's about where the game fits with the book.
Same Franchise portrayed guerrilla fighters in the US and it was a bit different, although too be fair the guerrillas and the main character are wrong in 5 since the world does actually end.
This is a game/book/topic that demands the viewer/player/reader to delve deep into parts of themselves that they may never have wanted to go. This has become one of my most revered videos in regards to FC2 and the lore behind the slow descent of madness that encapsulates Heart of Darkness. Thank you. (I just hope Clint Hocking watches this video at some point. I would give nearly anything to have a sit-down talk with that man about what went into this game's development.)
I was about to congratulate the Algorythm on recommending this excellent video to me, but I realised it's been out for over a year. Well, better late than never.
One of the best videos I have ever seen in the platform. Bravo Even though the actual message that the game gives to the player (and by extension the original Heart of Darkness), implies some really not so good things about Africa and his people and culture, it's still one of the more unique games of a lost generation of gaming One that was not focused on the game as a product of service first, but to be an experience, and have something to say. Even if the game itself has questionable decisions and flaws. (Sorry if my english is garbage, is not my native language)
This was an absolutely brilliant video. I loved Far Cry 2 for it's gritty game-play, and was left somewhat confused after reading Heart of Darkness, so what this essay brought was deeper understanding to both. It clarified ideas from Heart of Darkness, and really exposed a deeper narrative and set of themes in Far Cry 2, regardless of how well they may have been executed.
Talk about reaching for conclusions man. The part on how the aides show a bad caricature of black or native people in so disengenous. The aides are obviously mercenaries and are only in it for money. Like you, they would switch sies for it, and probably already have. They are jaded to the cause of the leaders because they have heard it all before. The game has a nihilist perspective on human beings, as exposed by the jackal, the central figure in the story. I would expect a mercenary type to not care at all about the ideology so long as he gets paid, you know, like your character. The jackal also loosely quotes from beyond good and evil, about the will to power. How about recontextualizing all of this supposed racism in the depiction of the characters with the perspective that the game tries to show you. Not that africans are primitive, but that, deep down, all men are. If you get lost in the jungle, be it in africa or anywhere else, the result is the same. A monster. Africa, just happens to not be as developed in terms of infrastructure and control over their environment compared to any of the countries that your protagonist can come from. That's the heart of darkness. The jungle, not africa. I was expecting a reasonable and interesting analisys of the game like the video titled the aesthetichs of far cry 2, but instead i got another person who misguedes himself when reading the heart of darkness. Highly disappointing...
i have to agree I feel like he missed some of the point when it came to the book, its easy to look at an event like heart of darkness, a book which has a stong autobiographical element to it and put it through a ens of modernistic political views, conrad didn't just write about the congo, he did indeed go and get a job there as a merchant navy man and i daresay it nearly killed him, he is in essence at times both the skipper and Kurtz Conrad was there and he saw the things he wrote about, not used imperialistic views to dissect imperialism
@@frogmastiff8198 i think the fact that Conrad was, on some level, imperialist, if only for being raised in that culture, is worth accounting for in the story itself. That being said, I agree that the imperialism angle is way overblown in this video's interpretation of it. I feel that Heart of Darkness is actually a solid criticism of white imperialist CULTURE, namely the same kind of "a man as a mountain" ideas that would resurface in many primarily white cultures. Think about being a tribal african in the days when colonizers first appeared. The technology they had would be mind blowing for you, and the culture of imperialists means that those colonizers are gonna *really* lean into the "Yeah we're basically gods" attitude. It kickstarts a kind of Institutionalization of the people now being colonized, kind of a subtle propaganda. The Imperialist mindset really has no desire to break that down. So what happens when that is pushed to it's extreme? Kurtz happens, a man so obsessed with maintaining image and status, that he manipulates people into committing atrocities, on the basis of that image and status, purely for the sake of maintaining it.
Thank you for this massive analysis. For the longest time Far Cry 2 has been a favourite of mine, but only because it is set in Africa. I have a deep fascination with the desert, and the diverse cultures of the continent, and gaming is so very lacking in giving us adventures set in anywhere close to the continent. So what drew me in and kept me in was reall the surface-level atmosphere. Once, while being a teenager, and having time for it, I sat down to piece together the narrative of the game, but failed to do so. The sense I got from it was that the narrative wanted me not to understand it, as it was so heavy with minute nuances of non-existing political parties and their shady businesses. Now I realize, thanks to this video, that this narrative is just nonsensical, if someone doesn't understand some of the background of the political and literary discourse of African nations, from the point of view of the colonizers. I don't think I'll stop playing the game, but now I have a hugely helpful cognitive apparatus to realize and cirique it's themes, thanks to you.
Dear authors of this video, This is the best game-related content I've seen on TH-cam ever (and I watch a lot of content like this). Maybe even the best video I've seen on TH-cam period. It not only changes my view on Far Cry 2 and its narrative but also on Heart of Darkness and on (post)colonial discourse we have in the modern world and how it's being presented in popular culture. I simply lack words to articulate how deeply I'm impressed with your work. You absolutely need more subscribers and views. Hope you will be making more videos. Thank you!
If you want to watch another awesome criminally underrated game video essay, I highly recomend checking out "The Master; or, how I learned to stop worrying and love the Super Mutant" by fumbullan Its incredibly eye opening and I can't help but scream at anyone I can to check it out
mhm - incredibly detailed and insightful analysis about an often-overshadowed videogame detailing topics that we, as a western audience, either don’t get to, or don’t want to, indulge. and it’s overshadowed by some sleazy greaseball on the front face of this platform talking about some drama on another website. we need to cut every cell out of this cancer - destroy TH-cam!
I thought foreign mercenaries were an allegory for neocolonialism, reinforced by the presence of foreign corporations in the country and their roles in the conflict. Violence, madness and greed being imported from outside, rather than caused by Africa. But this video made me realise that's how I wanted to interpret it. Also, I thought at first that the cab driver was just coping hard at the horrible situation around him, and that he was just trying to survive in the midst of a war. Really great video.
I think you got it right the first time. If you want my two cents,I think the hypocritical plot about a mercenary rampaging through a country to stop an arms dealer who's perpetuating a rampage, should be enough to tell you what the game thinks about neocolonialism and foreign interventionism.
@@hateraccoon5686so why does the Jackal so thoroughly ridicule the west in the interview tapes: ("you think someone in the CIA is gonna listen to this and come after me?/the death of a 23 year old from Iowa gets more airtime than the 50,000 people he gave his life to protect/Even if they did give a shit...") for not intervening? He's presented as an anti-hero in narrative despite this view.
The cab driver was one of the people who "coopted" their role in my model; he's aware of the cynical use of people in both factions and instead stands apart from it, earning a humble but honest dime while having to choke down his own distaste of the people around him, fully self aware he's turned into a caricature as he waves away exploitation and murder
I respect the fact that many literary analyses have been written confirming your thoughts regarding the book Heart of Darkness, But that doesn't mean that these interpretations are correct. And no, this is not me complaining about over analyzing. Quite the contrary! I find it to be a disingenuous analysis of the book. It certainly does not illustrate the image that these scholars, and now you, seem to present. An image that the author presents one faction over another. My interpretation of the book is the complete opposite. While the setting of Africa definitely has a certain effect, that effect is also rather certainly not what Conrad was attributing to the sorry state of affairs. That effect could be found anywhere on Earth if we are being honest. Especially with geographic flavor added to it as it does with Conrad's book. If anything I think Contrad was illustrating to us that this state of affairs, this anarchy was present within all humanity. A more universalist approach, and one i think was intended by the author. Africa as a setting and cultural background was not to blame for the brutal station masters and corporate goons, and it wasnt to blame for the barbaric locals working on their behalf. Everyone was reduced to barbary. Yet Africa as a setting is not to blame, only adding fuel to the fire. Conrad's story is one of greed simply put. A cautionary tale at that. Fact of the matter is, and many new age historians and scholars begrudgingly need to admit this, is that Europeans simply were more developed than much of Africa by the time of European colonization in the 19th century. And so, you and otbers perceive Conrad's book in such a fashion.
And just to hammer in my point that the setting itself isnt the corrupting factor in both the book or the game, the fact that far cry 2's successor far cry 3, is a game where a man loses himself in a new 'setting'- if one were to be reductionist!
@cuddles1767 there’s nothing really pretentious about it bring it up. Actual criticisms of historical works of fiction is not pretentious in anyway you just don’t like they have your immediate criticizing. That’s OK but I would highly recommend that you touch grass at some point.
@@cra8zykidg Not sure lack of grass touching happens to be the issue here. Much more likely to be in the vein of "thinking hard, what is book, shut up word man please". If anything, he would actually benefit from less interaction with grass, digestive or, god forbid, otherwise.
@@juliano9566 All of you would benefit from reading an actual book instead of trying to superimpose so much non-existent narrative onto the game that barely has any, that you ultimately discuss the things you conjured out of thin air instead of the actual work.
