![]() ![]() I’m no scientist, but I would imagine that having the mutations that allow people to live in a post-nuclear world is a beneficial thing? In any case, none of this matters to the Enclave, because to them, the wastelanders are nothing but lab rats. Personally, when the future of humanity is at stake, getting rid of the bulk of its remains doesn’t sit well with me. ![]() While classification as a human is debatable for the wastelanders, they still have a willpower, are still capable of rational thought. One Vault, for example, housed a single male and 999 females. They were meant to be a social experiment, to see how people would react when under specific conditions. The Vaults were not meant to allow people to survive and one day rebuild society. It’s not just that the government caused the world to be so heavily radiated, but that the government toyed with the vaults and made them into experiments. The reason they have mutated into “something” else is because of the government. ![]() Now, let’s entertain the idea that maybe the wastelanders cannot be considered human anymore and thus do not deserve to live for a second. Thus the war between humans and super mutants can be said to be a result of absurdity on two counts: a deranged, insane villain, and the ridiculous result of previous war-mongering. While his intent was “noble” in that he wanted to evolve humanity into something that would be beyond misery, conflict and war, it is still misguided, and the parallels to Nazis is obvious. Richard Grey is exposed to FEV and ends up becoming “The Master,” who then decides on using the virus to create a master race of super mutants. The experiment was never fully finished, but facility in which this all took place was later rediscovered by Richard Grey. Naturally, these effects enamored the government, who then wanted to use the Forced Evolutionary Virus (FEV) to create super-soldiers. While the drug was successful in combating biological weapons, the side effects caused extreme growth in muscle and brain function. West-Tek developed a series of technologies for the American government in the game, one of which included a drug that was meant to help defend against possible biological warfare from China. Super mutants are a direct consequence of pre-war actions. ![]() In the first Fallout specifically, the war between the super mutant army and humanity is the central conflict. The same can be said of the “war” we find in the game itself. You can draw parallels to the real world if you’d like–I’m sure there are many that would argue that there’s nothing worth the ten year war with Afghanistan, for example–but I speak primarily of the in-game politics. Not even a minute into the game and the juxtaposition of absurd patriotism (the cause of war) and destruction (the result of war) gives us the feeling that perhaps the price of war is too high to pay, perhaps, just perhaps, the principle behind war is idiotic and not justifiable in the face of consequences like these. The camera pans out, and we see that this advertisement is playing on a television set….which happens to be functioning in the remains of a destroyed city. Nothin’ like some good ol’ propaganda, no? Then, we see a soldier in a power suit looking out into the horizon with the American flag swaying in the wind, and this transitions into an advertisement commanding us to buy war bonds. They shoot one bullet, two bullets, into the back of someones head, and without missing a beat, a cackle ensues, they turn to the camera and start waving cheerfully. The visuals go from an advertisement for the infamous Vault-Tec Vaults to a scene where government officials are “keeping the peace”over in Canada. ![]()
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