ExistenZ

What does Existenze say about our social fears of video game and reality?

After watching the movie, I came to a realization of how disturbing the film is. Our social fear is not being able to differentiate between reality and video games. To acknowledge both worlds crossing over is frightening. It shows that real life is not so far off from what is shown on film. Take for example Project Natal from Microsoft. A console peripheral with motion detecting camera and built-in microphone with strong potential of motion control that utilizes the human body as the controller. It interprets the player's body movements with incredible accuracy in the game. Society is constantly pushing the boundaries of video game realism and the level of interaction. Existenze also shows that if society continues to revolutionize the capacity of video games, there may be a day where we can no longer tell the difference between what is real and fake. Another social fear is the addiction and pleasure we get from gaming. The character, Allegra, is a prime example of individuals that prefer to live in fantasy and be lost in the world the human mind has created. The idea of plugging in bioports in the spine raises concerns of how the human body will be affected once fully connected to the game. We acknowledge the excitement and pleasure we get from the latest video games and consoles but the most terrifying idea is seeing the future video games cross over to the real world and possibly turning against us. The thought is farfetched but nonetheless it could happen.