Watch Dogs 2: 6 Important Social Observations
One of the most intelligently-written games to be a Watch Dogs sequel.
Watch Dogs 2 is finally out in the wild after two years of teasing and speculation, and the consensus vote is that it's way better than the original. WAY better.
The gameplay is smoother, the protagonist is actually likeable, and even though the plot is ridiculous, it provides some valid observations about the current state of society.
When playing as Marcus, you will participate in events resembling those that occurred in real-life, as well as meet characters modelled on real people.
With the aid of some critical theory - albeit not that much, as I don't want this list to be too boring to the casual reader - this list will take a look at the reasons behind the anger and anxiety of DedSec, and society in general.
--
Note: These observations have been made after about 15 hours of gameplay and exploration of the open-world. If you saw something else that indicates social commentary, feel free to let me know in the comments.
6. Neoliberalism Needs To Go
Just like in the previous edition of the game, the protagonist aims to take down the Central Operating System (ctOS), this time implemented by the city of San Francisco. As the previous version failed in Chicago, ctOS 2.0 is supposed to be more efficient and harder to hack. The company responsible for its creation - Blume - needs to be taken down as well.
CtOS connects everyone to everything, providing the government with all the information about their interests and habits, of course unknowingly to the people concerned. During a cutscene you (the player) learn that:
"You are now less valuable than the data you produce."
This is obviously connected to the neoliberal notion of the unimportance of the regular citizen. While the rich and most innovative are put on the pedestal, the poor are left helpless, allowing the system to function with the aid of their labour - or in the case of WD2, their data. By monitoring the data, the system can create content appealing to the consumers, informing them about new products and marketing them in more efficient ways - sounds familiar, right?
DedSec obviously rejects the governmental tools of control and intends to save regular citizens...