@@TheRadioSquare But here's the thing, and please consider this. No work of fiction develops in a vacuum. Every single human creation is the outgrowth of the borders of our cultural horizon. The very fact that this game has very little narrative focus or development hinges on historical, cultural and, well, narrative assumptions from the writers, superimposed on the players. The very notion that the "African nation civil war guerilla genocide communists nothing changes the horror" shtick lands tells a story by itself. Several, actually.
I would love to see an extensive talk with the devs of FCII, because so many strange elements are in the game, and as this video points out the subtext is so interesting, but I wish we knew more about the intentionality of the design, and why the vision was chosen. It can't even be said that it's a complete reaction to FCI , because the themes in that game were very light, unlike later games after FCII. Most of the storytelling through gameplay design was discarded after this too. Why why why... great video.
The mastermind behind FC2, Louis-Pierre Pharand, was ousted from Ubisoft not longer after the games release. It's worth noting the team spent a considerable amount of time researching the game in Africa itself.
A great analysis in which i would add a bit of nuance, with 3 aspects : story element, real life inspiration, and cultural study. The writers probably didn't care of the colonial approach of their hypotext because Apocalypse Now already adapted it without problem. But it's also because, as you pointed out at the begining, there is a writing structure : Nature / Culture. But in the game as in real life, nature is not purely good (Rousseau has been actively promoted by Nazis for saying that), nor it's bad (fauna is not trying to kill the player in this game). It's all story telling, Conrad has to choose one, even if he actually enjoyed Africa to a certain point. Thus, the narrator is pessimistic about the land, but it doesn't mean that Africa is really plagued or to be destroyed. It's just a writing trick as old as time. Also, if every human being tries to kill the player, once again, it's not linked to the hostility of the land (but it's intended to be, as you explained). Personnally, I see a perfect understanding of the civil war crisis. Speaking from my experience in Lebanon, there was no safe zone for civilians : hiding in the basement, put mattress on windows, planning route to avoid checkpoints and irregulars (snipers), never take the same route back, it's what Far Cry 2 perfectly recreates. Your critic is solid and true, once again, but i'm just pointing the other aspects of the game design. I've also spent some time in Africa, in areas the game clearly took inspiration from, and i never felt the rampant racism in Far Cry 2, simply because characters were too accurate : a doctor with humanist ideas in his mouth but selfish actions (Gakumbe in the game) was far too common. It is actually caused by colonialism, since it's how the 'educated' White acted, and how older generations learnt to behave, since it was the model, but sadly the game uses irony and cynicism to defuse it, not facts. Which leads to my point about cultural studies. In my opinion the critic that Africa is corrupted, according to the game, should be seen as Africa is broken (but the game refuses to elaborate). The game artists, as outlanders in Africa, should have feel the same as the player in the taxi ride : something is wrong here, people acts differently than us, but it's not corruption, or sickness. It's the way of life. Governement or not, there is no money, roads are blocked by corrupted cops, water has to be filtered by locals, and medicines are money. If you're ill on a village, you have to travel far away to be cured, and all of this game aspects, which you analyses correctly in a post colonial approach, also means that the creators have worked well to capture the feeling of Africa. (I use Africa as a whole according to the game and your analysis, i know there are huge differencies between countries.)
One point i found bloody ironic is the fact that three of the playable characters can, in fact, be considered African themselves. Two of them being so literally. We have one black man from Haïti, one Arab from Northern Africa and another black man from the isles near Madagascar. So the fact that the people of the UAC, especially the warlords, always consider us as an outsider who is only tolerated so long as he is useful really highlights the intolerant nature of those people. (One point i found especially funny is at the border control camp Sepoko where there is a sign really emphasizing how unwelcome foreigners are: "Warning! No trespassing! Violators will be shot, Survivors will be shot again." lol. You would think they are protecting some highly classified military installation or something.)
Oh yes. I noticed a objective falsehood in your video. You say all Mercs you can play do not come from Africa. But this is wrong. There are 2 out of 9 character that are from Africa. Quarbani Singh is Mauritian, which is in East Africa. Hakim Echebbi is Algerian, which is in North Africa. Sorry buddy but I think you are overanalyzing way to much here.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to clarify this murkier point of the video, as there was not enough time for it in the paragraph. I actually wrestled with the idea of an Indian, namely Singh, counting as a foreigner, as Punjab was of course likewise colonized, but since the character is portrayed as a foreigner throughout the plot, and constantly referred to as such by others, the narratives align with those of Marlow. For my thoughts on why the game may have chosen to include Echebbi and refers to him as a foreigner, see my annotation below his blurb at 31:18. - Malte
@@crocodilegambitAfrica is not a country, so it makes sense other africans are treated as foreigners in far cry 2, and I'm pretty sure some generic mercenaries are also africans
Fantastic video! It feels like Far Cry 3 was an improvement in this regard, but still hit a lot of the same issues. It's hard to have a story that explores the themes of white saviours and Western imperialism when the FC3 islands consist of tin-roofed shacks lacking any culture, politics, or history
Thank you! Although this video does not dwell on intentionality, if you are interested in the actual thought process behind the story, I would recommend Game Developer's interview with Far Cry 2's story lead Patrick Redding, "Redefining Game Narrative: Ubisoft's Patrick Redding On Far Cry 2".
I very much do not agree with that the game say "If you bring weapons to Africa you get war. If you remove the weapons and act like a parent you get peace". That is not what the game say. You can even find that in the Jackles tape. The Jackle did not start the war and him bringing weapons to the conflict didn't make people want to kill each other. They already wanted the conflict, they already wanted war. You do not get peace by removing the weapons. The problem is the culture, the mindset, of violence, control and power. Not the tools to get those things.
Hi, Cloud_Seeker! Thank you for commenting. It appears you figured out exactly what the analysis of the video arrived at. Correct, violence and savagery are in the African DNA, and nothing we can do will ever change that, that is the narrative of Far Cry 2. - Malte
@@crocodilegambit Going to be honest with you mate. I have not watched the whole video. It is just to long and drag on for much longer than it needs to. The argument the video is is making is kind of forgotten by the length. To actually get where your own position is is hard to tell since you most like have to watch the whole thing. Sure. Having the game compared with the book can be great, but it almost sound like you compare chapter by chapter and page by page. I am not against long formed content. But here it doesn't really seem that you are getting to a point for like a hour.
@@crocodilegambit I would disagree with it saying that, I think it is closer to saying that living conditions are the reason for the violence. Not only with the Jackal Tapes and him condemning the exploitation of the first world against the third, but we even see how corporations still continue to exploit this country with the oil fields and advertisements strung about. I think it's a Marxist game ultimately, even if I am not a Marxist myself I respect the analysis (Egoist btw).
In the brief moment that it was mentioned it was said that Apocalype Now! Treated native peoples as savage. The only people to do that are colonialists. Ones that have gone mad from the WAR not merely from interacting with the Vietnamese let alone the Cambodian tribe. The only people who treat anyone as “savages” are people who are savages themselves and who are clearly not shown in a good light. The film is about war and desensitization. The book is present in threads alone if you really look at the movie. The anti-imperialist themes present in the film are not misplaced or done wrong as it was kind of implied in the video. This video as a whole though is something I really enjoyed, very well put together.
Isn't this the film where Kurtz expresses admiration for the "red team"/communist guerillas chopping off children's arms after the spec ops teams does inoculation? I think that's pretty explicitly painting them as primitive savages.
Friend, I think you've assumed this game to be more racist than it is, and the series even more so. With the exception of 1 Far Cry games have always been about how desperate people become brainwashed by ideologies, how the power those ideologies corrupts the leaders they empower, and how the individual (usually the player but including Vaas, Pagan, Bhadra, the son from 6) is supposed to balance themselves between two opposing sides. Far Cry 2 is a bit blunt in its' approach to exposing ideology and policial identity, but it was also the writers first time at approaching these themes and I think that can be forgiven, even more so as the series continues and they expose this paradigm in multiple geographical settings
I also feel the need to comment about how you say the game calls "Africa(ns) the disease", which is straight out wrong. The redemptions of the protagonist throughout the game and notably at the end is reliant on them helping unmilitarised citizens escape the warzone. The disease is war and militarism, not Africa in general. The writers show in later games that they're willing to say dangerous ideologies, leaders willing to manipulate through those ideologies, and militarism can crop up anywhere. I feel like that's a message that must be taken seriously
This is one of the most expertly produced video game essays I’ve ever come across. The script for this was excellent and your narration was flawless, which considering english isn’t your first language is unbelievably impressive! I really enjoyed the analysis of this game through an academic and literary lens. For me Far Cry 2 is simply a game about getting lost in the african world in search of an elusive arms dealer, so your perspective was new and interesting to me. Can’t wait to see your next work!
