Metal Gear Solid vs the real world

Lately I've dusted off my PS2 and started replaying all my old games, amongst which were Metal Gear Solid 1,2 and 3. These games are known for having quite convoluted storylines, so back when I was 14 I never really understood the big picture of what these games were trying to stay.

Today however, being a lot older I was pretty shocked to find out that much of what is talked about here (the Cabal, TPTB, etc) plays a central role in the series. Back then I never really knew what it all meant.

For those of you that never played the games, SPOILERS BELOW

So I'm gonna try and keep it short, since explaining MGS can be quite tricky.

After the First World War, brilliant minds from the USA, China and Russia formed The Wisemen's Committee, later known as the Philosophers. They originally sought to use their incredible resources and powerful influence to steer world history away from brutal, needless warfare. In the following years, the Philosophers' power and reach grew exponentially, becoming the unquestioned forces behind each of their governments. They ran independent political forces, had their own agents, and trained schools of operatives that would undermine seats of power throughout other governments. The Philosophers' influence extended to countries and organizations involved in every aspect of every war, essentially becoming war itself.

The group eventually disbanded, leaving their cache of enourmous wealth for the taking. Meanwhile during the Cold War, the USA, Russia and China were now under control by their own remnants of this group, each vying for that wealth. The American branch retrieved it successfully, using it to found The Patriots. They would be a force to be reckoned with, seeking to control the entire world.

The Patriots' leader feared that his subordinates would fail to carry out his orders, so he created 5 AI's which were supposed to control the world even after he died.

By the 21st century, the Patriots had achieved immense political power, effectively controlling America as a totalitarian regime. The organization would select who would serve as the President of the United States and would stage Presidential elections in order to please the American public, as well as tricking them into believing that as voters they had control over the government, that the nation was still being led according to the Constitution. All of this is under control of those 5 artificial intelligences.

But since the advent of the Internet and it's widespread usage throughout the entire world, the Patriots were getting worried that they wouldn't be able to control this enormous flow of information. They think, that just as in genetics, unnecessary information (and a generation's memory) must be filtered out/controlled to stimulate the evolution of the species. Our entire world is built upon memories, how things used to be, which side won or lost a war etc etc. This makes truth a dangerous thing, if it can be controlled, if THEY give US context in which we view that truth, they can shape the world they want.

After 2010, the Patriots created the War Economy, a ruthless extension of the military industrial complex that we know in the real world. Soldiers were injected with nanomachines, which allowed them to be under complete control by the Patriots, as well as being monitored non stop. This extended to the civilian population as well, where nanomachines were gradually being introduced. Wars were no longer being fought between countries, but between PMC's (all under complete control) As the economy rested upon war and the Patriots controlled the fighting parties, it all became routine. They were creating a New World Order.


What I find so striking is the commonalities between the game and the real world. Sure, many games do this, but not on this intellectual level. I even find it eerie how it even predicted some things we have today. MGS2 was released in 2001 I believe. It talked about censorship and loss of individuality that we are indeed experiencing today. But the most important message it carries is this:

How much of a person is defined by genes?
How much of a person is defined by information?

This last question is the most poignant. Information is something that "travels" from brain to brain, in our shared pool of memories. But in the digital age, all information is stored for anyone. The good and the bad. Without contradiction, always accessible. Now information is passed from the individual to a medium and is preserved there for future generations. This information is not being regulated resulting in a loss for the species. The real question is "is the human being affecting evolution in all levels by preserving the individual and his ideas?"

As I said earlier, if you can regulate that information, you can regulate the human species. This is why the media is something very, very dangerous. This is the central point of MGS, something we all should reckon methinks.

Well there you go, it's a big wall of text, but this being something derived from MGS, I wouldn't have expected anything else. I leave you all with some telling cutscenes from the end of MGS2, in which the main character (the blonde FGT talking to his commanding officer which turned out to be a manifestation of one of the AI's all along).

The Metal Gear Solid series is awesome. The storyline is very conspiratorial but believable. It is definitely a plausible history. It is almost believable, which makes the game all the more thrilling. Metal Gear Solid 1 and 2 were the best ones.

reply to post by Razziazoid


My favourite game series ever! I think I will remember MGS2 as long as I live! Brilliant game!

Your right it does play totally into the new world order scenario, only with the AI twist.

Did you play MGS4? That tied up a lot of loose ends once you got to the end. Awesome franchise!

reply to post by Grifter81


Yes I played 4 as well. That last bossfight was the best I ever played and it did indeed close everything nicely.

edit: for those that find my OP a bit confusing, watch the first YT vid, it summarizes everything