Neoliberalism And Power Fantasy-Bailes
#notesFromPaper Year : Tags : Authors: Bailes #unread
Saints Row IV is pretty hedonistic. Even the “rebellion” in the game is entertainment.
“The irony is that the very thing individualistic hedonism rails against — a network of social institutions that controls and oppresses the majority — is precisely what keeps it alive”.
GTAV is “realistic” in its depiction of neoliberalism. Neoliberalism is horrible, but it’s not a dystopia, it’s just the way it is, and realists can work for their own benefit within the system effectively, because they see it as it is (without needing to fight it, because it’s unchangeable). Basically South Park morality
capitalist realism: Travis in No More Heroes participates in a game to try and make his way to the top, but even after he’s informed that this game is a farce, he continues participating in it because he can’t imagine anything else.
Persona 5 creates the power fantasy of players taking down corrupt individuals, implicitly arguing that yes, these systems have issues, but the issues are due to individuals who can be taken down, not systems themselves.
P5 is overtly political, but it is ultimately defeatist: The main characters are powerless to enact systemic change, the only reason they can enact change at all is because of supernatural intervention.
Where is the power fantasy of changing neoliberalism?
Death Stranding is about creating connections with others, and it’s about the journey taken one step at a time to reconnect them.