I do agree with one point you make in the video. You indeed read too much into it. In other words I agree with the fact that FC2 does not explore its themes enough and instead just leaves you with an implicit overgeneralized message that can only be decoded if you know the context about how Africa got ruined and is to this day continually exploited by many western nations(and non western ones who joined in later), however, this the furthest I would go with such criticism. Not providing context does not equal=game racist and the way you explain it to the viewers as if they are small children is also fairly annoying (especially since you accuse the game of doing the same to native population). Criticising the game for not having balls is one thing, saying it excuses colonialism just because it does not condemn it is just as assumptious as many of your arguments are. This especially hurts as some of the individual observations are trully great but you are far too focused on delivering specific narrative that it is exactly like the one book. In other words, never atttribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.
Yea i agree with this sentiment and he did kinda hand wave the argument at the start of the video for some reason and didn't talk about it. This is a natural by product of over analysis.
This is a beautiful critique, I would love to hear your thoughts on other entries into the franchise. The series has always been fairly mind numbing to follow as there is an aversion to tackling any of their subject matter seriously without alienating their target audience. If you ever manage to comeback to this whatever you decide on creating I'd be interested in.
I don’t know if you are reading this but this video was on a completely next level! I can’t believe more people haven’t watched this sooner and that I haven’t been recommended this sooner!
I’m glad I found this video, I really like it. I especially like how you took quotes directly from Heart of Darkness. I’ve decided to buy and read the book before diving into FC2 for a third time. I will definitely check out your channel.
this is a very polished and well presented and researched video essay, and i appreciate the work that went into it. unfortunately it kinda, well... it may have side stepped those part of the narrative that where not inclined to the chosen conclusion.
So yeah...here's a example, this vid uses the quote about "guns aren't biodegradable only the dead are" to support its argument that in this story Africa is seen a violent and corrupting. BUT thats the actual end of a paragraph where the Jackal, literally, explains that all these guns come from predominantly European wars, almost every war mention is a civil war, just like the game world and all of them are well known for human atrocities committed during those wars. according to a load screen as to why the jackal is targeted "....[the jackal must represent]..some history the black bag crowd doesn't want walking around." while load screens and even Ruben (the [only] character who goes on about foreign aid being the answer) all confirm the same thing over and over again: international powers refusing to do anything, "just a another side bar conflict [bla bla, people back home] can click their tongs and plan their next tax deductible donation", "you all talk about helping...[bla bla but instead] you wear ur halos and wring ur hands" Ruben himself even says multiple times "like they [the people he's writing the article for] would even care" side note Ruben at one point states in the narrative that he idolises the player, the second last time you see him until the cut scene at the end of the game, he states "I wish i could be more like you" at this point in the story the game ensures you have 3+ infamy so everyone else is already calling you a mad man and backing away from you in town. he's also the only character who expresses admiration for the player in the main quest line. Other than the priest who calls you a 'good man' once, only once. just after the tutorial before you have voluntarily done any missions for the factions. after that he just says "go with god" or "be safe" that kinda thing. Last and most important point of digression, the famous moment when the jackal says you have to wipe out every cell of the disease, including him and well you know... or u dont. any way, thats at the start of the only linear mission in the game. Every single target is a foreigner. without exception, including the only leader left alive to order the attempted genocide of the 2mill escaping civ's which is the largest scale and most direct atrocity in the game. IDK but this seems to suggest a different reading is equally possible, at the very least. the reading that every problem in this country, from the jackal to the guns are inherited; from the same places as the people who profit by these problems. Who, while acting superior to the people who's wealth they are depleting, keep perpetuating the the problems. quotes on resource depletion: "there used to be diamonds now there's no diamonds and some ...[crazy murk eating peoples harts]..." troops chatting, "except the mines empty" buddy on mission where you flood the mine, "these militia come into our country, steal everything and leave us nothing" taxi driver in into right after calling u a foreigner. also little side note: 65% of diamonds come from Africa and Europe is the biggest buyer of uncut diamonds. And most of the guns are stated as coming from Europe; and all the murks are foreigners. as face full of eyes says in his brilliant analysis of this game heres a quote "in..[most/pretty much all FPS's]...you go on a vacation to experience things you cant in real life. In Far cry 2 you go through things you hope to never experience in real life." here's a link to his longform and brilliant video analyses th-cam.com/video/mx4eSkMBx-U/w-d-xo.html ut
@@tsk5328 Thank you for taking the time to comment. You appear very passionate about the game, and believe me, I think it's the best Far Cry game ever made, that's why I put that in the description. As you may have spotted in the introduction, however, I point out that literary analysis is not concerned with author intention, and even if you are, to not take Heart of Darkness's narrative into account when analyzing Far Cry 2 will never yield the full picture. You recite the, as the conclusion refers to it, "age-old" (1:56:52) anti-colonialist preferred reading of the novel, which, as the preface points out by citing Brantlinger and Achebe, fails due to the colonialist rhetoric in which it is conveyed. The hypothesis of the video is that the game, in its attempt to emulate the novel, likewise fails in this endeavor. Pointing out what the game wants to achieve is unfortunately unhelpful feedback for an analysis of how it fails in what it tries to achieve. Even if you disagree with some of what is said in the first 47 minutes, I recommend watching the video in its entirety, it would have saved you a lot of time, as it discusses most of the points you've elaborated on, and just gives you a different viewpoint on a game you clearly love, as do I. Best wishes, Malte
@@crocodilegambit hi im not offended or anything, just seeing if the literary analysis should perhaps include a wider data set. plus the good news is any comment bad or good is still good for the algorithm XD its narrative is impressive though, for a tec demo
Wow, this is definitely one of the most fascinating videos I have ever seen on TH-cam. Well done! I will be sharing this with people who think video games are mindless. I mean granted, a lot are. But, every now and then, you get a hidden gem like Far Cry 2. I hope this style of story and game writing will return. The same guy who did this game also did Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell and Chaos theory, it's no wonder I like the stories of those too.
![[TH] FS vs BME - VCT Ascension Pacific - Lower Bracket Final](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/wnygqsR2Fig/mqdefault.jpg)
One point I don't understand is the comparison of Thomas Sankara to the UFLL. In game the UFLL are portrayed as hypocritical as they claim to be fighting against the exploitation of the people while simultaneously selling off the country's resources to other nations, something that Thomas Sankara can't be accused of given that he was famously austere and fought against expropriation. Additionally, the UFLL are shown to be isolationist and against wider integration with other African nations while in real-life Sankara was a Pan-Africanist. Maybe a better example of a hypocritical, pretend socialist leader in Africa would be Robert Mugabe.
Thank you for the genuinely insightful comment! I agree that Thomas Sankara was not the best example, as I point out myself. He's not nearly as cynical as Addi Mbantuwe, who is a communist in name only. The reason I chose Sankara was his image as a devout Marxist working for the people, he is what Mbantuwe wants to paint himself as, but in their actual policies and humans rights violations, I agree that Mugabe is a much better example. I would counter, however, that the UFLL are not Pan-Africanist, as I quote Leon Gakumba: (36:27) "All Africa will follow this example." Citing Mbantuwe's Far Cry 2 wiki entry: "[...] Mbantuwe formed a new faction, the UFLL, to claim to free Africa and its workers." Nevertheless, the stress is on "claim". In retrospect, I should have chosen Mugabe, as I also chose Mswati III for his actions, not his political role alone.
Thank you for the comment, it's always great to hear from someone who's way more knowledgable about a topic than myself.
- Malte
@@crocodilegambitIt emphasizes how delusional both factions are since they claim and genuinely seem to believe that the entirety of Africa will take their example and the entire world will immortalize them and the UAC, while the literal neighbouring country we get a glimpse of at the end very clearly does not give a damn about this Unnamed African Country. Only caring about preventing their chaotic neighbour's violence from spreading to their land and only helping to evacuate the refugees after we bribe them.
Fun Fact: You don't need to kill your buddies when they betray you. You can just yoink the briefcase and run away.
That's exactly what I did in my first playthrough lol
Nah, gotta settle my debts.
Sorry brother, no loose ends, not this time.
2024 ... l finished it 3 minutes ago and yep l killed no one
Fun Fact: you get to kill your buddies at the end when they betray you
Normally I don't post much on TH-cam, but this work of passion forces me to thank the creators for the beautiful work they have created. This video was interesting and gives the game a whole new meaning for me and I couldn't be more grateful for that.
How do you only have 550 subscribers???
This is a fascinating breakdown of both Heart of Darkness and Far Cry 2, and of this type of gaming in general really. Very well done, you've given me some interesting things to think over.
I remember playing this game back in the day, but I stopped because it was so unendingly grim and full of despair.
this is probably the most comprehensive analysis of this masterpiece of a game. from the bottom of my rotten heart, Thank you
fc2 is my favorite game
Masterpiece? Respectfully, name a memorable character besides the jackal or tell me how guns jamming and constant enemy spawns everywhere while physically having your map out was a fun experience. I spent a lot of time on the game but it had some issues to say the least
@@BackstageFlyer skill issues, left and right
@@awsumpchitsDAMN, I named this ‘Post casualist’ replied
There is another great essay by a youtuber called face full of eyes
This is one the best videos I have seen on this platform, please keep going with more videos
far cry 2 could have as well been set in the balkans where insted of european colonialists coming over from some far away place to force you to conform to their laws it would be the russian communists who would be the "intruders" and the story about racism and ethnic hatred would pretty much be the same
That's why this video is not really good, he could use "mercenaries playground of destruction" as a example of this theme "imperialism and the bad use of ideology" but he choose this game
Even a blatantly action movie fantasy like Just Cause even has that lesson.
