Another world. Another time. In the Age of Wonder. A thousand years ago, this land was green and good. Until the Crystal cracked...
If you're a fan of Jim Henson movies (or the Crystal Method) you'll undoubtedly recognize those words as evoking the image of a world gone wrong. This list is about video game worlds and lands that were once good but have become corrupted and ruined either before or during the course of the game. There's nothing quite like being immersed in a nightmarish hell-scape to increase the tension of a game or to evoke feelings of loss, hopelessness and despair. Some of the most notable games emphasising character choice employ ruined worlds as their setting. Fallout, Metro 2033, Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI all use ruined worlds to set the stage of player choice and motility. A major reason for this is obvious: motivation. If the world is/will be destroyed, what better stage for our hero to enter. However, I believe there is also a more subtle reason for why choice based games enjoy this trope.
If a society has already been ruined, the game world can more easily reflect back the player's choices. Think of a completely stable and static world and a character somewhat humble in power and knowledge. Luke Skywalker in the Star Trek universe or Bilbo thrust into First Age Gondolin. What manner of choices or actions that these characters could commit would affect these worlds in a meaningful way? However, if the society is being constructed, we have fertile ground for the character to make their mark.
While the world of Conscientia is the result of an ancient calamity, much of Kabu is stable. One area where this is not true, is the city of Ur'Ruk. In this environment, the residents have taken up living here but only recently. They have lost their homes, their religion, their livelihood and their way. Ur'Ruk represents a unique possibility for the exploration of what happens to people in terms of their philosophical and religious systems when those systems are stripped away. Moreover, the city itself is the most ancient and formidable location in the game. However, in order to understand what sort of social situation the character faces, let's take multi-layered approach to how such societies have demonstrated themselves in in history, philosophy, and what this location might present to the player in terms of the typical reactions to their choices.
Ur'Ruk - Design Through History
Totalitarianism: The French Revolution was followed by the reign of Napoleon. The Russian Revolution saw the deposition of the Czar followed by the regimes of Lenin and Stalin. This reflects how history provides us with numerous examples of how people have reacted to power vacuums created by revolution or war. Humans can extrapolate. When you lose faith in something, you understand that you can lose faith in everything. Totalitarian certainty is preferable to nihilistic chaos.
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"True courage consists in being strong enough to
master and overcome oneself and subordinate one’s
will to the will of the collective."
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This is represented through the iron-fisted rule of Hazanna. After the apparent death of their most recent malefactor, Ormenos, Hazanna was able to take the reins of power and leads through sheer force of will and brutality. If any resist her decrees
Ur'Ruk - Design Through Philosophy
When faced with the collapse of power structures, people can respond in a variety of ways. However, for our purposes, we are going to go with notions of a victimised society. A culture that identifies as being weak and persecuted and wears this as a badge of honour. For inspiration, we are going to look at both Nietzsche's critique of Christian morality as well as post-modern feminist theory. The classic allegation against Judeo-Christian morality is that it prized weakness as a result of the political circumstances its believers found themselves in. Rather than take a realistic appraisal of their situation, they chose to invert commonly held (and common sense) notions that to be strong and capable was something to be proud of. Rather than better their lot, they upended their perspective so that they were now already enlightened. "Blessed are the meek" and whatnot. However, they were hypocrites. They couldn't avoid the illogic of this. "The first shall be last and the last shall be first" is an admission that being at the top of the heap is desirable. This translates well into Marxism where the inherent notion is that if someone is successful, it is unearned. That they must have robbed someone to have gained their riches. This then leads nicely over to post-modernist feminist theory where any differences or inequalities must be due to "the patriarchy" and are not the fault of women themselves or due to some kind of inherent nature. The notion that relations between power groups is inherently predatory is common to all these belief structures. In brief:
Christianity: We are weak. But don't feel bad! The only way to get ahead is by being immoral. Nice guys finish last so put on your best sad-sack face and bear that cross!
Marxists/Communists: The rich are always trying to suck the blood of the poor! Spread the wealth! After all, if you don't have it and someone else does, it must be because he exploited you! Let's bust some heads and grab that cash!
Post-modernist feminists: All groups are inherently set against each other. Therefore, men have always, and will always, oppress women. We must oppress them. There is no morality to it other than your own personal morality. It's every group for itself! If you don't have something, its the man keeping you down! (Menstruation must be also their fault too in some way).
Where does this leave us with our folk in Ur'Ruk?
Ur'Ruk: We were banished here and lost everything. But don't worry! All that stuff we had? That was just distracting you from who you really are! All that Kabu stuff was bullshit. Techne is bollocks. Here, we are getting in touch with reality. And how do you do that? Well, what are we doing everyday? Suffering! That's it! Suffering is something to be proud of! And I'm suffering more than you so I should get your share.
