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Cyberpunk (a portmanteau of cybernetics and punk) is a sub-genre of science fiction which uses elements from the
hard-boiled detective novel, film noir, Japanese anime, and post-modernist prose. It describes the nihilistic, underground
side of the digital society which started to evolve in the last two decades of the 20th century. The dystopian world of cyberpunk has been called
the antithesis of the utopian science fiction visions of the mid-20th century as typified by the world of Star Trek.
History
The term was originally coined in 1980 by Minnesota writer Bruce Bethke for his short story, "Cyberpunk," which was first published in Amazing Science Fiction
Stories, Volume 57, Number 4, November 1983, although it was quickly appropriated as a label to be applied to the works of
Gibson, Rucker, and
others.
In cyberpunk literature, much of the action takes place online, in cyberspace - the clear borderline between the real and the virtual becomes blurred. A typical (though not universal) feature of the
genre is a direct connection between the human brain and computer systems.
Cyberpunk's world is a sinister, dark place with networked computers that dominate
every aspect of life. Giant multinational corporations have replaced governments as centres of power. The alienated outsider's battle against a totalitarian system is a common theme in science
fiction; however, in conventional science fiction those systems tended to be sterile, ordered, and state-controlled. Cyberpunk,
in sharp contrast, shows the seamy underbelly of corporatocracy, and
the Sisyphean battle against their power by disillusioned
renegades.
Cyberpunk literature tends to be strongly dystopian and pessimistic. It is often a metaphor for the present day, reflecting
worries about large corporations, corruption in governments, and alienation.
Some cyberpunk authors also intend their works to act as warnings of possible futures which may follow from current trends. As
such, cyberpunk is often written with the intention of disquieting the reader and calling him to action.
Cyberpunk stories are seen by some social theorists as fictional forecasts of the evolution of the Internet. The virtual world of the Internet often
appears in cyberpunk under various names, including "cyberspace," the "Metaverse" (as seen in Snow Crash), and the "Matrix" (originally from Neuromancer, but further popularized by the movie The
Matrix).
Notable precursors to the genre
Cyberpunk writers and works
William Gibson with his novel Neuromancer (1984) is likely the most famous writer connected with
the term cyberpunk. He emphasized style, character development and atmosphere over traditional science-fictional
tropes, and Neuromancer was awarded the Hugo, Nebula, and Philip K. Dick Awards.
Raymond Chandler with his bleak, cynical worldview and staccato
prose strongly influenced the creators of the genre. The world of cyberpunk is the dystopian, hopeless world of
film noir, but pushed just a little bit into the future.
Other famous cyberpunk writers include Bruce
Sterling (who functioned as cyberpunk's chief ideologue with his fanzine Cheap Truth), Philip K. Dick, Rudy Rucker, Pat Cadigan, and Neal
Stephenson.
The film Blade Runner (1982) based on Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is set in a dystopian future in which
synthetic life forms have substandard rights. The Robocop has a more near
futuristic setting where at least one corporation, Omni Consumer Products is an all powerful presence in the city of Detroit.
The short-lived television series Max Headroom also introduced
many viewers to the genre.
The Japanese manga-ka Masamune Shirow often writes in the cyberpunk style. His most notable stories within the
genre include Appleseed, Black Magic M-66, and especially
Ghost in the Shell. Ghost in the Shell has been adapted to the
silver screen in a critically acclaimed and haunting Cyberpunk anime that questions, on
several levels, the delineation between life and simulation. Ghost
in the Shell has also been further adapted as a related television anime series called Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone
Complex.