It wouldnt carry the "heart of darkness" vibe and fit the "far cry" theming though.
Took them until fc5 and 6 to just set the games around "exotic" north america
Watching this made me realize how Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole invert Conrad's dichotomy in Black Panther, where the people of Wakanda are trying prevent the darkness of the world from corrupting their hidden light.
This was exactly what I wanted to listen to.
Just saw this and its phenomenal hope your still making videos i wanna see everything yall upload
I do want to respectfully disagree with some of what you said in this video, although I still dropped you a like anyway because this is very well made & researched.
My reading of the story was more that the "other" that the original HoD would depict as just "Africa", in Far Cry 2 is the much broader concept of "War and Violence". I think one thing that supports this is how basically all the civilians are either trying to escape or lamenting how they're too stubborn to try and escape. So while they might be _used_ to the landscape of violence by this point, they clearly remember a time where their country was more liveable and want to return to that state of normalcy. In fact as it's described, most of the violence comes _from foreigners,_ not from the indigenous population, outside of a few faction leaders. In that sense it's almost an inverse of the original HoD, it's the _outsiders_ coming in and making the locals go crazy, not the other way around.
This video was absolutely phenomenal, from writing to editing! I wanted to thank you for it as it helped inspire me in creating my own video of the first Far Cry game (which also turned out to be ~2 hours), albeit it does not match your level of quality lol
as a brazillian, who can feel the impacts of colonization by its social problems to this day, this video is a rare gem
O vídeo é bem ruinzinho mano, ele pega a narrativa do jogo e põe pro lado dele, não tem problema interpretar como o cara interpretou mas ele pegou a mensagem principal do jogo que é "humanidade em crise é realmente horrível" e jogou ela pra "o jogo quer que você veja os africanos como burros" tanto que se você for olhar como o jackal fala, ele mesmo diz o tema do jogo nos primeiros segundos, quando ele dá a arma pra gente e diz que já tentaram matar ele antes, ele é a representação do caos e morte, o jogo não fala sobre como podemos resolver as coisas ou sobre como a África será feliz se fizer x ou y, ele fala de como uma situação ruim vai acabar ruim quando homens mals ficam no controle das coisas, o jogo se passa na África pois na época, era um lugar que realmente tava passando por instabilidade e horror, e não pra parecer que a África inteira em todo momento é assim
you are a ignorant just like the guy from the video, brazil and africa have their problems because they are ruled by corrupt people, so those social problems that your country have it's because of your people, you are to prideful to admit that europe was and is more advanced and developed than your country and just blame it
@@esequieltrindade9244 Tambêm percebi isso, o cara assume uma retôrica vitimista(Homem branco assume ser melhor que homem negro. Essa mentalidade racial que já está mais do que cansativa) e simplesmente jogou fora a possibilidade que o jogo simplesmente quer dizer que em um ambiente aonde a moralidade foi esgotada(Ou no caso do livro, não existente), é quase impossível a sobrevivência de mentalidades morais e isso é uma espiral fatal e destrutiva. Mas é tipico desses ensaistas universitários de querer "problematizar" tudo em questões de exploração social, é a única visão possível para essa gente.
I think this could be a perfect game if there was a coherent political solution in it. Like assisting the UFLL and building a state for the civilians without any outside influence.
Also nice Werner Herzog accent, it really adds to the African atmosphere.
P.S I played this game when I was like 11/12 and for some reason it engraved itself as anti-neocolonialist critique. When I had my first social studies class at 13 and read on interdependance-theories regarding today's Africa I directly had this picture of the farcry 2 factions and their state being too deregulated to govern themselves in my head. It all made so much sense when you think about how the west(Or China today too) deliberately tries to keep Africa "open", in conflict and deregulated for their own economic interests. In this way I'm kind of glad I played the game when I was so young and pretty much too stupid to realize just how racist the game really is lol. I really remember it being about African liberation and the abolition of western influence hahah
Great work : )
Keep doing videos man don't give up
Colonialist rhetoric is why I enjoyed this game so much
One day, the youtube algorhythm will bless you, my friend.
Amazing video!
The Multiplayer is still active on Xbox!!
Wish you guys made more videos
The interpretation I studied in my sociocultural anthropology class was the blank map is white, but the filled parts of the map are colored in. The Heart of Darkness was "civilization" itself-- the known parts of the map as filled in by the European colonizer.
Bro u took 2 good hour from me dayum😅 nice vid and its malaria never mind 😅
underatted video
what are you doing
bro what the hell? how are you so low on subscriber counts?
because he aggressively misunderstands the works he's trying so hard to comment on.
@@bensmith8682how so? Please explain further
nice video
How you managed to so completely and totally miss the point of Heart of Darkness is amazing to me, and pretty roundly disproves anything else said. Way to go dude, maybe climb out of your ivory tower and do some real learning.
Wow!
This is a pretty dumb video but detailing why would take a while and I'm not sure anyone let alone the creator cares.
"This video is dumb no I'm not going to explain just trust me bro I'm totally smart enough to tell you why"
god i love useless college dropout video essays... answering all the questions no one asked
You clicked on the video man idk what to tell ya
its ok you can tell me nothing
No, I asked some of these questions
Matter fact, a lot of people have asked these questions…which is why books were made on the subject because you know people had questions about them
Sounds like some kid took a college class in lit 101 and some bullshit race class. Decided to make a video just to be mr edgy.
"Video games arent art"
"NOOOO!! YOU CANT JUST SAY THAT! THEY HAVE DEEPER MEANING LIKE MOVIES AND DESERVE TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY!!"
"Video games are art. Therefore, they should be subject to serious critical analysis like any other artistic medium"
"REEEEEEEEEEEEEE"
I get a feeling that you are much more versed in analyzing literature than you are in video games and Africa. As an example, you say that the game is teaching and justifying brutal murders both to the character ingame AND the player? If you want to analyze and argue the story of FC2, that is fair enough, but its one hell of a jump to attribute that to the player of a game where most people come for the shooting and "brutal murders" as you call it before even knowing anything about it. Thats the thing they are there for. The whole thing with what it takes for the protagonist to go from innocence to accepting and eventually even enjoying what they are doing is a common theme in all the Far Cry games, I think its most prominent in FC3 where Jason Brody goes from crying every time he sees violence to laughing and cheering when he does "fun" kills at the end of them, but thats still within the fictional work. You just cannot jump from that to the conclusion that the consumer of the content automatically takes on those traits anymore than saying reading books about serial killers make you one, or watching this video makes one a sociopath.
I also happen to have some experience with central Africa, both from military service and humanitarian work, and I think you are either lacking understanding or wilfully glossing over alot of issues that is very much present and real there. Which one it is, I dont know, but imo its just as racist and bad as what you are portraying in this video.
Thank you for taking the time to comment! I'm afraid there is a misunderstanding as a result of confusing academic writing with colloquial language when it comes to the word "player". All of my analysis is confined to the meaning of the text, not its actual psychological impact on the consumer, that is up to the psychologists to decide. When I say that a game teaches "the player" to shoot anything that moves, I am of course referring to the in-game reality, not actual reality, that would be absurd. My point was that both the narrative (acting upon the in-game character) and the mechanics (acting upon the in-game extension of the player) align in their rhetoric. Both act in unison upon the implied player in their perception of the game's virtual reality, not actual reality. Of course I argue that by extension, the game communicates values about the very real continent of Africa, but how that is actually perceived by the real, not the implied player, and how it materializes in people's brains or how the audience at large engages with the content, I do not care for, that is not my area of expertise. There is a huge gap between what ideologies games convey and how they are actually understood by their audience, for better or worse. As a German citizen who lived through the "Killerspiele" moral panic as a child, having to consistently hide my love for first person shooters from my parents for fear of having my PC taken away, let me assure you that I will never ever claim that video games make mass murderers. I'm not a Republican politician.
Thanks so much for this analysis! It's great to see games taken seriously this way. I have been replaying the FC series and just finished FC2. Indeed the mechanics put you in a world of universal hostility. I was especially interested, watching your video, in the tension between the fun killing central to the game and the moral descent highlighted by the narrative. I remember a moment when they wanted me to destroy the kilns used to make malaria medicine. "What? I've gotta be that bad?" It seemed, however, only a footnote to the fulfilling experience of growing stronger. I agree the game unfairly taints Africa. It's made for Western FPS fans like myself who like having a (fantasy) place that is outside moral restrictions. I was never a fan of Zombie stories, but they seem to offer a similarly hostile space, freeing the viewer/player to become a killer.
What if FC2 had been set on a foreign planet-- a purely fictious space? Would we miss the supporting notions of deep primal jungles that we already have? A threatening fantasy space allows us experience drama and overcoming, and calls on our full attention, but using a real continent and our naïve views of it for such a purpose does seem unkind.
