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Anti-capitalist games?

saladdays

saladdays

Member
Sep 11, 2018
552
I was looking through my favorite games, and I realized the vast majority of them have fairly strong anti-capitalist sentiment in them. Examples include:
Mother 3 - Tazmily is a literal utopia
(albeit a manufactured one)
with no money, and everything starts to go to shit once money is introduced. The final area of the game is New Pork City, an obvious parody of NYC (and maybe Disney?) that is littered with carnival rides, games (that you actually can't play) and bright lights.
It's also strongly implied that shortsighted, consumerist behavior is what destroyed the world, and that Porky reintroducing it doomed the new world.
MGS in general - War economy, etc etc etc. Scary how close these games got to what's happening in the US right now (save all of the crazy cloning etc)
Pikmin 1/2 - Olimar's planet is heavily commercialized, and a literal desert bereft of almost any food. Human life is implied to be long extinct on the Pikmin planet, with the only remnants being "treasure" (branded junk like cans and batteries). The talking Hocotate Ship has several obviously satirical lines ("Good morning, workers! Ready for another day of toiling for the profit of your company?), Pikmin 2 is literally all about working to repay debt incurred by the loss of luxury items.

What are some other examples? I find it interesting that despite Nintendo being often referred to as the Disney of the games industry, they seem to be pretty open to anti-capitalist messaging in their work.
 
Hayama Akito

Hayama Akito

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,326
39B8911478790FC153E6FB8FD64DC1920FBC9D70


TrademarkVille

Also, no joke on this: Grand Theft Auto series is the perfect parody of capitalism, consumerism and american way of life.

Final Fantasy VII is a good example too. Tifa is antifa.

EDIT: As a bonus, me and some of my friends truly believe SNK is an anti-capitalism, communist company. They had the most inexpensive arcade platform ever for almost 15 years, every SNK boss is a greedy entrepreneur and they even had a fucking Che Guevara game.
 

Deleted member 2317

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How has no one said fucking Tetris yet?

Also, how has no one made one of those dolan memes where he walks up to a bulding labeled "the 2010s" and walks out saying "everything was capitalist"?
 
AvernOffset

AvernOffset

Member
May 6, 2018
546
Doom 2016, a game where a corporation (and especially its chairman) is portrayed as more evil than literal demons from literal hell.
 

Deleted member 8861

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I thought Stardew Valley would have basically a non-story but there's this really strong sentiment of being utterly done with corporations and capitalism in it. It's like it understands the fantasy of just living a calm life where you sustain yourself but goes a step further and ties it rather directly to capitalism.

The way you start bored out of your mind in a Joja office and

then find a Joja Mart in the village was almost heartbreaking for me. Like, "they're here too".
 
Mauricio_Magus

Mauricio_Magus

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,022
DOOM 2016
"Argent Energy, also known as Argent Plasma, is a new form of renewable energy that was discovered by the Union Aerospace Corporation in the late 21st century. Publicly, Argent Energy was believed to originate on Mars, but in reality, it is secretly mined from Hell, where the element is innately tied to that realm and its demonic inhabitants.

You can guess how that goes.
 
Iva Demilcol

Iva Demilcol

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
3,049
Iwatodai Dorm
Jet Set Radio and Jet Set Radio Future are very open about this too.

Like the whole game is about taking down a mega corporation while said company controls all media, the government and people's lives.
 
OP
OP
saladdays

saladdays

Member
Sep 11, 2018
552
higemaru said:
that moment when you realize nintendo is low-key helping the game's message by not bringing mother 3 west
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In all honesty, I think the messaging is a big reason why it won't come west. M3 is so openly anti-cap (almost to the point of being straight up pro-communist) that I don't think it would go over well in the current climate. The only reason people aren't already mad about it is because only enthusiasts have played it
 
DNAbro

DNAbro

Member
Oct 25, 2017
25,927
Here is a game that isn't out yet but fits the bill



DESCRIPTION
Damnview: Built from Nothing is a simulation sandbox game about the occidental culture and its different social classes. Damnview is told through the exploration of a decadent city and working on precarious jobs that will absorb you in or spit you out of the system.

