What makes something Cyberpunk? | The Ludonaut's Journey

[@RichardCyberPunk]

Rest in peace - Rutger Hauer . In Bladerunner he would be killed in the year 2019. In reality, Rutger died in 2019. Life can be strange. Tears in the rain.

[@Zoza15]

People might not believe it, but Mirror's Edge Catalyst is also a Cyberpunk game, despite how gorgeous the environments look. Behind the beauty of the city there's is a utterly disgusting truth about it..

[@SaiNarayan_]

That's really true! It's got a really interesting take visually on the cyberpunk aesthetic, definitely deserves credit for that.

[@enaxtry]

actually, everyone who is "cyberpunker" or is actually interested into cyberpunk and not jut because of some kind of pose, will say that Mirror's Edge is cyberpunk. Same with Watch Dogs for example.

[@ereder1476]

i would disagree. It is a dystopia, but not all dystopia are cyberpunk. A neo 80' theme must be present to be concidered cyberpunk imo. the "cyber" aspect of it if you wish

[@Zoza15]

@@ereder1476 I disagree, the 80's aesthetic doesn't necessarily make something Cyberpunk, the writing and the lore of Cyberpunk with the story is all that matters. It just happens that most Cyberpunk based games and movies look aesthetically the same from another, While Mirror's Edge Catalyst is actually Cyberpunk in its writing and its own aesthetic.

[@ereder1476]

@@Zoza15 so everything is cyberpunk? the setting matter, the story itself does not define the universe it takes place in. The story happend IN the universe. Mirror edge is another type. It's just too clean, to pure to be cyberpunk

[@lhzawk]

You should do a 2022 update. It would be cool to talk about the similarities between what cyberpunk authors thought the future would look like and how the world looks like now and beyond.

[@Jimmyfinder]

Definitely some interesting analysis.The best cyberpunk always has that 'feel' to it where the increased technology is just a metaphor for humanity's problems, where throwaway comments imply all kinds of interesting things, and I think you hit that nail on the head.

[@SaiNarayan_]

Thank you! :) It's definitely what always stood out to me most about cyberpunk too. The ability to create a world and imply so much with just small slices of it.

[@ifstatementifstatement2704]

No matter how much technology advances, I think life, huh, finds a way. Lol.

[@aksel8342]

Shut up Ian Malcolm

[@gray_tone]

Wow, amazing analyses. This is a gold mine for someone looking for cyberpunk writing material.

[@maddragonqueen_]

This video is really excellent, and clearly well-researched. I have one note - your voice-over here is a little fast and can be hard to keep up with. Slow it down just a touch next time and you'll be golden!

[@thelegendofner0]

Golden Like C-3PO

[@TallicaMan1986]

I kinda feel Cyberpunk needs to be grounded in realism or it treads too close to just being Science Fiction. It needs to have as little fiction as possible. Having fantasy elements turns me away immediately if those elves are actually elves when they could just be people who underwent Body Modifications which to me is a lot more interesting and brings in a unique aspect of Society. Dog people could also just be Modified People. Lizard People? Body Mods or genetic tampering which would have a failure rate of 99.9%. Super Soldiers are a marriage of Genetic Tampering and Augmentations since before they were born and also has a high failure rate funded by one of the filthy rich owners of a private army. I think you should be able to explain basically anything in Cyberpunk with technology or Humanities ingenuity. I'm okay with the suspension of realism during action scenes, but these too need to be somewhat grounded so they can be explained with Augmentation and or natural ability. If it doesnt have enough realism I think that it could easily break the world you're trying to construct by things you can't really explain like opening Portals or different species living on the same planet, Hyperdrives, Warpdrives and a myriad of other theoreticals. Cyberpunk is a reflection of what we see today amplified. It is a Realism Genre.

[@SickyNar]

This is such an underrated video! You're awesome.

[@SickyNar]

"Science fiction isn't about the future. It's about today, from a different perspective." That is such an interesting insight.

