"Art imitates life" is a classic phrase, because no matter what era of time it is applied to, the saying rings true. Video games are finally receiving the artistic consideration that the medium rightfully deserves, as evidenced by the Smithsonian “Art of Video Games” exhibit, which opens in March 2012. And so, video games are now subject to this phrase, “art imitates life,” and many recent and upcoming titles are proving this claim to be true. The world is currently in an unstable economic state, and much of the blame lies with the banks, corporations, and governments of our modern age. The United States, as well as a large portion of European nations, are facing these financial crises simultaneously and the public has been forced to take notice. One of the repercussions for our current day and age has resulted in a public distrust for corporations and government. Games like Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Syndicate, and Rainbow Six: Patriots are reflections of the modern times and key evidence in the claim that art imitates life.
The Deus Ex: Human Revolution is shrouded in conspiracy. Nothing is as it seems, and this type of story is a direct correlation of present life. In this temperamental economic climate, a position the corporations put themselves in, people do not believe a word that big businesses say. Eidos Montreal no doubt picked up on the animosity felt toward mega-companies, and the developer translated this public resentment into the game’s constant tone. Corporations have been antagonized greatly within the context of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. There are protesters within the game that constantly question the corporation’s ethics and values, and these sentiments are sympathized by Adam Jensen himself. The multiple layers of conspiracy, disregard for the public, and questionable ethics paint big businesses in a bad light, because these are concepts that audiences can relate to. In Deus Ex, the people working for the system are being screwed, and people the system is claiming to help are getting screwed, and the people rejecting the system can’t do a thing about it.
This sounds a lot like the frustrations being felt by people from around the world. Starbreeze Studios are also capitalizing on the troubled world economy in their reboot of Syndicate, a game that takes place in a world controlled by corporate interests. It is a popular belief that corporations hold more power than governments. In the United States, big businesses fuel the campaign funds for political candidates and in response these politicians are expected to repay the favor by supporting certain legislations. In addition to this are the corporate lobbyists, which wine and dine politicians in order to get them to back certain laws and policies. The deal is unspoken, but this doesn’t mean it doesn’t occur. In this way, mega-companies have a large stake in what happens with economic policies. 2012’s Syndicate will take this corruption to the extreme. In Syndicate, government has been eliminated and is nothing more than a masquerade. There are three major syndicates in this fictional world and these companies control the wealth, power, and wars of the world.
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