Hideo Kojima is not only an industry legend, renowned for his highly acclaimed video games. He is a writer and director of video games that have a history of predicting and anticipating future events and advancements in the real world.
Whether it’s technology, gadgets, and their uses, new ways of living, or grand scale events, Kojima has somehow managed to become a sort of prophetic individual. Many of his science fiction video games have introduced ideas, concepts, and events that have since become reality. Of course, many of his science fiction ideas have also not become reality, which is good for anyone worrying about the rise of mechanoid, warhead-carrying machines, or psychic terrorists.
It should be no surprise that natural resources such as oil are becoming limited around the world at a rapid rate. Fuel and oil-based supplies will one day be a luxury item. In some territories, they already are. There have been potential replacements and supplements introduced over the years though.
Hideo Kojima suggested one such replacement in Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake back in 1990. That of Algae fuel. In 2012, Algae fuel became a reality after years of study and research into its possibilities. Propel Fuel was one of the companies that sold it to the public in 2012. It hasn’t become a mainstream commodity yet though because of its high-cost production.
One of the gadgets utilized in the first Metal Gear Solid game is that of a CODEC. Which is a portmanteau for coder-decoding, the method in which conversations are digitally streamed in the video game series. In the first game, the visualization of the CODEC is that of two camera feeds of each speaker, and subtitled dialogue below.
While the first ever video call occurred back in 1970, the CODEC more accurately predicted the next evolution of the technology, that of video calls, Skype, and FaceTime. Where two, or more individuals could transmit a live-streamed image of themselves to one another, along with live audio feeds. It not only became a thing, but it also became the norm.
You could probably pick out any part of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and see some sort of real-world comparison from it. This game is full of modern, relevant events, ideas, concepts, gadgets, and more. But the main predictions that became reality were those of social media, the use of AI, and the spreading of Fake News.
Towards the back end of the game, you interact with a rogue AI that takes on the voices and likenesses of your allies. This is very relevant today when big studios are using AI to replace voice actors, de-age certain actors, and resurrect others. The AI also brings up the possibility of individuals online embracing false narratives because they align with their own beliefs, much like certain online communities and their members, such as Q-Anon.
The Patriot AI in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty presents many possibilities that have since become a reality. One of which is the notion that technology could one day replace the need to think for yourself, and for technology to act as a service to your needs and desires.
With the release of Amazon Alexa, and other home AI services like it, this has become a reality. Along with the use of cookies and personalized ads online, all provided by AI and algorithms, designed to make your search for products easier and quicker. Kojima predicted that technology would replace our decision-making processes, and while things haven’t quite gone that far, they are getting close.
Another prediction laid out in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is the notion that one day, the military would become machine-operated. Unmanned weapons would be used to strike down enemies, AI would battle other AI, and humans would sit back and watch it happen.
The use of unmanned drones in modern warfare, and the utilization of AI designed to track individuals and target potential threats in real life shows that this prediction is slowly becoming a reality. Plus, it raises ethical questions concerning privacy and the monitoring of individuals without their knowledge. All of which are relevant today with military and civilian drones.
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of The Patriots was Kojima’s chronological follow-up to the events of Metal Gear Solid 2. In it, an older Snake must navigate science fiction war zones, where technology controls the weapons used by soldiers, their emotions, and feelings, and in some instances, replaces them entirely.
Kojima himself has since claimed the events and concepts of the game are no longer science fiction. They’re a reality. Modern technology and AI have been introduced to warfare, weapons are now controllable via technology and AI, and machines have started to replace soldiers too. Plus, there are mercenary groups, and war profiteers who make a living out of war, and all it provides.
While Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty displayed the potential of AI and technology mimicking the living, it was Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker that extended that possibility to deceased characters and individuals. In it, The Boss is somewhat resurrected using advanced AI and technology, allowing her memory to live on and haunt Naked Snake.
This has become a reality, in that certain celebrities and personalities have been brought back from the dead using holograms, old footage, and CGI. The late Peter Cushing was recreated using CGI in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Michael Jackson and Tupac were resurrected in holographic form, and AI is now also being used to synthesize the voices of long-gone people.
2 Death Stranding (2019) – The COVID-19 Pandemic
Death Stranding depicts an America that has been forced into lockdown. Where the surface is full of dangers, where people can only communicate via video and audio transmission, and where delivery services are the only means of connection.
What Kojima didn’t anticipate was that the depiction of a locked-down America would become a reality little under a year after the release of Death Stranding. His depiction of lockdown accurately shows the key workers being the only individuals out and about, the threats and dangers of the unknown and invisible, and the loneliness and isolation that came from such extended lockdown situations.
1 Hideo Kojima Himself – Cloud Gaming And Streaming
At a Japanese press conference in 2010, Hideo Kojima stated that ‘in the near future, we’ll have games that don’t depend on any platform. Gamers should be able to take their experience with them in their living rooms, on the go, when they travel. Wherever they are, and whenever they want to play.’
This became a reality soon after, with the advent of cloud gaming and streaming platforms like Google Stadia. The use of mobile phones, and other portable devices allow you to stream games from the cloud, or a console straight into your hands. Another interpretation could be that Kojima saw the end of console exclusives, or that he predicted the rise of services such as Game Pass, which allows all of these features.