How NOT to create a Cyberpunk Dystopia?
🧠 12 lesser known transhumanist(ish)* stories, and indie projects
“An entire world could be constructed in this realm, away from damage and degradation, conceptual perfection could be realized.”
quote from our narrative artbook Omnimorphs: Beyond the veil
“Hello, handsome. What a day, hmm?”
Maintaining mental, and physical health is not a problem any more. We live in an equitable, kind society, and even the government is our buddy. This is more, or less, the basis of a solved world.
What would a great human life look and feel like?
What would give us meaning, and purpose when machines solve problems faster and better than we do?
I hear your “BUT…”
Could you leave cynicism for the time of this post, please?
I will be totally transparent: I cringe and frown upon hearing ‘human augmentation’, or ‘new solutions’ provided by technology. But when I spoke with Huba about transhumanism, I realised that the values prompting my reaction come from my 10-year-old self.
I’ve learnt the reflex that tells me: without hard work, the outcome, and in the end life, is somehow wrong.
So, I wonder, is there a positive future for humanity in these tech centred visions, or are we doomed if we progress too fast? Is there such a thing as optimistic cyberpunk?
Let's open our minds together and get a glimpse of the bizarre (?) world of transhumanism and other tech positive utopias.
We’ll peek in the shortest way possible
Nineteen Eighty-Four, Brave New world, Neuromancer, Blade Runner, Altered Carbon, Ghost in the Shell, Akira, Fahrenheit 451, A Clockwork Orange…
I love tales, that tell me, how the world will be more fucked-up, than it is now. This is my weird fascination with doom. Maybe I just want to see the world burn, and looking over the rubbles say,
“I told you.”
What a perverse fantasy to be right in such a tragedy…
Or is it?
It seems like dystopias have a rise in popularity, and as it is usual during cultural change, one radicality pulls opposing ideas out of the shadows of underground cultures.
Why is cyberpunk dystopian?
Cyberpunk, characterized by “high tech, low life,” has long presented a vision of a future where technology, particularly in the realm of cybernetics and AI, leads to societal decay. Early works like Neuromancer and Blade Runner depict societies in which corporate dominance and technological control have triumphed, causing environmental degradation, and alienation. In these worlds, cybernetics typically serves the interests of the elite, while the masses struggle in sprawling megacities.1
These tales terrorize us with the dangers of unchecked technological progress, highlighting issues such as loss of privacy, the commodification of human experience, and the erosion of individuality.
Yet, we are drawn to their dystopias, perhaps because they resonate so much with today's socio-economic troubles.2
Is there a positive cyberpunk future?
While traditional cyberpunk envisions a dystopia, newer interpretations —such as those in games like Cyberpunk 2077— hint at a more optimistic outcome, where technology could enhance human capabilities and even spiritual evolution. This shift, from nihilism to “high life, cool tech,” suggests that technology can be a path to self-actualization rather than destruction.3
On the other hand, optimistic visions of the future tend to “rebrand” themselves…
Transhumanism
This forward-looking philosophy, as articulated by Nick Bostrom, advocates for the enhancement of human capabilities through advanced technologies such as genetic engineering, AI, and biotechnology. It seeks to overcome human biological limitations like aging, disease, and even death, leading to a post-human future where individuals have significantly extended lifespans, heightened intellectual capacities, and enhanced emotional well-being.4
Transhumanists believe in the ethical imperative to pursue these enhancements in order to create more fulfilling lives.
Bostrom emphasizes that while this path opens up new realms of value and experiences, it must be approached cautiously. Preservation of personal identity and gradual technological augmentation is key to ensuring individuals do not lose their sense of self in the process of becoming post-human.5
Solarpunk
In contrast to cyberpunk’s bleakness, solarpunk envisions a utopian future where technology and nature coexist in harmony. It draws inspiration from renewable and decentralized energy solutions, sustainable living, regenerative agriculture, and community-driven practices to solve current and future crises like climate change and social inequality.6
Where transhumanism focuses on individual enhancement through technology, solarpunk is more concerned with collective well-being and ecological balance.
It aims to build societies that are not only technologically advanced but also socially equitable and environmentally resilient.7
Solarpunk projects, like Singapore's sustainable architecture and urban agriculture initiatives, offer real-world examples of how green technology can foster a better future.8
If you are interested in solarpunk (and anarchist) ideas, I highly recommend Andrewism’s YouTube channel.
(There are many other hybrid philosophies and ideas that look more on the optimistic side of our future: spiritual cyberpunk, moral enhancements, ethical tech etc.)
So what?
We are actively working towards a world of human redundancy. Although, these discussions may appear highly theoretical, as Bostrom states, the change can happen faster than we think. So, preparing our monkey-brains for the tigers that we’ve created (e.g. “What do I do with my life?”) sounds like a good idea.
