Hyper – August 2019

snaaake

protectthecivilianpopulation.Sounds
kindoffamiliar,doesn’tit?
Thereality:Kojimaprettymuchnailed
thisone.Granted,thePatriotsweremore
concernedwithfilteringoutuseless
information,whiletheNSAsdomestic
programis essentiallyanextensionof
policewiretapping.ButKojimacorrectly
predictedthatthepowers-that-bewould
havea bighandin monitoringtheflowof
informationontheweb.GiventhatMGS
wasin developmentlongbeforethe
PATRIOTActwas written, it was a pretty
solidguess.

UNMANNEDWARMACHINESWILL
TAKEPROMINENTROLESON
BATTLEFIELDSINTHEFUTURE
Theprediction:TheMetalGearSolid
franchiseoffersa fascinatinglookinto
theevolutionofunmanned,automated
warfare.Theonlyunmannedenemiesyou
facein MetalGearSolidarestationary,
gun-equippedcameras.MGS2takesit
a stepfurtherwithcyphers,essentially
autonomousflyingcameradrones.Metal
GearSolid4 takesit severalstepsfurther,
introducingpowerful,autonomous
walkingtankscalledGEKKO.
Thereality:Kojimagotthisoneright,
if onlyin theory.Dronesandunmanned
weaponsplatformshavetakenanever-
growingplaceonmodernbattlefields.
Thedifferenceis in thedetails,though

• actualunmanneddronesareusually
  closertoplanesratherthantanks,and are
  usually piloted via remote control.

NANOMACHINESWILLBEHIGHLY

ADVANCEDANDCOMMONPLACEIN

THEMILITARYWORLD

Theprediction:Nanomachines,son!

They’reeverywherethroughouttheMetal

GearSolidfranchise.Somenanomachines

givecharactersacceleratedhealing.

Othersserveascommunicationrelays,

allowingsquadmatestoliterallyshare

theirsenses.Nanomachinessuppress

soldiers’emotions,makingthemmore

efficientonthebattlefieldandlesslikely

tocommitatrocities.There’snoproblem

thosetinywonderscan’tfix.

Thereality:Kojimawaswayoffbase,at

leastasfaras 2014 goes.Nanomachines

doexist,butthey’renowherenearas

Kojima’sworkpredicted.Real-world

nanomachinesarecapableofsmall

featslikeshuttlingindividualionsacross

otherwiseimpassableboundaries,which

standsin sharpcontrasttothenearly

magicalpowersnanomachinesaregiven

in theMetalGearSolidfranchise.When

yougetdowntoit,nanomachinesare

basicallyKojima’s equivalent to a wizard

didit.

PRIVATEMILITARIESOVERTAKE

NATIONALARMIESASTHEPREMIER

FIGHTINGFORCESONEARTH

Theprediction:Theissueis firsthinted

atin MGS2– thepatrollingguardsare

allmembersofanex-russianPMC,

theGurlukovichMercenaries– butthe

conceptfullyripensin MetalGearSolid4.

InMGS4’sversionofthe21stcentury,the

roles of state militaries have essentially

beenturnedovertoPMCssopowerful

thata constantseriesofproxywars

areneededtokeepthewareconomy

moving.

Thereality:Sorry,butthisoneisn’t

evenclose.Thesignificantarmed

forcesoftheworldarestillfundedand

controlledbyvariousnation-states.

Perhapsthisisn’ta badthing– withthe

publicmilitary,waris usedasa means

tosecuringeconomicends,ratherthan

asanendin itselfasdepictedin MGS4.

Togivecreditwhereit’sdue,PMCusage

is ontherise,butthey’renowherenear

closetoachievingthe supremacy

Kojimadepicted.

A SMALLGROUPOFPOLITICALAND

FINANCIALELITESSHAPEWORLD

EVENTSTOSUITTHEIRNEEDS

Theprediction:Thesinglemostimportant

organisationin theentireMetalGear

Solidfranchiseis theshadowygroup

knownasThePatriots.Consistingof

anonymouswealthydonors,andheaded

bytheWisemansComittee,thePatriots

embodytheideaofa NewWorldOrder

conspiracy,in whicha selectcabaldirects

themotionsofhistorythrougha seriesof

fencesandpuppets.

Thereality:Ultimately,thisis where

Kojimareally[REDACTED]. Theideathat

anyonegroup[REDACTED]toanysingle

futuregoalis patently[REDACTED].

Therearesimply[REDACTED]forany

onegrouptopossibly satisfy. Of course,

[REDACTED].

LEFTGeneticmodifications

onguards?Notsomuch.

RIGHTPrivatemilitaries?

Yeah, kinda?

LEFTModerndronesmay

notbeontheMGSscale,but

still... this one was spot on.