[@SaiNarayan_]

@@SickyNar Thank you so much, and no you're awesome! :)

[@justahuman4862]

my first introduction to cyberpunk was shadowrun on the sega genesis and supernintendo. From there I read many books within that universe. I guess to me cyberpunk is the mystery and imagination that comes with body augmentation and how it just introduces you to something different. I remember in shadowrun the game, the main character had a cortex bomb in his head and you had to go to this shady doctor to remove it. I was like wtf is a cortex bomb, something I never heard of. Ive just always loved the idea of changing your body to fit whatever desire that you wanted. If you wanted to jump higher, get mechanical legs, if you wanted to punch someone across the room , replace your arm with mechanical parts. Dont forget the matrix/internet. This is best shown in the movie johnny mnemonic. Love the scene when he has the gloves on and he is surfing through the visual matrix to make a phone call I believe. anyway , cyberpunk is my favorite genre. I had lasik surgery done, does that count?

[@SaiNarayan_]

It definitely counts. :) Getting lasers to burn your retinas into the correct shape or whatever? Cyberpunk as hell!

[@xeoncat]

Good one. You should absolutely try the new Shadowrun games. It's a great mixture of science fantasy, but it has a decent grounding in reality, because the setting is basically our world with big corporations attempting to control governments, tech and magic and shadowrunners organize in parties, very much in the sense of a fantasy adventurer party, so it has a bit of everything.

[@SaiNarayan_]

Ooooh okay that sounds a little too awesome to pass up, that's next on the to-play list after I'm done with Hob I guess, thanks for the recommendation!

[@ShadowWulfGaming]

With Cyberpunk 2077 coming out this was the video I needed. A proper critique to the genre

[@LoFi-zx2sx]

Loved this video and about to view all your content. And I appreciate the fact that you put all the references in the description. It is very helpful!

[@SaiNarayan_]

Thank you so much! Hope you enjoy the rest of them :D

[@sunnypandey2248]

Coom video bro. Had to check at what speed was I playing the video on.

[@west4367]

My personal interpretation of Cyberpunk is that aesthetic, depicting a world full of neon advertisements, gadgets and the huge mix of different people. Another factor for me is if you (and maybe the protagonist as well) realize how incredibly small you are compared to the world. A cyberpunk city is incredibly big, I reckon, and most people haven't even been out of their own neighbourhood! That's how I'd define cyberpunk.

[@_.--._._-._--._-.--__.--._._-.]

the repetitive life in an extreme capitalist society, surrounded by constant propaganda and trying to get by with whatever job you're holding. Just you in a huge city eating ramen after finishing your shift because you can't afford much else. Truly fascinating to imagine

[@Majesticon]

I think some of the best cyberpunk stuff melds other genres, particular stuff that marries bio-punk, dystopian, and afrofuturist ideas. Like, while I do love the bladerunner aesthetic like, alot, I think books like BINTI by Nnedi Okorafor and ROSEWATER by Tade Thompson provide a different perspective while keeping the noir, antisystem, and technological aspects alive.

[@SaiNarayan_]

That's a really good point! Cyberpunk has always lived and died by its willingness to incorporate new cultural viewpoints on what the future will look like. That's also a great way to start branching out from the admittedly somewhat overused "Neon Noir" aesthetic that Blade Runner first created.

[@raulpeterer866]

@@SaiNarayan_ what game are you playing in the begging of the video I'm interested

[@SaiNarayan_]

@@raulpeterer866 It's Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, highly recommend it as a fan of cyberpunk and really just a good game overall. Plus you can get it super cheap now.

[@darrellhagopian9406]

The line from Escape from New York is “you flew the Gulfire over Leningrad. You know how to get in quiet. You’re all I’ve got…” More an explanation of “Why pick Snake?” than an example of a throwaway line.