First of all, Due to their circumstances, the folk of Ur'Ruk have come to view themselves as a victimised population. To explain what has been done to them, they have chosen to interpret their situation as the result of predation from their fellow humans. They thus adopt a morality which puts them at the top of a new hierarchy. The hierarchy of suffering. Those who suffer the most should get the most respect and power. Hazanna gets to rule because she formulated the philosophy but justifies it by saying she suffers more than others. An unverifiable claim but remember, the people want a leader and she is the loudest mouth. Now this runs into a contradiction. Those who have power are not suffering. Shouldn't they have some kind of rotating system where the biggest sad-sack loser gets to be king until her cheers up too much? Well, here is the party line: who suffers more than our fearless leader? Now that Hazanna is the leader, she's got more problems than you could shake a stick at. Now, she's dictator for life. Also, OF COURSE it's hypocritical. Becoming a totalitarian leader probably makes not rational sense. It is an emotional need. Hitler was the shadow of the German people. He didn't know what the hell he was doing until he started to speak to audeinces and got a sense of what they wanted. He became what they wanted him to become.
Ur'Ruk - Design Through Religion
Religion: After walking into Ur'Ruk and being exposed to ancient Vanquished culture, they become influenced by it. Seeking a new myth to fill the void, they adopt what they learn of Eidos, the dying and rising god. The one spoken of in their ancient texts. A god that dies all the time is certainly resonant with a people that feel like they are the living dead in need of resurrection. The central tenant comes straight out of Vanquished lore: Eidos is a human-god who was hacked up and turned into the glyphs. She is an ideal human who lives outside of time. She is ever living and ever dying. How do you partake in this? By getting in touch with that part of you that is you: the Self. Keep it simple stupid. Go back to basics. Get in touch with your inner child. Feel the force. Do what comes naturally. After all, Eidos lies underneath it all. Get to the root of what you are. The Self. Then you will be free. Thought and will? Those are just the creations of others. They are inhuman brain viruses replicating and passing from mind to mind. Now that we are pariah, we have been inoculated against the worst of it. Thinking is for morons. This also goes along with the totalitarian state: do not think for yourself. Do what we tell you to do.
Following the Self ultimately translates into following the party line and caving into societal pressure. The people like Hazanna who are calling the shots can say without contradiction (in their own circular logic) that they are just following the Self. How are you going to prove them wrong? With your theories? Oh wait, thinking is the tool of the devil! Now you are cast into the sewer for thought-crime!
Ur'Ruk - Design Through Personality
The people of Ur'Ruk are basically examples of human desire for protection run amok. They are suffering and want shepherds to protect them. Those shepherds are only too happy to step up and do so: nurture, love and support... by any means necessary. This will have the following results for personalities who travel to Ur'Ruk:
Diplomats: The experience of these personalities is dependant on how far they take this trait. If they are dyed-in-the-wool people-pleasers, they will likely do unscathed as the concessions they have to make are in the name of the public good. However, they are likely to run into problems when if they try to resolve the negative consequences of Hazanna's rule.
Truth-Seekers: These folk are the natural prey of such a culture. Truth-Seekers would seek to understand the underpinnings of ideology and root-out rational inconsistencies, or to lay bare the etymology of their belief systems. This is undesirable for a few reasons. First, it directly undermines the political power of Hazanna. Second, it is a society oriented around feelings. Reasons for why the feelings are being felt are beside the point. Third, they are not interested in thinking about the past at all. This brings too much guilt and regret for their current situation. They are dealing with their pain by saying that their suffering is some badge of honour. Dwelling on why they were kicked out is, again, beside the point.
Neutrals: This society is against neutrals as they do not believe there can be a middle-ground here. You are either with them, or against them. If you want to be neutral, it is either because you have chosen not to embrace your suffering (in which case you need correction), you feel no need to commiserate with the others (negative as this is the societal glue that holds them together) or you are thinking about it too deeply (as established, an undesirable and threatening habit).
Survivalists: These personalities can thrive here as they are inclined to make up whatever lies, excuses or deceptions to survive and this society is uninterested in getting to the bottom of anything. However, once lies are exposed, they can suffer greatly.
Tyrants: These personalities are feared as they are rare. Most of the pariah are like beaten dogs. They have little self-respect and feel as though they are not sufficient to take on the world's problems. Tyrants who survived, like Hazzana, rose to the top. New tyrants will not be accepted by Hazanna but if they slip under her radar will cow anyone else. However, word travels fast...
Loons: As loons don't have much to say about what is going on in the religion and politics of Ur'Ruk they are more tolerated here than other places. The fact that the loon is always shooting from the hip with her speech may even be perceived as the unvarnished Self.