"I agree the game unfairly taints Africa"
people keep saying this. I don't understand? Failed states on every continent are just as chaotic and dangerous as the Unnamed African Country in FC2
39:13 The NPCs that you see when going through the checkpoint are fully randomized. I recently had a playthrough where a white guy was the one to berate me while a black guy accepted the offer for beer.
Thanks Sesm1c, I was a little weary about putting that claim in there but felt that 3 playthroughs and a handful of clips I found online were big enough of a corpus to deduce it wasn't randomized. Another commenter also pointed out what you said. I'd still say that the languages they speak portray the Other as aggressive and dangerous and the familiar as safe, and there's definitely some skewed probability going on, but I now know that the absolute nature of that statement was wrong.
Bro you are reaching here its just a game.....
I disagree with one aspect of your premise, which forces me to disagree with most of the conclusions you draw. While you point out the in-game depiction of Africa as the mystical 'corrupting force' that drives people mad, and Africans as being painted as naive, and foolish, I think you're overlooking something incredibly important. The actual 'corrupting force' in the setting- which is demonstrated through both the story, and the actual gameplay loop that the player is forced into, is war itself. I believe it's a lot more reasonable to draw a 'violence begets insanity' conclusion, than the one you ultimately draw from your analysis (which I enjoyed, and think is worthy of a hundred thousand more views). You could transplant this very same story to south america, or to the balkans, or to southeast asia, and have the very same narrative- the point being made, and exercised in the gameplay, is that war, violence, is a corrupting, primordial ritual of bloodletting, which consumes all men. The cynical mercenaries who sit at the side of the leaders- they're the prime example of someone who is consumed by it, but the ultimate example is the player themself, displayed by the actions you find yourself partaking throughout the gameplay. Where Marlowe traveled up a river, the player travels up a war.
this answer deserve to be at the top. Violence reinforce itself as a negative feedback loop. Once you have system of feedback going, whatever that system is, it will inevitably expanse itself, it doesn't even need to be conscious.
I kinda take issue with the central conceit of this critique.
Farcry 2 isn't a game where Africa happens to you
Farcry 2 is a game where you happen to Africa.
Its why you have to go at the end.
that`s why i such like fc2 and stalker series, you just stranger passing through your own business, nobody cares if you gone
Funny enough, the French version does negate some racial overviews you're pointing out, like the accent, or the naive characters, as all of them are very ironic about the ideas they're fighting for. Therefor, the aide is no more than a greedy military backup because there is no more local manpower for the factions
After playing FR2 my impressions was that it was criticism of interventionism. Our foriegn 'hero', who has a problematic past and a financial motive is sent to solve the country's problem in the name of bringing peace but ends up contributing to the violence.
The violence done throughout the game is intentionally meaningless, with our 'hero' killing boths sides only for financial gain. But they persist until they have the Jackal in their sights because they presumed they were just.
Ultimately saving the region only in his/her own death.
The white savior.
Agreed 100%
I don’t see any hero in this game. It starts out as a hit-job for money but ends up being a fight for survival by the end of the tutorial.
I would disagree that the 'main point' of the game is about interventionism becaise the country is already at war when the player arrives, but apart from that you are spot on
There is no need to refer to the protagonist in a neutral way. You can only play as a male.
An analysis of world at war (2008) would be interesting.
Cant believe I just stumbled upon such an excellent video
Know exactly how you feel I was looking for something vaugly simular but Croc hit the nails right on the head and covers so much
Praise be to the algorithm.
"... If you succumb to the horror, you become the monster, you become reduced. No more than a man, but less. And it could be fatal."
I never thought the horror The Jackal meant would be really deep.
I disagree that this is what Far Cry 2 is about. The protagonist, and the West, is not portrayed as superior to Africa or Africans, and the game’s elements (the cab driver, choice of the player’s ethnicity) do not reflect such. It is about the depravity and horrific capabilities of man in general, not linked specifically to Africa; as another commenter said, the backdrop of the game could have been a multitude of locations, the fact of them being war-torn being what is relevant, not to suggest that the locations themselves are at fault for being so.
The central character of the game, as expected to be the protagonist, is really The Jackal (he’s the reason you are there, and he motivates your actions throughout the game), and he expresses the game’s message, as he quotes Nietzsche: “A living being above all else seeks to discharge its strength. Life itself is will to power, nothing else matters.” There is no link to Africa or its suggested primitivity whatsoever. Neither your actions as the protagonist, nor the Jackal’s, nor any of the central characters’ or groups’, are excused, justified, or approved on a meta level beyond the will to power; on the contrary, given that the game’s events grow more & more detached, and their ending. The Jackal didn’t “learn it” from the Africans, he’s the one that brought it, and the game doesn’t try to make you forget that. It is on you if you forget it.
I never paid much notice on how the officers talked to their leaders like children.
I just thought it was generic racism, and the mania of 'diamonds.'
@@bigmouthprick5852 close , its slightly more insidious racism. It's institutional racism, finding ways to not just belittle those you view as beneath you, but cutting off ways for them to better themselves, in this case higher level language, to hinder communication.
I disagree with one point: (the book) Heart of Darkness does not try to convey that the white/western world is somehow less savage than that of African tribesmen, it compares the two as being no different.
By the end of the novel, Marlow see’s that Kurtz’ success was only achieved through utter savagery and subjugation of the natives he has encountered, not through traditional colonial methods, but by becoming something completely different; a synthesis of both worlds. They see him as both more and less of a man, as some kind of malevolent spirit that must be placated through labour and sacrifice.
At the beginning of the novel, when Marlow first lands at the worksite, he sees the endless and seemingly fruitless struggle of the natives at the hands of colonial masters who have little to no understanding of the place they are raping the resources from, as no different than that of the endless and fruitless waiting for resources from their own lands (Europe). The colonizers waste away as they wait, without venturing into the wilderness to reap whatever benefits they are looking for; unlike Kurtz, who leaves his old ways behind (saving for his unending quest for resources), and adopting the ways of the native population who know the land only gives what it wants to give.
The natives have survived for millennia by understanding that they only take what they need, unlike colonizers who think they can take whatever they want because they believe themselves to be masters over foreign lands. They work against the native population for resources, instead of with them as Kurtz does; trapped by their own greed and racism to die a wasting death. The antagonist is not Kurtz nor the native land/people, not even disease, the antagonist is the very thing that brought them all there in the first place: greed.
Indeed, the book was written at a time of peak colonialism in Africa, and thus suffers the same pitfalls in it’s own writing that it tries to demonize. Far Cry 2 suffers from something similar, in that in trying to portray the brutish behavior of natives as being similar to the savage land-grabbing of post-colonial entities, ends up rewarding the player for becoming the very thing they sought to destroy.
Neither entry tries to portray Africa itself as the savage, but of the people who aim to rape and subjugate it. Far Cry 2 especially falls short of this message at times, but the theme is there throughout the game. You are safer by avoiding humanity altogether, but cannot progress in the narrative without joining in on the conflict for your own personal gain. One could simply stop playing the narrative altogether and live at a safehouse without ever having to kill, but it’s a video game and thus forces you to play. It would be an incredibly boring game if you followed the “stay at home” mentality and didn’t play the missions, and the only way to avoid becoming the very monster you sought to destroy would be not playing the game at all. Essentially, only by never taking the contract to kill The Jackal in the first place, and thus staying out of Africa would save you of becoming the monster.
The colonizers wasting away from disease have only themselves to blame; likewise, the white mercenaries who die only have themselves to blame for taking part in the conflict in the first place.
Another point of contention for me with this analysis was how the white “aides” speak down on the native leaders like they are children is not present in the original version (French), as all leaders in that version (whether native or foreign) speak in a tone of sarcastic indifference. That indifference is lost in the English version.
Very well put, far better than the faux-intelligent jackass of the video claims.
This game is not about Africans as a whole. It's about civil war. If you are trying to proclaim that the developers are racist for portraying guerrilla fighters as savages just spit it out and say so.
Yeah being from northern ireland and comparing it to the troubles, i saw a lot of the “racism” as overblown, as the point of the natives being “savage” is more a point of all sides being incompetent and savage, no one is correct, and power corrupts.
The white guys appearing to be “reasonable” are foreign aides and worm tongues benefitting from the conflict, similar in position to the british army here fucking up and aiding paramilitary groups in the name of peacekeeping missions,
Ideologues on both sides blowing up civilians
I think the point isn’t to claim Africa as a savage land, but all humanity as savage, its just the backdrop of the setting that brings race into it, if the game was the exact same but set in ireland in the 70s the message would be the same but the set dressing would be wildly different
OK, but they weren’t implying that at all so
That's right. It's about a civil war. And the place that caused it to last like forever. But it's not really about painting anybody to be spearchuckers either. It's because the book is the source of the game, it's just convenient. That's why they also nerf the prejudices.