[@unknowntotally2320]

11:26 THAT BUILDING MODEL IS a real model in the movie studio

[@powerslacker4941]

I think the people at Eidos were counting on the big twist that the Adam Jensen in Mankind Divided is some kind of clone or robot copy of the one from Human Revolution to be enough to make a placeholder, unsatisfying story feel monumental and fulfilling. I can only assume that was their reasoning for making the ending credits unskippable (an especially stupid choice for a game that features a new game+ option.)

[@rileytempest666]

thanks for the thorough write up in the description.

[@Z3R0M0N5T3R]

You earned a subscription. You're well spoken, and your scripts are all deeply thought out. Also get your hands on shadowrun ASAP. It takes the portion of the video in which you state that grounding cyberpunk in reality is not necessarily true, and runs a marathon with it. It is a wonderful marriage of fantasy magic colliding headfirst with incomprehensible technology and playing out every "what if" of the combination imaginable, all within the same tomorrow plagued with complexity we see in blade runner. If you can't even stomach a turn-based combat RPG, then at the very least to do yourself a favor and play it for the long dialogue. It is a well-written game.

[@SaiNarayan_]

Z3R0M0N5T3R Wow thanks for those kind words! I try my best with these scripts, and this one in particular took a lot of editing work to cut it down and pack as much in as I could. It's really awesome to see people appreciate that. :) That description you just gave of shadowrun gave me minor goosebumps and everyone who has commented has been saying it's a must play, so I'm definitely going to listen to you folks cause you know what you're talking about! I absolutely dig turn based RPGs done right and well written ones even better, so at this point Shadowrun is basically what I'm gonna play next after finishing Hob I think!

[@Flamesofthunder]

I hope you make more videos like this in the future, I'm highly impressed by your format, the fact that you grow and source on other work. Very impressive. However I must also mention that I think there's two aspects that you might have missed, the first is the cultural differences between Western and Eastern Cyberpunk ( more particularly American and Japanese). Works like Bubblegum crisis, Ghost in the Shell and Platlabor don't fall into the punk genre because they are enforcing the law or are acting as an extension of a governmental body. Which brings me to my second point a key tenet of cyberpunk is disparity. In American cyberpunk it's between the rich and the poor, the haves and nots, but in Japanese it's about the disparity and disagreement of other factors. Take for example Patlabor 2, it's about a false peace the people experience. I would love to see more of your takes on cultural aspects in the future!

[@brennenbeck7311]

Cyberpunk 2077 really upped the ante. For the first time, I saw Cyberpunk in the middle of the day with the sun shinning bright and it felt like the real world instead of a fantasy world. I think it did a lot to modernize Cyberpunk and bring it into the present. A lot of the reason early Cyberpunk viewed technology the way it did was because all that tech was future fantasy at the time. Today, it's ancient history. No one uses a dial up modem and a telephone line to get into a bulletin board computer anymore. Heck, does anyone even still HAVE a telephone line!? As far as I know, land lines are pretty much a thing of the past except Voice Over IP phones in offices that use the same network as the computers. Most communication is becoming increasingly wireless. AI is starting to become a reality whereas it was fantasy when most Cyberpunk was written. We have early versions of self driving cars already. Nanotech is a thing now. Virtual Reality is a thing now. We're even at a point where you have to question whether people will even bother with cyber/metallic/electrical prosthetics when we can grow a new arm for someone that's actual flesh and blood and in the future probably even augment. And Cyberpunk had a very Japanese element to it probably for a few reasons, but one of the primary reasons was that the Japanese government was artificially inflating their economy at the time and Japanese were buying up land in America left and right. The fear at the time was that Japan would economically take over the United States, which perhaps might have been true if the trend at the time had of continued. But in hindsight, Japanese expansion was a "bubble" that popped and at this point is starting to be forgotten. I think Cyberpunk needs to drop the parts of the "future" that are now our past that didn't happen. But the core concepts of Cyberpunk are probably far MORE relevant today than they were 20 or 30 years ago. The real future is looking darker every day.

[@lordcrayzar]

I like Cyberpunk 2077s world better than Blade Runners.