STORY
Survival is not always for the strongest and sometimes being smarter, meaner or just having no qualms could make the difference in Damnview.

Damnview is a game about despair, the hostility of capitalism and the need of seeking for a better future. The city is an enormous monster to defeat only with your life and hard work or maybe with your fists and dirty money. How far would you go to survive in a place like this? That's the ongoing feeling while you drive the streets of Damnview.

Your scar into the city streets depends on you and your decisions, the people you meet, the people you help or the people you choose to hurt. It's all about survival in the concrete jungle.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Absolutely love this trailer and I'm super excited for it.
 
HMS_Pinafore

HMS_Pinafore

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,155
Straya M8
The PlayStation 2 Ratchet and Clank games, everyone in the universe is just trying to make a quick buck from you, and corporations are willing to sell anything to anyone, including weapons to kids.
 
Dingens

Dingens

Circumventing ban with an alt account
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2,018
In a way, the RPG maker wave of the early 2000s, hundreds of high quality games, all of them passion projects, and free. Nowadays, they'd charge you money for most of them. So in a way, it was the most anti-capitalist chapter of recent gaming history.


Funyarinpa said:
I thought Stardew Valley would have basically a non-story but there's this really strong sentiment of being utterly done with corporations and capitalism in it. It's like it understands the fantasy of just living a calm life where you sustain yourself but goes a step further and ties it rather directly to capitalism.

The way you start bored out of your mind in a Joja office and

then find a Joja Mart in the village was almost heartbreaking for me. Like, "they're here too".
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

isn't the game the ultimate entrepreneur power fantasy? can't get more pro capitalism than becoming your own boss and having your own employees...
 

Deleted member 721

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Oct 25, 2017
10,416
Anticapitalism is part of the cyberpunk genre, so unless the game only gets the style and ignores this point, cyberpunk games.
 
Rotobit

Rotobit

Editor at Nintendo Wire
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Oct 27, 2017
10,196
This is why we need a modern solid Star Trek RPG or something

FFXIV: Shadowbringers touches on it a bit with Eulmore, at least from what I've played so far. It's basically all about the aristocracy ignoring horrible atrocities so they can live a life of decadence.
 
The Albatross

The Albatross

Member
Oct 25, 2017
39,038
It would seem like most games that take a stance are softly critical of capitalism, commercialism, and corporatism. When it comes to corporations, they've been the go-to bad guy for every game-with-a-stance over the last 20 years.

Grand Theft Auto V is exhausting in its attempt to take the piss out of commercialism and capitalism, which IMO gets pretty tired because most people who play the games love playing them as wealth and power fantasies. I get that Rockstar wants to seem above it all and they want to make a social message in the themes of the game by constantly impressing on you that the wealth and power fantasies are stupid things to chase, but it's tiring for me, and the Housers are average social commentators who think that they're really pulling one over on fans of the game. I like the power fantasy -- In GTA:SA, it wasn't enough for me to control my block of Los Santos, I had to destroy the gang territories of every other gang in the city to maximize the measly cash payout that was ultimately pretty meaningless; I had to have the RC hobbyist store, the Casino, and the chop shop despite that none of them really did anything for me storywise; I had to own every property in the game (which did actually have a real, meaningful reward in that it gave you way more save zones and garages, something important in the PS2-era GTAs).

After GTASA, Rockstar seemed transfixed on taking the piss out of players who like playing the games that way. Missions often reward you with nothing; the recurring theme of GTAV is promising you things for doing ridiculous tasks and then never delivering, but forcing you to chase the next promise; The characters are ultimately nihilists and anytime you do get a reward, it's for an arbitrary meaningless reason, not the result of something that you did to earn it.

