What makes us human? What is the consciousness? Can an AI develop a consciousness? How human are we when we lose individuality?
Part of our humanity is derived from a consciousness, or, the ability to perceive the world around us. Emotions and feelings are born through struggle and battle. In Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid series, there is a world order in place to manage these feelings and thoughts, often by suppressing them in favor of waging war.
In replaying classic Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, a powerful and recurring theme in the series depends on the “War Economy” by erasing the individual. Similarly, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance uses war as a running central theme using child soldiers, indicating that while old figures and ideologies came and went, this economic structure survived the test of time. It accomplished this in fictional 1960’s through U.S. and U.K. efforts to control the tides of war.
In Kojima’s standout series, the war economy is touted as the everlasting force between nations and private military contractors. Through it, people are dehumanized and their lives are given little to no value as the game series take place in a constant ideological war. A grey area in the games form as opposing viewpoints are given, but this is meaningless in the eyes of the self-serving AI that seeks to keep people under a world order, free from the nuances of man. Zero explains that the AI is out of his and the Patriot’s control, instead acting on its own directive to perpetuate control. Control that would help shape the narrative of the world at war, publicly.
What is the War Economy?
As an military-industrial complex, the war economy is designed to advance a country’s or a private military companies’ production and distribution of weapons during times of conflict. This cannot survive post-war due to the lack of government demand for weapons, which is invoked by consumer spending, building and allocation of resources to achieve a military victory in a conflict. Without that conflict, there would be no justified reason to divide resources between military weaponry and domestic consumer demands.
Wars are understood to be detrimental to society and to the economy as during war there is a real human cost and results in loss of buildings, infrastructures, the working population and accruing a massive national debt that cannot be repaid within generations. Normal economic activity is disrupted as most of the consumers’ labor and money are put toward the war. This remains true without a consistent plunging into war, which makes the U.S. “War on Terror” especially lucrative in the Campaign in the Middle East to combat terrorism, as this creates a constant need to produce weaponry and soldiers for the effort.
A complete war economy, Metal Gear Solid argues, is not feasible or sustainable without the use of AI working around the clock to produce and eliminate conflict. Per Miller’s explanation in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker:
This mercenary business we’ve built – someday, it’s going to be the new driving force in the world economy. The Cold War‘s not going to last forever. Sooner or later, it’s going to give way to an era of regional conflicts and terrorism. A paradigm shift from counter-Communism to counter-terrorism. In the new age, armies won’t be tied to states, and war will become a business. We’ll be a valuable commodity. There’ll be clients all over the world who need our services. MSF is only the beginning. What we’re creating is a revolution in itself.
Kazuhira Miller – Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. Kojima Productions (2010).
In the Hands of the Patriots
The War Economy is controlled from The System, a rogue AI program designed by the Patriots to hold total control over politics, technological prowess and the capita gains and losses of the United States from the shadows. This prompted the Sons of Liberty to take action to end the Patriots’ dominance over societal factors. Physically, the war economy exists in the form of private military contractors (PMC’s henceforth) and solitary soldiers who will work as mercenaries on behalf of countries able to pay, thus creating a private economy dependent only on acts of war and using human lives as mediums for perpetuating a constant flow of battle an a need for development in weaponry and economic tactics to encourage production and funding.
Not a bad idea, to keep war isolated and controlled as opposed to constant breakouts of violence at random times and places. The System oversees production of the weapons market and the black market. This ensures weapons would not be purchased by civilians and otherwise untrained, dangerous individuals. However, if the price is right, the market has been known to outsource weapons developments and sales of firearms to hostile PMC’s and countries to continue a warring state. Such was the case of Raiden, who fought as a child soldier in Liberia in part to the need for weaponized and brainwashed children to use the surplus of weapons.
Child soldiers are used to carry and provide ammunition and medication, but are used in combat as children are easier to coerce and manipulate when they are wholly dependent on their caretakers. Becoming a cook, lookout or support staff are second nature when governments demand warm bodies on the battlefield. These children are indoctrinated with the mantras and creeds of a group or country, ensuring their continued loyalty in exchange for keeping their lives. Because the goal of the war is not their own, they are likely to continue fighting for their personal freedoms while being obedient and manageable compared to a grown civilian or battle hardened soldier against the cause.
The System in turn, per Metal Gear Solid, creates a horribly efficient monopoly disguised as a safety valve to the masses. Weapons, manufacturing, construction, production and distribution are under the auspices of a single digital entity that does not act with impunity nor morals and ethics; only profit and control matter. Usage of the weapon is dependent on the soldiers’ ability, since they are biometrically locked to each user. Picking up a random enemy weapon does not exist in the Metal Gear universe. This is a crux, especially in Metal Gear Solid 4, since the war economy is at frontline, dependent on the use of PMC soldiers and their unique weapons developed for them. Money is spent by buying and upgrading new weapons. This feature is not unique to this game, since Call of Duty future series also focus on this, but is not as important as it is in this series. Soldiers fight not for ranks or freedoms, but for better weapons to defend themselves with in an extreme social Darwinist fashion.