[@voiceofafreeamerica9854]

Shadowrun, easily described: D&D world goes Cyberpunk. FASA's Shadowrun was about the Genre, Catalyst's version has been going more and more Murderhobo, like 5e.

[@Stryder42Oni]

Keanu Reeves makes something Cyberpunk. There’s your answer

[@SaiNarayan_]

Lmao, honestly not a bad metric 👍

[@HellFire34]

The book "Wind up girl" is the best example of how the cyberpunk genre have evolved. It's a good read and has something unique to it not present in other cyberpunk works, give it a go if you haven't read it

[@braydiculous]

8:00 This is a damn important thing you said right here.

[@cooltrainervaultboy-39]

This is very informative. I have been wanting to write a Cyberpunk story for a while now, but the problem I've been having is how well the tropes and setting would blend well with those of a Buddy Cop (comedy or otherwise).

[@SaiNarayan_]

Glad I could help! :) Good luck with your story!

[@seven8519]

I wanted to write a cyberpunk story, but I think that cyberpunk has become too saturated. Also, the problems of a cyberpunk world is that they are built on the cultural fears of the 80’s and early 90’s. We simply don’t have the same fears today as back then, and while it can be fun to revisit that world, it can be difficult to tell a story of modern woes in that outdated template. I want to borrow some aspects of cyberpunk, but I think I want to create something new. That or write a deconstruction of the genre, because it feels like it may be time for one.

[@ifstatementifstatement2704]

SEVEN we perceive technology different since the 90s but I still think cyberpunk is worth it, even if it expresses those fears from the 80s and 90s, because it could be perceived as an alternate history type of story. A bit like Fallout 3 presents a future as perceived by people in the 60s.

[@KamenSentaiMetalHero]

@@seven8519 You can write a cyberpunk story influence by modern issues such as terrorism, drone warfare, the rise and effects of social media, the current political landscape, Edward Snowden, Wikileaks, Anonymous, the growing media presence of Disney, etc.

[@batmenic365StopMotion]

Really helpful reflection on the genre. Often I am curious as to how comodified a 'punk' work can be before it loops back around into being in service to the product/culture it critiques. As much as I adore what the newer contribution to the genre, 'Edgerunners', has to say on the weaponization of the human soul and the depiction of violence as a psychosis brought on by augmentation, it stumbles in one respect. It is a product from a massive entertainment company licensed and distributed by a much larger streaming platform. Does its existence as a product weaken its message?

[@marcv2648]

Excellent analysis. Excellent production.

[@Takeitlightly6]

A very nice documentary….thanks

[@NelsonQuestESP]

Hey Cyber - cool video - I hope you continue with more like it :)

[@keithpennock]

In your videos please do text overlays of the source of the video clips so we can go to that source (movie, video game etc.,) if we want more. What are clips at : 00:41 seconds & 01:10 minute from?

[@SaiNarayan_]

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

[@RubeusArchos]

Very good question..great video

[@masterklaw4527]

So in other words, we live in a heroless, villainless, cyberpunk story.

[@esotericmissionary]

Have you ever played the first two Deus Ex games?

[@KilatSilat]

Thank you!

[@SaiNarayan_]

You're welcome!

[@DavetheTurnip]

Excellent video. It is fascinating and a little unfortunate that Cyberpunk seems to hang on Blade Runner and Neuromancer. I did love how you included all those clips of Ghost in the Shell, as that definitely is an entry in the genre that has its own unique vision aesthetically and thematically. You mentioned Deus Ex Mankind Divided a lot. What were your thoughts on Human Revolution? Your complaints about Adam Jensen definitely transfer over to that game, but I found the ideas presented about how the world would react morally to augmentation thought provoking. Did you enjoy Blade Runner 2049? Oh and on the topic of Shadowrun, I was obsessed with that world when younger. I had the roleplaying manuals and read a lot of the novels. It's kind of like if cyberpunk had a head-on collision with a high fantasy novel. I've only played a small amount of Shadowrun Returns (and of course the original SNES game), but these new games seem a little too generic RPG for my taste, or at least what I love about that world doesn't seem to translate to that style of game for me. They're quite well made isometric RPGs though.