Then again, the book draws so much criticism. Again, this isn't about pointing out racism. It's about where the game fits with the book.
Same Franchise portrayed guerrilla fighters in the US and it was a bit different, although too be fair the guerrillas and the main character are wrong in 5 since the world does actually end.
Obviously Far Cry 2 supports colonialism. It was developed by French people.
Hell yeah, i am french and i love it
British here, I'm here to support you on this one my french neighbour!
British and French colonialism go together like roast beef and frogs legs. 🤙
This is a game/book/topic that demands the viewer/player/reader to delve deep into parts of themselves that they may never have wanted to go.
This has become one of my most revered videos in regards to FC2 and the lore behind the slow descent of madness that encapsulates Heart of Darkness.
Thank you.
(I just hope Clint Hocking watches this video at some point. I would give nearly anything to have a sit-down talk with that man about what went into this game's development.)
I was about to congratulate the Algorythm on recommending this excellent video to me, but I realised it's been out for over a year.
Well, better late than never.
One of the best videos I have ever seen in the platform. Bravo
Even though the actual message that the game gives to the player (and by extension the original Heart of Darkness), implies some really not so good things about Africa and his people and culture, it's still one of the more unique games of a lost generation of gaming
One that was not focused on the game as a product of service first, but to be an experience, and have something to say. Even if the game itself has questionable decisions and flaws.
(Sorry if my english is garbage, is not my native language)
I think the guy in the video is a German.
This was an absolutely brilliant video. I loved Far Cry 2 for it's gritty game-play, and was left somewhat confused after reading Heart of Darkness, so what this essay brought was deeper understanding to both. It clarified ideas from Heart of Darkness, and really exposed a deeper narrative and set of themes in Far Cry 2, regardless of how well they may have been executed.
Talk about reaching for conclusions man. The part on how the aides show a bad caricature of black or native people in so disengenous. The aides are obviously mercenaries and are only in it for money. Like you, they would switch sies for it, and probably already have. They are jaded to the cause of the leaders because they have heard it all before. The game has a nihilist perspective on human beings, as exposed by the jackal, the central figure in the story. I would expect a mercenary type to not care at all about the ideology so long as he gets paid, you know, like your character.
The jackal also loosely quotes from beyond good and evil, about the will to power. How about recontextualizing all of this supposed racism in the depiction of the characters with the perspective that the game tries to show you.
Not that africans are primitive, but that, deep down, all men are. If you get lost in the jungle, be it in africa or anywhere else, the result is the same. A monster. Africa, just happens to not be as developed in terms of infrastructure and control over their environment compared to any of the countries that your protagonist can come from.
That's the heart of darkness. The jungle, not africa.
I was expecting a reasonable and interesting analisys of the game like the video titled the aesthetichs of far cry 2, but instead i got another person who misguedes himself when reading the heart of darkness.
Highly disappointing...
i have to agree I feel like he missed some of the point when it came to the book, its easy to look at an event like heart of darkness, a book which has a stong autobiographical element to it and put it through a ens of modernistic political views, conrad didn't just write about the congo, he did indeed go and get a job there as a merchant navy man and i daresay it nearly killed him, he is in essence at times both the skipper and Kurtz
Conrad was there and he saw the things he wrote about, not used imperialistic views to dissect imperialism
@@frogmastiff8198 i think the fact that Conrad was, on some level, imperialist, if only for being raised in that culture, is worth accounting for in the story itself. That being said, I agree that the imperialism angle is way overblown in this video's interpretation of it. I feel that Heart of Darkness is actually a solid criticism of white imperialist CULTURE, namely the same kind of "a man as a mountain" ideas that would resurface in many primarily white cultures.
Think about being a tribal african in the days when colonizers first appeared. The technology they had would be mind blowing for you, and the culture of imperialists means that those colonizers are gonna *really* lean into the "Yeah we're basically gods" attitude. It kickstarts a kind of Institutionalization of the people now being colonized, kind of a subtle propaganda. The Imperialist mindset really has no desire to break that down. So what happens when that is pushed to it's extreme? Kurtz happens, a man so obsessed with maintaining image and status, that he manipulates people into committing atrocities, on the basis of that image and status, purely for the sake of maintaining it.
@@salmon_wine african countries are full of black dictators but yeah let's blame white men, so weak
Thank you for this massive analysis. For the longest time Far Cry 2 has been a favourite of mine, but only because it is set in Africa. I have a deep fascination with the desert, and the diverse cultures of the continent, and gaming is so very lacking in giving us adventures set in anywhere close to the continent. So what drew me in and kept me in was reall the surface-level atmosphere. Once, while being a teenager, and having time for it, I sat down to piece together the narrative of the game, but failed to do so. The sense I got from it was that the narrative wanted me not to understand it, as it was so heavy with minute nuances of non-existing political parties and their shady businesses. Now I realize, thanks to this video, that this narrative is just nonsensical, if someone doesn't understand some of the background of the political and literary discourse of African nations, from the point of view of the colonizers. I don't think I'll stop playing the game, but now I have a hugely helpful cognitive apparatus to realize and cirique it's themes, thanks to you.
The amount of effort put in this video is insane
Dear authors of this video,
This is the best game-related content I've seen on TH-cam ever (and I watch a lot of content like this). Maybe even the best video I've seen on TH-cam period.
It not only changes my view on Far Cry 2 and its narrative but also on Heart of Darkness and on (post)colonial discourse we have in the modern world and how it's being presented in popular culture.
I simply lack words to articulate how deeply I'm impressed with your work.
You absolutely need more subscribers and views. Hope you will be making more videos.
Thank you!
If you want to watch another awesome criminally underrated game video essay, I highly recomend checking out "The Master; or, how I learned to stop worrying and love the Super Mutant" by fumbullan
Its incredibly eye opening and I can't help but scream at anyone I can to check it out
@@hairyballbastic8943Thanks, will check it out!
how the fuck does this only have 200 views, this is such a great fuckin video, really in depth and all that, love it
mhm - incredibly detailed and insightful analysis about an often-overshadowed videogame detailing topics that we, as a western audience, either don’t get to, or don’t want to, indulge.
and it’s overshadowed by some sleazy greaseball on the front face of this platform talking about some drama on another website.
we need to cut every cell out of this cancer - destroy TH-cam!
cause it's his first video , the algorithm of youtube suck
I think the Jackal was based on FC1's Jack Carver. Pretty bargain bin game by the time FC2 was out with the likes of Vivisector.
it was confirmed , he is jack carver
파크라이2는 내가 언제나 말하는 최고의 게임 3가지 중 하나였다. 게임이 문화라고 주장하는 이들조차 그것이 문학일 리 없는 것처럼 대하곤 하는 것이 너무 싫다.
Shalom!
I thought foreign mercenaries were an allegory for neocolonialism, reinforced by the presence of foreign corporations in the country and their roles in the conflict. Violence, madness and greed being imported from outside, rather than caused by Africa. But this video made me realise that's how I wanted to interpret it.
Also, I thought at first that the cab driver was just coping hard at the horrible situation around him, and that he was just trying to survive in the midst of a war.
Really great video.
I think you got it right the first time.
If you want my two cents,I think the hypocritical plot about a mercenary rampaging through a country to stop an arms dealer who's perpetuating a rampage, should be enough to tell you what the game thinks about neocolonialism and foreign interventionism.
@@hateraccoon5686so why does the Jackal so thoroughly ridicule the west in the interview tapes: ("you think someone in the CIA is gonna listen to this and come after me?/the death of a 23 year old from Iowa gets more airtime than the 50,000 people he gave his life to protect/Even if they did give a shit...") for not intervening? He's presented as an anti-hero in narrative despite this view.
The cab driver was one of the people who "coopted" their role in my model; he's aware of the cynical use of people in both factions and instead stands apart from it, earning a humble but honest dime while having to choke down his own distaste of the people around him, fully self aware he's turned into a caricature as he waves away exploitation and murder
@@hateraccoon5686LMAO you should go to Africa and see how wrong you are
Friend of mine recommended this video to me. This was a very good 2 hours, great work man
I respect the fact that many literary analyses have been written confirming your thoughts regarding the book Heart of Darkness, But that doesn't mean that these interpretations are correct. And no, this is not me complaining about over analyzing. Quite the contrary! I find it to be a disingenuous analysis of the book. It certainly does not illustrate the image that these scholars, and now you, seem to present. An image that the author presents one faction over another.
My interpretation of the book is the complete opposite. While the setting of Africa definitely has a certain effect, that effect is also rather certainly not what Conrad was attributing to the sorry state of affairs. That effect could be found anywhere on Earth if we are being honest. Especially with geographic flavor added to it as it does with Conrad's book. If anything I think Contrad was illustrating to us that this state of affairs, this anarchy was present within all humanity. A more universalist approach, and one i think was intended by the author.
Africa as a setting and cultural background was not to blame for the brutal station masters and corporate goons, and it wasnt to blame for the barbaric locals working on their behalf. Everyone was reduced to barbary. Yet Africa as a setting is not to blame, only adding fuel to the fire. Conrad's story is one of greed simply put. A cautionary tale at that.