While conjuring up something better for ourselves seems so obvious, it is easier to find mistakes in the present and see what can go wrong. Perhaps even more tempting to romanticize about the past. But after eradicating the majority of famines and diseases of humanity, we may as well be optimistic about the future.
Dream big, but don’t lose a fair amount of ethical foresight.
The Transhumanist(ish)* list
*slight detours to sci-fi and fantasy imminent
Let’s observe out of curiosity and the love to learn or even mimic like Omnimorphs.
🎥 Movie: PEOPLE PERSON
This blew my mind! I usually get overstimulated by such aesthetics, but the topic resonates with me so much, that I was just glued to the screen. Which is funny considering the message of the animation. At least according to what I took away from it.
🎮 Gaming: Off The Grid
Off The Grid is an upcoming cyberpunk-inspired battle royale game that leans heavily into body augmentation. It has fun, experimental gameplay, lots of guns and mechanical limbs to equip and use, and all in all it looks like it might give this familiar genre an exciting twist.
Huba
🎮 Gaming: Katana ZERO
Katana Zero is a pretty well known indie game from the past couple of years, and we felt this list would not be complete without it. It’s an awesome action platformer game set in a dystopian cyberpunk universe, where you play as an amnesiac neo-samurai type character. Also, impressively, it is the work of a solo indie developer.
Huba
🎮 Gaming: Technobabylon
Technobabylon is not a fast paced action game like the two above, but a kind of old-fashioned 2d adventure, with an intriguing plot and immersive world-building.
Huba
🎮 Gaming: Dex
Dex is a 2D action-rpg that pays homage to nineties video games while offering a great story to follow, and fun retro-inspired gameplay. As it relates to the other games on this list, it is kind of a mix of Kata Zero and Technobabylon - it has action elements, but with a heavy focus on world-building and narrative.
Huba
🎥 Movie: Heavenly Vessel
Unfortunately it is a (really) short film, but the art style, and world they’ve created in just over 2 minutes, worth a mention.
And btw, the same animation studio is the creator of this Solarpunk ad for Chobani, and many other high-end retro-anime inspired works.
📖 Book: The Adventures of Alyx
“The Adventures of Alyx is a sci-fi undertaking written by Joanna Russ, formerly known for her romance novels. It centers around the life of Alyx, the pick-lock and assassin. Alyx was born in ancient Greece but she finds herself displaced, several thousand years in the future. There she is recruited to undertake tasks people are no longer capable of.
First on her agenda is to help a pampered group of travelers through a dangerous region filled with hostile actors. The travelers she is given stewardship over are tall, beautiful, strong; enhanced in every way by the technology of the era. Even so, they are empty and childlike. As the situation they find themselves in deteriorates so too does the state of the group. Through the unfiltered experience some begin to mature, while others wish only to find their way back to sedation.
All, however, are left with an impaired ability to understand and process the profundity of their experience. They see nothing in death, in suffering, they see nothing in overcoming. Technology has flatlined their inner world, devoid of the highs and lows that make a heartbeat. When it comes to the structures of our inner world we either use it or lose it.”
Jared —author of Omnimorphs: Beyond the Veil
🎥 Movie: DUST
Okay, for sure we will get back with other picks from their amazing collection of sci-fi shorts. Until then, watch them if you haven’t. The production quality is insane. (I am almost ashamed that I haven’t found them before Huba recommended this channel.)
Here is a screenshot from one of their latest film, that explores the meaning of being (kind of) human:
❔ Your art: Leave a comment
This could be the part where we recommend your favorite artist, developer, or maybe even you FOR FREE. If you want to fill in this place with your suggestion (for absolutely free, of course), send a link in a reply to this email or comment below.
🎥 Movie: The Congress
I’ve recommended this before (check out that post), but just cannot stress how much it gets about our current time, while the basis of it was written in 1971 (!) and the film was released in 2013.
🎥 Movie: I lost my Body
This is more of a surrealist pick, but is definitely about self-discovery. Won a ton of awards and was nominated for the Oscar (if this means anything), so maybe not so lesser known for the animation-inclined. If you doubt the depth of animation, this is a great first try to let go of your prejudice.
🎥 Movie: Azureus
I haven’t been following this title for as long as some in the comment section, but must admit, there is something that caught my eye. Pretty classic protagonist, but maybe the story has some unique twist lurking in the future. Good to keep an eye out for the follow-up.
🎮 Gaming: Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
Not so ‘lesser-known’ now, either, but certainly an imaginative story about expanding the abilities of humans. This is a third-person shooter from the well-established world of Warhammer 40k. And other than the killer mechanics and graphics, this game caught our attention because a smaller studio develops it.
Would you augment yourself in the future?
Tell us in a comment, so we can tell each other how disgusting, augmentation or staying natural is.
Time to escape to your world of creativity and build!
Adrián
Scribe of the Omniscient
👁🗨