[@SaiNarayan_]

Dave Talks Video Games Thanks Dave! :) always nice to hear from you I think in retrospect I came down too hard on the new deus ex games cause they're still trying really hard to explore the implications of the augmentations. It's a bit one note but it's still creditworthy all things considered. I think human revolution actually did about the same in this regard, with perhaps a slightly more interesting plot than the one of MD. They're about the same in terms of visual design and aesthetic, though MD seems to be prioritizing slightly different things. In gameplay, I think MD is better, if only because of the improvements to technology and a chance to iterate and improve on the systems from the last, though I can't shake the feeling that the 1 hit KO/kill move is what's holding back the gameplay of both games from ever being really challenging. Judging by these comments, I'm missing out on a lot with Shadowrun, so it's next on the list for sure. I don't get enough of the isometric RPGs in my diet. :) Oh and I LOVED 2049, it had a few minor bits that were somewhat off, but the movie is a visual feast and the best thing I've seen in years.

[@josephine190]

great channel bro keep it up!

[@LairdErnst]

Do you have a list of the books you used as a for reference in this video?

[@certs743]

Definitely though provoking.

[@pixelmaws8151]

quite the contrary, I thought your English was great, and you carry your voice and speech in a pleasant manner. thanks for this video!

[@alexflores7652]

That was a very good presentation and analysis of this genre. I became a junkie of the genre after reading Nueromancer which I think a lot of people did. I look at it through the lens of present day and yes I know you said not to soley base it on realisim. But from everything I have read on the subject there some remarkable similarties to today and the very near future. From what I have learned is that the genre looks at present day and how societies start to rely on their government's to the point similar to children and parent relationships. But when you rip away that safety blanket people and societies tend to feak out and are unable to function, then when you throw the ever advancing technology into the mix it tends to blow up. You will have groups that will gravitate to high tech like a star to a point singularity. Then there will be others that will shun tech as the work of the devil like some religious communities such and the Amish or Luddites. I think a good example of a middle ground in Cinema would probably be the movie called Runaway staring Tom Sellik. Visually speaking it's not Blade Runner or the Utoapic vision of some hard SCIFI works but somewhere in between. As stated tech is just a tool it's how societies react to it it neither good nor evil. Thankfully corperations have not resorted to all out open warfare as depicted in Cyberpunk but I think if you give them time they will. And they will work the government's in such a way that whatever they do will not have any legal repercussions. The "little people" will not mean much to those with all the power they are just will consumers for the corps products. Another great Cyberpunk depiction in the media is Max Headroom. Television is meant to keep people pliant and complisant it is the new age version of Rome's Bread and Cuircesus. You can we that playing out with all these so called reality shows. I hope this break down in my opinion helps expand the discussion. Please leave me a message on your thoughts.

[@badfoody]

yeah Mankind Divided wasn't very subtle. While Human Rev was subtle.

[@InfraSonixEntertainment]

So… no mention of Phillip K. Dick? The guy who wrote the book that inspired Blade Runner? Seriously?

[@lepmuhangpa]

So, subtlety is important.

[@Crimsonterminator100]

What was that with the eye being made?

[@SaiNarayan_]

A scene from the first season of Westworld, showing how they construct the hosts.

[@isaiahbraugher9342]

Nice Job!

[@spearhunter9130]

Check Out, DEATHMARK Book 1 by Michael Perinuzzi, Great Cyberpunk Novel

[@SmashBrosBrawl]

CyberPunk 2077 is a pretty good game, borrows a lot from blade runner but it has it's own unique inputs.

[@tahnadana5435]

you should be talking about cyberpunk 2077

[@Pichuscute]

Yeah, Mankind Divided really missed the point, imo. Wasn't very good. I'd say Human Revolution was better, though.