The System is designed with the will of Big Boss and Zero to control people using a loose definition of keeping order. Historically, war begets war. Creating conflicts between one another is a resource and means of further production than a means to an end, and eliminates the need for lengthy and challenging acts of diplomacy and peace talks. By making war a financial incentive for young men to join a PMC, the pursuit of battle becomes more important than why they join the war to begin with. To quote EVA’s description of the Paradise Lost Army soldiers:
These kids end up fighting in proxy wars that have nothing to do with their own lives. They think it’s cool to fight like this. They think that combat is life. They don’t need a reason to fight. After all, for them it’s only a game.
EVA, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Konami/Kojima Productions, 2008.
There are no personal reasons for fighting; the individual themselves are lost in the system and become tools to continue the war economy. It is a demoralizing and dehumanizing experience that trains children to become hollow killing machines.
War as a Routine – Advertised Elements that ARE Family Friendly
I found the introduction cutscene of Metal Gear Solid 4 to be especially haunting, given that they present war to be a regular, yet inescapable construct in Modern America, hearkening back to the World War II days:
The players see the insane popularity of PMC’s and the war economy though use of everyday items. Most people know how to use kitchen utensils or perform a basic stretch. The game’s genius is in using military, whom the general populous would trust thanks to conditioning The postmodern narrative technique placing the life of a soldier on a pedestal is exactly what you expect propaganda to do, and is only a stone’s throw away from how the military recruited using glamorous cinematography during World War II and the War on Terror. In truth, war is designed to bring harm and provoke economic stimulation, but would take advantage of the minds of young men into fighting for a cause. Commercials, however portray something more shiny but far more sinister: young men (in the past) watched montages filled with constant action, riches and social freedom to act as they wish, without losing their autonomy.
Snake identifies this kind of war and advertisement as routine. Most eerily, the knowledge of PMC’s in every major country is common knowledge – much like military ads in the U.S. – where the home fitness shows display military grade nanomachines put into the bodies of the common man to make them stronger. Nanomachines (son!) are designed to augment the human body, abilities and lifespan, but has the side effect of rapid aging if they do not take well.
That said, the advertisements shown in game are incredibly dark and prey on the weak who cannot survive on their own. The rule of the Patriots extend a blanket totalitarian militaristic junta on the people, who have come to accept it as a way of life. No escape, only war. Infotainment, prevalent on our own televisions, supersedes propaganda as an illusory, mind controlling consumer’s item that cannot be stopped or manipulated by the commoner. A depressing tone is present on both the sides of the soldiers and civilians: war is inevitable, and the only people who gain are PMCs and the authority who set this system in motion.
Metal Gear Solid as a series is a masterclass in having the player’s mind become aware of what is happening. Constant subliminal messages that are not evident nor in your face. I missed the details of the advertisements and Snake’s monologues in my youth, although that ignorance truly is bliss.
Senator Armstrong’s Call for War
Armstrong’s climactic final boss battle comes in two phases of good ol’ American pride. The first joyfully boasts the virtues of nationalism, patriotism and materialism on the extreme level. The terror in these scenes are driven by the fact that he is sincere in his approach when he fights to ignite the economy to perpetuate total war. As per his election campaign, marketing to the general populous that their voices, beliefs and causes are valid and should be fought for is an endearing and empowering feeling. Knowing you have – or will have – the freedom to pursue ambitions on any level and without repercussion outside of death would surely inspire one’s journey.
The fight itself descends into propagandist domestic terrorism targeted at enemies of Armstrong’s projected America, stating to Raiden: “Uncle Sam needs you to die, Jack!” insinuating that Uncle Sam is merely a face covering an ideology of positive economic stimulation under the guises of war. The fight borderlines ridiculous in its physics, the lines are over-the-top hammy, and the soundtrack accompanying the constant explosions and fire make the heart swell with adrenaline. These masterfully mask the subtle undertones of Collective Consciousness. Having a “hive mind” mentality does not always equate to sheepish adherence to a more powerful ideology, but instead represents the need for tribalism and community to survive. That in itself includes needing to kill and hunt to live, but nature has always been so unkind. In this way, I consider Jung’s brand of Collective Consciousness, where his “collective unconscious” argues that all human beings are inherently connected to one another and our distant ancestors through a general set of shared of experiences (implying biological and tribal experiences being shared) and that we use this consciousness to navigate and familiarize ourselves with the world around us. With this navigation, we establish feelings and opinions toward them and make biased imprints upon any thing we encounter. Including one another.