The most recent follow-up from Ghost in the Shell is the
2004 anime film from Mamoru Oshii called Innocence: Ghost in the Shell. Beyond his obvious reference to Blade Runner, Innocence: Ghost in the Shell achieves a unique spatial atmosphere and is one of the most
philosophical tale related to artificial life in the fact that the
story, full quoted with historical and literacy references "does not hold the view that the world revolves around the human
race. Instead it concludes that all forms of life – humans, animals and robots – are equal." (Mamoru Oshii)
At least two role-playing games called Cyberpunk exist:
Cyberpunk 2020, by R. Talsorian Games, and GURPS Cyberpunk, published by Steve Jackson Games as a module of the GURPS family of
role-playing games. Cyberpunk 2020 was designed with the settings of William Gibson's writings in mind, and to some
extent with his approval, unlike the perhaps more underhanded approach taken by FASA in
producing the Shadowrun game (see below). Both Cyberpunk-titled games are set in the near future, in a world where cybernetics and computers are even more present than today.
Another Cyberpunk RPG included the (out of print) game
Cyberspace, released by Iron
Crown enterprises. Corporate corruption is a frequent
theme in these games' adventures. The characters often find themselves skirting the law, if not outright flouting it. Recently,
the d20 Open Gaming Movement has brought several new entries into the arena,
including Mongoose's d20 Cyberpunk and LRG's Digital Burn.
In 1990, in an odd re-convergence of cyberpunk art and reality, the
U.S. Secret Service raided Steve Jackson Games' headquarters during Operation Sundevil and confiscated all their computers. This was -
allegedly - because the GURPS Cyberpunk sourcebook could be used to
perpetrate computer crime. That was, in fact, not the main reason for the raid, just a by-product. However it was too late to
correct the public's idea of the events any more. Steve Jackson Games later won a lawsuit against the Secret Service for their
action. (See the GURPS Cyberpunk page.)
Role-playing games have also produced one of the more unique takes on the genre in the form of the game series Shadowrun in 1989. Here, the setting is still that
of the dystopic near future presented in other cyberpunk works, however it also incorporates heavy elements of
fantasy literature and games, such as magic, spirits, elves, and dragons. Shadowrun's
cyberpunk facets were modeled in large part on the writings of William Gibson, and the game's publishers,
FASA, have been accused by many as having directly ripped off Gibson's work without even a
statement of influence. Gibson, meanwhile, has been reported to be less than impressed with the inclusion of elements of high fantasy within clearly derivative setting elements and storytelling techniques
that he had pioneered. Nevertheless, Shadowrun has introduced many to the genre of cyberpunk, and still remains
popular among gamers.
The trans-genre RPG Torg (published by West End Games ) also
included a variant cyberpunk setting (or "cosm") called the Cyberpapacy. This setting was originally a
medieval religious dystopia which underwent a sudden Tech Surge. Instead of corporations or corrupt governments, the
Cyberpapacy was dominated by the False Papacy of Avignon. Instead of an Internet, hackers roamed the GodNet, a computer network rife with overtly religious symbology, home to
angels, demons, and other biblical figures.
Another notable RPG based on cyberpunk is Uplink, Created by
Introversion Software
in 2002, in which
you work as a freelance hacker in 2010, and take jobs from different corporations. Missions range from stealing files from rival
companies to the final mission where you either try to destroy the internet or save it from complete destruction.
Netrunner is a collectible card game introduced in 1996, based on the
Cyberpunk 2020 role-playing game.
Computer games have frequently used cyberpunk as sources of inspiration. The most prevalent of these are the
System Shock series and the Deus
Ex series.
An unusual sub-sub-genre of cyberpunk is steampunk, which is
set in an anachronistic Victorian environment, but with
cyberpunk's bleak, film noir world view. The Difference Engine was probably the novel that helped bring
this genre to the forefront.
The emerging genre called postcyberpunk continues the preoccupation
with the effects of computers, but without the assumption of dystopia or the
emphasis on cybernetic implants.
Cyberprep is a seldom-used term that reflects the flip side of
cyberpunk.
Quote
"Anything that can be done to a rat can be done to a human being. We can do just about anything you can imagine to rats. And
closing your eyes and refusing to think about this won't make it go away. THAT is cyberpunk." - Bruce Sterling
See also
External links
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