Personally, I'm tired of that GTA narrative and I think that Rockstar has gotten their point across at making ultimately utterly meaningless story/narrative experiences. I'd much rather they went back to the Vice City & San Andreas approach by at least pretending that there was something material to gain in the world, while the characters are skeptical of it, rather than what they've done with IV and V, which is have characters chasing the 'American Dream' while the game ceaselessly beats you over the head with the boring irony that there is no American Dream and that everything is useless, arbitrary, and lacking reward.
 
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Deleted member 1656

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AvernOffset said:
Doom 2016, a game where a corporation (and especially its chairman) is portrayed as more evil than literal demons from literal hell.
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Eh, the UAC is cartoonishly evil and Doom '16 has some funny commentary on corporatism, but I don't know if I would describe Samuel Hayden as evil. I feel like he actually very much has good intentions in mind; he really believes in his Argent energy kool-aid. Which is part of what makes him a pretty good antagonist.
 
OP
OP
saladdays

saladdays

Member
Sep 11, 2018
552
Dingens said:
In a way, the RPG maker wave of the early 2000s, hundreds of high quality games, all of them passion projects, and free. Nowadays, they'd charge you money for most of them. So in a way, it was the most anti-capitalist chapter of recent gaming history.




isn't the game the ultimate entrepreneur power fantasy? can't get more pro capitalism than becoming your own boss and having your own employees...
Click to expand...
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Stardew doesn't have employees (outside of I guess your SO??) as far as I'm aware.
Eylos said:
Anticapitalism is part of the cyberpunk genre, so unless the game only gets the style and ignores this point, cyberpunk games.
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Unfortunately most of the cyberpunk games I'm familiar with just go anti-authoritarian in general instead of anti-cap specifically. Admittedly though, the only cyberpunk game I felt satisfied with from a story perspective was Katana Zero. Although it's not a game, I'll take the time to mention that Akira is probably one of the best examples of an accessible STRONGLY anti-capitalist film.
The Albatross said:
It would seem like most games that take a stance are softly critical of capitalism, commercialism, and corporatism.

Grand Theft Auto V is exhausting in its attempt to take the piss out of commercialism and capitalism, which IMO gets pretty tired because most people who play the games love playing them as wealth and power fantasies. I get that Rockstar wants to seem above it all and they want to make a social message in the themes of the game by constantly impressing on you that the wealth and power fantasies are stupid things to chase, but it's tiring for me, and the Housers are average social commentators who think that they're really pulling one over on fans of the game. I like the power fantasy -- In GTA:SA, it wasn't enough for me to control my block of Los Santos, I had to destroy the gang territories of every other gang in the city to maximize the measly cash payout that was ultimately pretty meaningless; I had to have the RC hobbyist store, the Casino, and the chop shop despite that none of them really did anything for me storywise; I had to own every property in the game (which did actually have a real, meaningful reward in that it gave you way more save zones and garages, something important in the PS2-era GTAs).

Since GTASA, Rockstar seems transfixed on taking the piss out of players who like playing the games that way. Missions often reward you with nothing; the recurring theme of GTAV is promising you things for doing ridiculous tasks and then never delivering, but forcing you to chase the next promise; The characters are ultimately nihilists and anytime you do get a reward, it's for an arbitrary meaningless reason, not the result of something that you did to earn it.

Personally, I'm tired of that GTA narrative and I think that Rockstar has gotten their point across at making ultimately utterly meaningless story/narrative experiences. I'd much rather they went back to the Vice City & San Andreas approach by at least pretending that there was something material to gain in the world, while the characters are skeptical of it, rather than what they've done with IV and V, which is have characters chasing the 'American Dream' while the game ceaselessly beats you over the head with the boring irony that there is no American Dream and that everything is useless, arbitrary, and lacking reward.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I agree that the way GTA does it isn't really a good way to. It feels like most of the "satire" in those games is either extremely obvious Family Guy-tier comedy or actively antagonistic towards the player (which will never convince anyone)
 
Dingens

Dingens

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saladdays said:
Stardew doesn't have employees (outside of I guess your SO??) as far as I'm aware.
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No wonder since the automation you innovated made them redundant (like sprinklers).
Might be even worse since you don't pay your SO, and neither do you pay your animals :P
 
Hella

Hella

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Oct 27, 2017
23,406
I wouldn't call SDV anticapitalist, so much as anticorporate... though maybe that's the same thing, I dunno. Joja Mart represents everything wrong in the SDV world.
 