[@SaiNarayan_]

I think mechanically I liked Mankind Divided better, it had some really cool quests and systems to immerse yourself in, but Human Revolution was hands down a better story.

[@ifstatementifstatement2704]

So once there are more robots and AI, and humans are a rarity, because everything else is artificial, will humans be considered on the same level as that tree? If you are one then your worth is beyond that of robots and AI?

[@SpringboardThought]

Great video, though I think you're talking about purely cyberpunk visual media in pop-culture, not the literary genre. If you want to see how much innovation there is in that space (a lot), you'll need to read more than one biopunk book that dropped a decade ago. Blackfish City, Rosewater, Autonomous, Walkaway, Infomocracy - all came out much more recently and give a way larger picture of cyberpunk and its subgenres today. Nexus is a fun little biopunk book but The Windup Girl is a better example, I think. There's also a fair amount of feminist cyberpunk in the 90's that subvert a lot of the tired topes. Cyberpunk movies, TV shows, and video games are practically archaic compared to some of the more interest and newer literature.

[@SaiNarayan_]

This is a really good point that I have since taken to heart after making this video. There's a lot more cyberpunk literature out there on the webways than the sources I reference here and I need to consider those as well.

[@serijas737]

8:20 Holy shit, these are hips and thighs to die for.

[@glassstallion]

If you think about it our world is going down the path that will make cyberpunk a reality.

[@andreborges842]

Nice video👍

[@vertigomaniac]

Whats the game at 0:48?

[@SaiNarayan_]

vertigomaniac Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

[@vertigomaniac]

What? Really? I've played through the game and do not remember any scene like that. Even the UI and the city look radically different

[@SaiNarayan_]

vertigomaniac Ahh my apologies, that's Star Citizen, good catch!

[@vertigomaniac]

Gracias sir!

[@hk4182]

you're good :)

[@SaiNarayan_]

Thank you!

[@masterklaw4527]

Wake the fuck up, samurai.

[@ernestorodriguez2404]

Cyberpunk 2077 cant wait

[@trueshaman8]

my friend ...we are all worthy .. journeys can only be done by the student only he will know what is lost once it has been found. but then what is next level consciousness unconsciousness subconsciousness gameover

[@kesseldorz]

interesting! just find your English hard to understand (I am not a native speaker, either)

[@SaiNarayan_]

Thanks! I'm working on my pronunciations and writing to convey what I mean better, still a work in progress! :P

[@kesseldorz]

I am sure native speakers don't have much trouble understanding you :)

[@onuq3r4y478]

I had no trouble at all! Very well written and spoken!

[@samcastudiosss]

put your speed on 0.75 he talks like he's in a hurry lol

[@EgyptianSpaceDog]

@@SaiNarayan_ I understand why it could be hard for a non-native speaker, but (speaking as someone from the UK) I didn't have any trouble understanding you at all, so don't worry about it too much.

[@atlayyinanc5937]

Please work on your voice man, your content is great but sometimes it is really difficult to understand or catch up Editing, quality, analysis and your intuition is really all good, but how you convey it really lacks bare minimum requirements. Nobody will be as blunt as this probably sorry if it is kind of disturbing but, your content is top notch in terms of delivery except your voice tonality and pronounciation. It really bothers me that it all goes unappreciated because of that

[@RedBattalion9000]

Can you define personality of mankind as just bunch of digital data? If most of people can think like that, it's a cyberpunk world. DNA is meaningless in there. The body is just vehicle of soul. You can't divide human and AI.

[@tahnadana5435]

after all this, after a detail take on how society changes because of things, do not say you like the last of us

[@wimsnippenburg8614]

"what makes something cyberpunk" does he now what he is seeing,he talks so fast,I think he is just reading something,you don't have time to think about what he is saying , and I don't even talk about his accent

[@cikgumarcus]

This is boring

[@RichardCyberPunk]

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