RandomNPC – Video Game RPG Reviews, Editorials, and Features

It has come to my attention that a rogue piece of software is being proliferated with the intent to undermine the efforts of the United Nations Anti-Terrorist Coalition (UNATCO) and FEMA agents across the country, if not the world. This software, codenamed “Deus Ex,” contains the standard terrorist propaganda bullet points, depicting the United States government as terrorists and UNATCO peacekeepers as an occupying army. It claims to be a work of fiction, and takes the form of what could fairly be called a training simulator, thus posing a more signifcant threat than typical terrorist propaganda efforts. And so, I have decided to address this latest meme directly.

Drawing from our current, very real crises – the Statue of Liberty bombing, the outbreak of the plague known as the Grey Death – Deus Ex supposes that UNATCO has begun production of nanotechnologically augmented agents. The Coalition deploys them both to combat a wave of terrorist attacks in New York city and to test their functionality for an undefined global conspiracy. Lacking the decorum to even hide its labastes behind pseudonyms, Deus Ex names both myself and entrepreneur/philanthropist Bob Page as key figures in this, and documents the efforts of a newly-created agent known as JC Denton to uncover “the truth.”

Laughable as its pretenses may be – it’s common knowledge that scientists are years away from developing nanotech suitable for the human body – the means through which it is presented act as a subtle conduit for a dangerous ideology. The player is guided through a series of training exercises, and carried through routine missions in a vague approximation of life as a new breed of special agent. The game engine capably delivers a sense of freedom, giving players some discretion in how they tackle enemies and obstacles – direct use of force, covert infiltration, computer-based sabotage, or even negotiations in some cases – while ironically herding them towards an unavoidable confrontation with these so-called conspirators.

Despite the aforementioned rigidity in the overall plot, there is considerable leeway for the player to act as humanely or viciously as they prefer. While a handful of individuals within UNATCO will scorn the player for excessive use of force, by and large the Coalition is depicted as bloodthirsty and cruel. My own persona is given to such euphemisms as “using less civilized methods” to extract information from prisoners. This freedom, of course, has ultimately little bearing on the plot, and is instead an illusion used to mask the subversive content within.

Its depictions of our technological capabilities and training regimen are also misleading; it lends to outlandish and often impossible feats that far outstrip the performance of even our best mechanically-augmented agents. Players can customize their very body with a wide variety of abilities, ranging from simple strength or speed boosts to remote explosives detonation, regeneration or even complete invisibility. Equally absurd is how it handles agent skills, wherein players aquire “skill points” for various actions throughout the course of the game. These points may be used at any time to upgrade skills, and one could literally get points simply for skulking around in a sewer or finding a key individual, then miraculously get better at handling weapons, picking locks, hacking computers, and so on.

One must not, however, underestimate the appeal of a well-rounded package. Although dated in graphical and audio terms, Deus Ex is notably sound in its programming and level design. Again, perceived freedom is used as a tool to disperse propaganda. Levels are reasonably open-ended, offering multiple entry and exit points, though often to ridiculous degrees intended for dubious purposes. Consider bathroom air ducts leading to high-security areas, or a prison block easily exfiltrated due to an unlocked floor grating. The player is encouraged to explore, to break and enter, to violate the law, and is rewarded for doing so.

Backed by a philosophical bait-and-switch, this rogue software makes feeble attempts at justifying its message, citing John D. Rockefeller and others as evidence that the United Nations was founded to supercede national governments. It provides a smokescreen for its own message by posing the player as a patriot, believing in the purpose of UNATCO and condemning dictatorships and terrorism even as he blatantly commits treason. Posturing behind noble ideals, the player is goaded – gradually, but certainly – into betraying his comrades, aiding foreign terrorist groups, stealing experimental weapons, and committing gross destruction of property; the chaos culminates with the hijacking of an armed nuclear missile and redirecting it to a U.S. air base.

In the end, what separates Deus Ex from the usual attempts at anti-western doublespeak is solely its execution. It is clearly designed to keep the player thinking about the raw mechanics of gameplay – how to bypass obstacles, how to neutralize enemies – while distracting them from its insidious message. Its textbook rhetoric rings hollow upon closer examination, and requires only constant vigilance to effectively refute.

At last report, all known participants in creating this software have been arrested and are being held for questioning. If you come in contact with the software or know someone who has, immediately contact your local police, FEMA or UNATCO representative. Information leading to successful arrests or captures will be rewarded with 10,000c.

– Walton Simons
Director, Federal Emergency Management Agency
wsimons@usfema.gov

Platform: PC

Estimated Time to Acts of Sedition: 35-40 hours (dependent on political leanings of player)

Overall Effectiveness: 9/10

Aesthetic Appeal: 7/10

Subversive Content: 10/10

Lack of Patriotism: 9/10

Countermeme Susceptibility: 7/10

Empty Rhetoric: 8/10

Threat Level: Severe