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OP
saladdays

saladdays

Member
Sep 11, 2018
552
Dingens said:
Might be even worse since you don't pay your SO, and neither do you pay your animals :P
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Well, your SO works randomly whenever they want to as an act of love. I'd definitely agree that Stardew isn't anti-capitalist at all, though. It's more anti-corporate. Less Bicycle Thieves and more Brazil.
 
Lant_War

Lant_War

Classic Anus Game
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Jul 14, 2018
23,580
Jet Set Radio and Jet Set Radio Future don't hide how anti-systemic they are.

Classic Sonic games too.
 
Wraith

Wraith

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Jun 28, 2018
8,892
The Tropico games aren't necessarily anti-capitalist, but capitalist vs. communist factions and policies are a significant part of the game. You can go hard down one lane or the other, or run your island nation somewhere in the middle.
 
megalowho

megalowho

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Oct 27, 2017
2,562
New York, NY
Little Inferno and Human Resource Machine from the Tomorrow Corporation gets capitalist satire right




Cart Life, the free and open source working class sim, also comes to mind

cartstory2.jpg
 
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Deleted member 1656

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(Timestamped)




Also: Into the Breach doesn't have any loud political messages, but I really like that the future it's set in is one where climate change has drastically altered the planet and the remnants of humanity are ruled by a de jure corporatocracy of four.
 
McNum

McNum

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Oct 26, 2017
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Metal Gear Rising, kind of?

There is the whole point of stealing kids' brains for money, and Raiden overall rejecting the PMCs and setting off on his own, bringing him into conflict with a US Senator driving a giant spider-mech.
 

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Does Red Faction: Guerilla count? I haven't played it in some time but I'm pretty sure you're an asshole with a hammer fucking up a seemingly corporate mining colony's shit.

 
SoundCheck

SoundCheck

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Oct 27, 2017
2,489
Bloodborne: No more money, just souls!

In a serious note, Gravity Rush 2 has some interesting anti-capitalist/ class warfare undertones in the first half of the game.
 
Kthulhu

Kthulhu

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Oct 25, 2017
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McNum said:
Metal Gear Rising, kind of?

There is the whole point of stealing kids' brains for money, and Raiden overall rejecting the PMCs and setting off on his own, bringing him into conflict with a US Senator driving a giant spider-mech.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

At the same time you have Doc saying he loves capitalism and Raiden is part of a PMC. I don't think it's meant to be a commentary on capitalism as a whole, and is more just anti military profiteering.
 
Haze

Haze

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Oct 25, 2017
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Gravity Rush 2's entire first-act is anti-capitalist and very well done without being overbearing in its themes. Even down to how the world is designed with the downtrodden in the slums on the lower vertical region of the city with little to no sunlight, to the rich in top basking in the bright rays, and those in power above them in a fortress, cut off from society.
 
Infinite Ukemi

Infinite Ukemi

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Oct 27, 2017
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The original Ratchet & Clank and Ratchet & Clank:Going Commando as well as Ratchet: Deadlocked all had stories that revolved around capitalism gone rampant and all featured heavily anti-capitalist satire.
 

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Oikospiel deals with leftist concepts and organized labor in pretty interesting ways. One of the best games ever, 100% worth your money (ha...)...
Even before you buy it it starts making you think about some of that stuff: http://www.oikospiel.com/

Night in the Woods also deals with some of this stuff a little bit....I definitely wanna see more games be more explicit about it when it makes sense to.
 
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