Fact of the matter is, and many new age historians and scholars begrudgingly need to admit this, is that Europeans simply were more developed than much of Africa by the time of European colonization in the 19th century. And so, you and otbers perceive Conrad's book in such a fashion.
And just to hammer in my point that the setting itself isnt the corrupting factor in both the book or the game, the fact that far cry 2's successor far cry 3, is a game where a man loses himself in a new 'setting'- if one were to be reductionist!
2 hrs of work and only 7.2k views? Deserves much more
People dont want to listen to 2 hours of pseudo intellectual word salad over a war game that happens to have black people in it.
@cuddles1767 there’s nothing really pretentious about it bring it up. Actual criticisms of historical works of fiction is not pretentious in anyway you just don’t like they have your immediate criticizing. That’s OK but I would highly recommend that you touch grass at some point.
@@cra8zykidg Not sure lack of grass touching happens to be the issue here. Much more likely to be in the vein of "thinking hard, what is book, shut up word man please". If anything, he would actually benefit from less interaction with grass, digestive or, god forbid, otherwise.
@@juliano9566 All of you would benefit from reading an actual book instead of trying to superimpose so much non-existent narrative onto the game that barely has any, that you ultimately discuss the things you conjured out of thin air instead of the actual work.
@@TheRadioSquare But here's the thing, and please consider this. No work of fiction develops in a vacuum. Every single human creation is the outgrowth of the borders of our cultural horizon. The very fact that this game has very little narrative focus or development hinges on historical, cultural and, well, narrative assumptions from the writers, superimposed on the players. The very notion that the "African nation civil war guerilla genocide communists nothing changes the horror" shtick lands tells a story by itself. Several, actually.
I would love to see an extensive talk with the devs of FCII, because so many strange elements are in the game, and as this video points out the subtext is so interesting, but I wish we knew more about the intentionality of the design, and why the vision was chosen. It can't even be said that it's a complete reaction to FCI , because the themes in that game were very light, unlike later games after FCII. Most of the storytelling through gameplay design was discarded after this too. Why why why... great video.
The mastermind behind FC2, Louis-Pierre Pharand, was ousted from Ubisoft not longer after the games release. It's worth noting the team spent a considerable amount of time researching the game in Africa itself.
So do you like the game or not?
Nah in all seriousness great video
Actually laughed out loud when I read this. Thank you so much!
- Malte
@@crocodilegambit so glad I could make someone laugh! 😂
A great analysis in which i would add a bit of nuance, with 3 aspects : story element, real life inspiration, and cultural study.
The writers probably didn't care of the colonial approach of their hypotext because Apocalypse Now already adapted it without problem. But it's also because, as you pointed out at the begining, there is a writing structure : Nature / Culture. But in the game as in real life, nature is not purely good (Rousseau has been actively promoted by Nazis for saying that), nor it's bad (fauna is not trying to kill the player in this game). It's all story telling, Conrad has to choose one, even if he actually enjoyed Africa to a certain point. Thus, the narrator is pessimistic about the land, but it doesn't mean that Africa is really plagued or to be destroyed. It's just a writing trick as old as time.
Also, if every human being tries to kill the player, once again, it's not linked to the hostility of the land (but it's intended to be, as you explained). Personnally, I see a perfect understanding of the civil war crisis. Speaking from my experience in Lebanon, there was no safe zone for civilians : hiding in the basement, put mattress on windows, planning route to avoid checkpoints and irregulars (snipers), never take the same route back, it's what Far Cry 2 perfectly recreates. Your critic is solid and true, once again, but i'm just pointing the other aspects of the game design.
I've also spent some time in Africa, in areas the game clearly took inspiration from, and i never felt the rampant racism in Far Cry 2, simply because characters were too accurate : a doctor with humanist ideas in his mouth but selfish actions (Gakumbe in the game) was far too common. It is actually caused by colonialism, since it's how the 'educated' White acted, and how older generations learnt to behave, since it was the model, but sadly the game uses irony and cynicism to defuse it, not facts.
Which leads to my point about cultural studies. In my opinion the critic that Africa is corrupted, according to the game, should be seen as Africa is broken (but the game refuses to elaborate). The game artists, as outlanders in Africa, should have feel the same as the player in the taxi ride : something is wrong here, people acts differently than us, but it's not corruption, or sickness. It's the way of life. Governement or not, there is no money, roads are blocked by corrupted cops, water has to be filtered by locals, and medicines are money. If you're ill on a village, you have to travel far away to be cured, and all of this game aspects, which you analyses correctly in a post colonial approach, also means that the creators have worked well to capture the feeling of Africa.
(I use Africa as a whole according to the game and your analysis, i know there are huge differencies between countries.)
One point i found bloody ironic is the fact that three of the playable characters can, in fact, be considered African themselves. Two of them being so literally. We have one black man from Haïti, one Arab from Northern Africa and another black man from the isles near Madagascar. So the fact that the people of the UAC, especially the warlords, always consider us as an outsider who is only tolerated so long as he is useful really highlights the intolerant nature of those people.
(One point i found especially funny is at the border control camp Sepoko where there is a sign really emphasizing how unwelcome foreigners are: "Warning! No trespassing! Violators will be shot, Survivors will be shot again." lol. You would think they are protecting some highly classified military installation or something.)
Oh yes. I noticed a objective falsehood in your video. You say all Mercs you can play do not come from Africa. But this is wrong. There are 2 out of 9 character that are from Africa.
Quarbani Singh is Mauritian, which is in East Africa. Hakim Echebbi is Algerian, which is in North Africa.
Sorry buddy but I think you are overanalyzing way to much here.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to clarify this murkier point of the video, as there was not enough time for it in the paragraph. I actually wrestled with the idea of an Indian, namely Singh, counting as a foreigner, as Punjab was of course likewise colonized, but since the character is portrayed as a foreigner throughout the plot, and constantly referred to as such by others, the narratives align with those of Marlow. For my thoughts on why the game may have chosen to include Echebbi and refers to him as a foreigner, see my annotation below his blurb at 31:18.
- Malte
@@crocodilegambitAfrica is not a country, so it makes sense other africans are treated as foreigners in far cry 2, and I'm pretty sure some generic mercenaries are also africans
Fantastic video! It feels like Far Cry 3 was an improvement in this regard, but still hit a lot of the same issues. It's hard to have a story that explores the themes of white saviours and Western imperialism when the FC3 islands consist of tin-roofed shacks lacking any culture, politics, or history
Great video, but did the Far Cry 2 devs intentionally make similarities to the book? I feel like you see these tropes in many books/games/movies
Thank you! Although this video does not dwell on intentionality, if you are interested in the actual thought process behind the story, I would recommend Game Developer's interview with Far Cry 2's story lead Patrick Redding, "Redefining Game Narrative: Ubisoft's Patrick Redding On Far Cry 2".
I very much do not agree with that the game say "If you bring weapons to Africa you get war. If you remove the weapons and act like a parent you get peace".
That is not what the game say. You can even find that in the Jackles tape. The Jackle did not start the war and him bringing weapons to the conflict didn't make people want to kill each other. They already wanted the conflict, they already wanted war. You do not get peace by removing the weapons. The problem is the culture, the mindset, of violence, control and power. Not the tools to get those things.
Hi, Cloud_Seeker! Thank you for commenting. It appears you figured out exactly what the analysis of the video arrived at. Correct, violence and savagery are in the African DNA, and nothing we can do will ever change that, that is the narrative of Far Cry 2.
- Malte
@@crocodilegambit Going to be honest with you mate. I have not watched the whole video. It is just to long and drag on for much longer than it needs to. The argument the video is is making is kind of forgotten by the length. To actually get where your own position is is hard to tell since you most like have to watch the whole thing. Sure. Having the game compared with the book can be great, but it almost sound like you compare chapter by chapter and page by page.
I am not against long formed content. But here it doesn't really seem that you are getting to a point for like a hour.
@@crocodilegambit I would disagree with it saying that, I think it is closer to saying that living conditions are the reason for the violence. Not only with the Jackal Tapes and him condemning the exploitation of the first world against the third, but we even see how corporations still continue to exploit this country with the oil fields and advertisements strung about. I think it's a Marxist game ultimately, even if I am not a Marxist myself I respect the analysis (Egoist btw).
T.I.A
I encourage everyone to read the book, "King Leopold's Ghost."
„Theese africans have horrid Rituals!!!“ while they keelhauled a couple people on the way there
I can't sneed
In the brief moment that it was mentioned it was said that Apocalype Now! Treated native peoples as savage. The only people to do that are colonialists. Ones that have gone mad from the WAR not merely from interacting with the Vietnamese let alone the Cambodian tribe. The only people who treat anyone as “savages” are people who are savages themselves and who are clearly not shown in a good light. The film is about war and desensitization. The book is present in threads alone if you really look at the movie. The anti-imperialist themes present in the film are not misplaced or done wrong as it was kind of implied in the video.