However, in the case of Metal Gear Rising: Revengenace‘s Collective Consciousness, which is also a prominent theme music in-game, Armstrong demonstrates an extreme individualistic attitude in his development of the collective consciousness. The game presents a scenario of a totalitarian capitalist nation focused on national development using people as the tools. Where the American citizens are goaded to give up their free will, embrace consumerism through materialism, and abandon independent thought:
I have a dream. That one day every person in this nation will control their own destiny. A nation of the truly free, dammit. A nation of action, not words, ruled by strength, not committee! Where the law changes to suit the individual, not the other way around. Where power and justice are back where they belong: in the hands of the people! Where every man is free to think – to act – for himself!
Fuck all these limp-dick lawyers and chickenshit bureaucrats. Fuck this 24-hour Internet spew of trivia and celebrity bullshit! Fuck American pride! Fuck the media! FUCK ALL OF IT! America is diseased. Rotten to the core. There’s no saving it – we need to pull it out by the roots. Wipe the slate clean. BURN IT DOWN! And from the ashes, a new America will be born. Evolved, but untamed! The weak will be purged and the strongest will thrive – free to live as they see fit, they’ll make America great again!… In my new America, people will die and kill for what they BELIEVE! Not for money. not for oil! Not for what they’re told is right. Every man will be free to fight his own wars!
Steven Armstrong (played by Alastair Duncan), Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. Kojima Productions, 2013.
His delivery of the lines and explanations, while bordering insanity, are so passionate and heart-sung that as the player I was charmed at his sincerity. Yet once his Metal Gear EXCELSUS is destroyed, his facade crumbles and expresses his disgust at traditional American politics of diplomacy. His scathing criticisms of politics take a swing at the capitalistic and liberal democracy that America has endured under for centuries. Despite his impassioned campaign mantra of “Make America Great Again”, the reveal that he does not care for America makes sense: he thrives on power and control, two concepts that are inherently non-democratic. In a fascinating twist, he does not intend on fueling the war economy forever; his plan to become President and start a “war to end all wars” would devolve America to a tribal system without the interference of the news, media or politicians dictating what people can and cannot do.
It is a heartening goal, one most popularly represented today with the rise of social media and technology. It is a goal one could work toward, hypothetically. However, this ideology comes with a set of problems, plagued by an extreme cognitive dissonance from the people he wishes to subject to this new world.
Armstrong’s reasoning lies in the endurance of the people. Modern people are not equipped to the extent of constant self-defense, and with a dog-eat-dog world, the people would die by the rule of nature. American civilization would descend to anarchy and lawlessness. The strongest would indeed survive a wild America, but would become jaded and bloodthirsty, which does not bode well against other nations and global militia. While fighting for oneself on their own terms, it would not last.
The second problem with using a war economy to create a new America comes from not understanding the people. As an elected official, knowing and tending to the needs of the people under your jurisdiction is key to staying in power. Yet Raiden sums it up well: Armstrong has lived an affluent life, free from the struggles the general people face daily such as poverty or famine. It would be nigh-nonsensical to reset America to zero and have the people wage constant battle for their beliefs as this would eliminate the people who would keep him in power. Thus, the war economy falls apart and cannot sustain the anarchist nation Armstrong seeks to rule.
What Revengeance‘s new America represents is a side effect and one of many possible outcomes for encouraging the war economy: the lives of the people are worth nothing where war is concerned, only the results.
The Worth of Human Life Under the War Economy
Metal Gear Solid 4 and Metal Gear Rising offer the clearest example of the divides between humanity, their feelings, and the highly war propagandist saturated world that they are born into. The series demonstrates the actions people will take when all they know is conflict. As the sense s are taken away, actions become violence, violence becomes a means to alter the law and world relations, and this brings about new wars.
“This age chose to act through economics instead of nation-states. Powered by the industrial and digital revolutions that came before it, this age gave birth to a twisted economic revolution – a battlefield revolution. It created a new world without substance. In this new world, there were no ideologies, no principles, no ideals.
There was only the war economy.”
Big Boss, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Final Act.
Lastly, and most dangerously, The System in Metal Gear Solid 4 influences how the common individual would live. Under the banner of a PMC, or as an oppressed civilian. They are not given the option to choose their PMC, nor the country and cause they fight for, but for personal gain, riches and fame. All of which go against a traditional military credo. The game functions as a depressing social commentary on the lack of intrinsic value a life has. This is no surprise when the overseer of the system is a self-thinking AI, inspired by warhawks of the 1970’s.
The series treats life as disposable. As if the only way to advance in life and gain profits are to join the cause for an empty reason with the promise of recognition and battle, not unlike modern war today. And yet
We are a flawed bunch, driven by ambition, avarice and ambivalence, but these same traits lead us away from war, to feel for one another, and to co-exist. To exist in a reality like the one detailed here would be to give up our freedoms to advocate capitalistic tendencies at the cost of human lives. A war economy is a very real, but thankfully unsustainable means of production, although our lives may still yet be treated as a commodity in the world around us.
As if that ain’t happening already, right?
War is Life.
Damn you, Miller.
-N