CRITICAL REVIEW: Posthuman Technologies in Xcom by Christina Hall
Posthuman Technologies in XCom
XCom: Enemy Unknown is a main stream turn based strategy video game that was recently released and can be played on many different gaming systems. The goal of the game is to figure out the aliens plans, defeat them and have the human race survive the attack. Throughout the game new people are added to your tactical team and they join you on missions. The group members all begin at the same level, unless they are added after a mission and if this happens they will sometimes be a higher beginning level. Through the changes that can be made to the characters and the equipment that can be acquired XCom: Enemy Unknown brings up interesting ideas about technology and identity. I believe this game could be a good addition to the course work for Mediating Identities.
After the characters are added to your roster and they complete one mission with you, changes can be made to almost every aspect of who they are except country of origin. The race can be changed, with their options being Black, Asian, Latino and Caucasian. Not only can race be changed but they add a second layer and they skin color can be changed. Although gender and country of origin cannot be changed they do add options such as voice. Although I believe it is culturally responsive to be able to make distinctions such as race and color it is interesting why those choices are added without being able to choose what country the person comes from or what gender they are. Framing questions around these choices could be interesting in light of the readings already done in class. Technology is the next major part of this game.
Because the game is about defeating an alien invasion technology has a large place in the game. There is a series of progressions in weaponry and other resources like armor and drugs that enhance the characters in the game to better combat the aliens. In the beginning you start out with projectile weapons then move to lasers and finally to plasma weapons. Both the lasers and plasma weapons are acquired by killing and autopsying the aliens to reverse engineer their technology. Mind shields are also acquired by doing an autopsy on an alien and blocks telepathic mind control that the aliens use. There is also a combat stim which is a drug that boosts statistics. Doing this makes the characters stronger and healthier than normal humans. Better armor is also generated. One of the armors can make the characters fly. This happens when a specific alien is autopsied that also has this ability. What is essentially happening is that the humans in this game are taking the alien’s technology and using it against them through something like reverse engineering. The use of the weapons, armor, drugs and the ability to control most aspects of the character begs questions to be asked such as; do these technological advances, even though they are not ours make us post human? And in the same respect because these technologies would not normally be available to us yet are the people using them less human for their use? These questions have a place within our classroom context and should be asked. These are the reasons XCom: Enemy Unknown is a game that could easily be added into our discussions on identities.
Bibliography:
Xcom Enemy Unknown. 1.0.0. October 9,2012. Firaxis Games. November 20, 2012.