This video as a whole though is something I really enjoyed, very well put together.
Isn't this the film where Kurtz expresses admiration for the "red team"/communist guerillas chopping off children's arms after the spec ops teams does inoculation?
I think that's pretty explicitly painting them as primitive savages.
How do you feel about Spec Ops: The Line as an adaptation of Heart of Darkness?
Friend, I think you've assumed this game to be more racist than it is, and the series even more so. With the exception of 1 Far Cry games have always been about how desperate people become brainwashed by ideologies, how the power those ideologies corrupts the leaders they empower, and how the individual (usually the player but including Vaas, Pagan, Bhadra, the son from 6) is supposed to balance themselves between two opposing sides.
Far Cry 2 is a bit blunt in its' approach to exposing ideology and policial identity, but it was also the writers first time at approaching these themes and I think that can be forgiven, even more so as the series continues and they expose this paradigm in multiple geographical settings
I also feel the need to comment about how you say the game calls "Africa(ns) the disease", which is straight out wrong. The redemptions of the protagonist throughout the game and notably at the end is reliant on them helping unmilitarised citizens escape the warzone. The disease is war and militarism, not Africa in general.
The writers show in later games that they're willing to say dangerous ideologies, leaders willing to manipulate through those ideologies, and militarism can crop up anywhere. I feel like that's a message that must be taken seriously
This is one of the greatest videos ever made
Wonderful video. Bravo. should have more views.
This video was absolutely phenomenal 👏 👏👏
This is one of the most expertly produced video game essays I’ve ever come across. The script for this was excellent and your narration was flawless, which considering english isn’t your first language is unbelievably impressive!
I really enjoyed the analysis of this game through an academic and literary lens. For me Far Cry 2 is simply a game about getting lost in the african world in search of an elusive arms dealer, so your perspective was new and interesting to me.
Can’t wait to see your next work!
I do agree with one point you make in the video. You indeed read too much into it. In other words I agree with the fact that FC2 does not explore its themes enough and instead just leaves you with an implicit overgeneralized message that can only be decoded if you know the context about how Africa got ruined and is to this day continually exploited by many western nations(and non western ones who joined in later), however, this the furthest I would go with such criticism. Not providing context does not equal=game racist and the way you explain it to the viewers as if they are small children is also fairly annoying (especially since you accuse the game of doing the same to native population). Criticising the game for not having balls is one thing, saying it excuses colonialism just because it does not condemn it is just as assumptious as many of your arguments are. This especially hurts as some of the individual observations are trully great but you are far too focused on delivering specific narrative that it is exactly like the one book. In other words, never atttribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.
Yea i agree with this sentiment and he did kinda hand wave the argument at the start of the video for some reason and didn't talk about it. This is a natural by product of over analysis.
Thanks for summarizing this woke trite so i don't have to listen to 2 hours of leftoid mind vomit
I dunno man rightoids are just as cringe nowadays@@chumbucket6184
Yeah, he's coming off as a Mr Actually. Reading into the material and making assumptions to fit his narrative. This guy is a hack.
@chumbucket6184 I'm pretty sure the person making this comment is Also left wing bud.
Assassin's Creed 1 next maybe?
Extremely well done Analysis, hope similar video comes soon 🎉
keep up the good work and can you do a atom rpg video?
A two hour story analysis of my favorite Far Cry game? Hell yeah. Bring it on!
Apocalyps now
Have u played planescape torment?
This video slaps
This is a beautiful critique, I would love to hear your thoughts on other entries into the franchise. The series has always been fairly mind numbing to follow as there is an aversion to tackling any of their subject matter seriously without alienating their target audience. If you ever manage to comeback to this whatever you decide on creating I'd be interested in.
Good analysis.
I don’t know if you are reading this but this video was on a completely next level! I can’t believe more people haven’t watched this sooner and that I haven’t been recommended this sooner!
I’m glad I found this video, I really like it. I especially like how you took quotes directly from Heart of Darkness. I’ve decided to buy and read the book before diving into FC2 for a third time. I will definitely check out your channel.
I'm replaying fc2 for 5 time now 😅
@@vunenicarI’ve been addicted to this fantastic game since 2012 very hard not to beat it a few times a year 😅
@@LP1401E very based
Sublime video
this is a very polished and well presented and researched video essay, and i appreciate the work that went into it. unfortunately it kinda, well... it may have side stepped those part of the narrative that where not inclined to the chosen conclusion.
So yeah...here's a example, this vid uses the quote about "guns aren't biodegradable only the dead are" to support its argument that in this story Africa is seen a violent and corrupting.
BUT thats the actual end of a paragraph where the Jackal, literally, explains that all these guns come from predominantly European wars, almost every war mention is a civil war, just like the game world and all of them are well known for human atrocities committed during those wars.
according to a load screen as to why the jackal is targeted "....[the jackal must represent]..some history the black bag crowd doesn't want walking around."
while load screens and even Ruben (the [only] character who goes on about foreign aid being the answer) all confirm the same thing over and over again: international powers refusing to do anything, "just a another side bar conflict [bla bla, people back home] can click their tongs and plan their next tax deductible donation", "you all talk about helping...[bla bla but instead] you wear ur halos and wring ur hands" Ruben himself even says multiple times "like they [the people he's writing the article for] would even care"
side note Ruben at one point states in the narrative that he idolises the player, the second last time you see him until the cut scene at the end of the game, he states "I wish i could be more like you" at this point in the story the game ensures you have 3+ infamy so everyone else is already calling you a mad man and backing away from you in town.
he's also the only character who expresses admiration for the player in the main quest line. Other than the priest who calls you a 'good man' once, only once. just after the tutorial before you have voluntarily done any missions for the factions. after that he just says "go with god" or "be safe" that kinda thing.
Last and most important point of digression, the famous moment when the jackal says you have to wipe out every cell of the disease, including him and well you know... or u dont.
any way, thats at the start of the only linear mission in the game. Every single target is a foreigner. without exception, including the only leader left alive to order the attempted genocide of the 2mill escaping civ's which is the largest scale and most direct atrocity in the game. IDK but this seems to suggest a different reading is equally possible, at the very least.
the reading that every problem in this country, from the jackal to the guns are inherited; from the same places as the people who profit by these problems. Who, while acting superior to the people who's wealth they are depleting, keep perpetuating the the problems.
quotes on resource depletion: "there used to be diamonds now there's no diamonds and some ...[crazy murk eating peoples harts]..." troops chatting, "except the mines empty" buddy on mission where you flood the mine, "these militia come into our country, steal everything and leave us nothing" taxi driver in into right after calling u a foreigner.
also little side note: 65% of diamonds come from Africa and Europe is the biggest buyer of uncut diamonds. And most of the guns are stated as coming from Europe; and all the murks are foreigners.
as face full of eyes says in his brilliant analysis of this game heres a quote "in..[most/pretty much all FPS's]...you go on a vacation to experience things you cant in real life. In Far cry 2 you go through things you hope to never experience in real life."
here's a link to his longform and brilliant video analyses th-cam.com/video/mx4eSkMBx-U/w-d-xo.html
ut
Now that you mentioned it. Yeah it's pretty obvious this game never tells you out straight but it makes it clear where the blame lies.
@@tsk5328 Thank you for taking the time to comment. You appear very passionate about the game, and believe me, I think it's the best Far Cry game ever made, that's why I put that in the description. As you may have spotted in the introduction, however, I point out that literary analysis is not concerned with author intention, and even if you are, to not take Heart of Darkness's narrative into account when analyzing Far Cry 2 will never yield the full picture.
You recite the, as the conclusion refers to it, "age-old" (1:56:52) anti-colonialist preferred reading of the novel, which, as the preface points out by citing Brantlinger and Achebe, fails due to the colonialist rhetoric in which it is conveyed. The hypothesis of the video is that the game, in its attempt to emulate the novel, likewise fails in this endeavor. Pointing out what the game wants to achieve is unfortunately unhelpful feedback for an analysis of how it fails in what it tries to achieve.
Even if you disagree with some of what is said in the first 47 minutes, I recommend watching the video in its entirety, it would have saved you a lot of time, as it discusses most of the points you've elaborated on, and just gives you a different viewpoint on a game you clearly love, as do I.
Best wishes,
Malte
@@crocodilegambit hi im not offended or anything, just seeing if the literary analysis should perhaps include a wider data set.
plus the good news is any comment bad or good is still good for the algorithm XD
its narrative is impressive though, for a tec demo
I wish to one day be able to, not only write, but also edit videos like this. Much appreciated, sir. : )
Wow, this is definitely one of the most fascinating videos I have ever seen on TH-cam. Well done! I will be sharing this with people who think video games are mindless. I mean granted, a lot are. But, every now and then, you get a hidden gem like Far Cry 2. I hope this style of story and game writing will return. The same guy who did this game also did Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell and Chaos theory, it's no wonder I like the stories of those too.
blessed be the algorithm for showing me this
Edit: Seriously, this essay was amazing.
Ubisoft should take inspiration from this game to make their new games.