Cyberpunk 2077 is likely to be the largest portrayal ever of cybernetics in gaming; certainly in this console generation, and quite probably in all previous generations too. VG24/7 recently spoke with Professor Hugh Herr, a specialist in real-world cybernetics, to ask his opinions on things like Cyberpunk 2077 cyberware. He expressed concerns that such portrayals could harm more than help the real-world cause of advancing cybernetics.
Hugh Herr’s Comments on the Portrayal of Cybernetics
Hugh Herr is a professor at MIT. He lost both of his legs after contracting frostbite in a mountain-climbing accident; however, he now has neurally-controlled cybernetic replacements, and is an expert in real-world cybernetics.
VG24/7 asked him to comment on the way that video games and films portray cybernetics. His response was certainly sobering; “It’s somewhat annoying to me, to be honest,” he explained; “the media’s take on human augmentation, as well as gaming companies… The problem with presenting bionics and cyborgs as this thing that’s going to dramatically be orthogonal to human values, or the values we hold dear, is it creates fear in the public. To get over that fear is a huge hurdle. It’s at risk of being against the mission of human augmentation, in the sense of expanding human expression and reducing human suffering”
“I don’t have a problem at all with talking and debating about how certain technologies might be used inappropriately,” continued Herr; “or how certain technologies may harm communities or individuals. But to only talk about that in isolation of the enormity and potential for humanity. I think it’s a disservice.”
You can read more of Herr’s comments about real-world cybernetic advancements and future advancements in the article on VG24/7.
Cyberpunk 2077 Cyberware in the Bigger Picture
While his opinion might seem over-the-top, he actually has a very good point. Scientific development in all manner of areas has been stymied time and time again over the years; moral panics, religious beliefs, misconceptions about facts, and more have all similarly been major hurdles to advancing technology. One need only look at the anti-vaccine movement in the US to see how online misinformation can spawn a faction determined to stop one area of medicinal advancement. If all that anybody has ever seen of cybernetics is dangerous or negative portrayals in media; that person is more likely to assume that the technology will be used for negative applications.