Thoughts From Games: Fallout 3's science, Eugenics - Pt 1
If we look beyond the entertaining purpose of medias such as comics, cartoons, movies and games, sometimes we will be able to find connections between those medias and the real world. I decided to make this 'Thoughts From ...” series to talk about interesting things or ideas I found in our everyday medias.
If you're reading this without any knowledge about this game, you can read about it here or even try playing it yourself. And for people who had played it (or even better, beaten the game), did you find something deeper beneath the fun factors, nice music scores and the level of freedom this game had to offer? For me I found the concepts of science and the political agendas presented in the game were intriguingly interesting, especially the choices I had to choose at the end of the story were so difficult they made me think really hard even long after finishing the game. And the topic I chose for the opening article for 'Thought From Games' series is Eugenics.
The concept of Eugenics found in Fallout 3
The history, definition and practices of Eugenics can be found easily on the internet, but if I need to describe it right here I'd unbiasly call Eugenics “A scientific attempt to control and improve human genetic qualities”. It's a pursuit for creating the desired (if not the best) genetic traits in human through methods ranging from selective breeding to advanced genetic engineering.
Although the plot of Fallout 3 wasn't really supporting or clearly against the concept of Eugenics, it would still make persons with scientific mindset to question and (may be) start debating about the application of this concept in the real world (assuming we might face with this kind of post-apocalypse future). Before I start talking about my opinion on the subject, I need to mention that the idea of Eugenics presented itself in 2 events in the game's storyline.
First, the true objective of Vault 101: This was not just a regular nuclear bunker for the selected few (but each Vault had it's own secret objective anyway). It's objective was to preserve human at their purest form untainted by the radiation and cruelty of the Capital Wasteland, that was why this place has never been officially opened for 2 centuries unlike many other Vaults in the story.
Second, the salvation plan of President-unelect John Henry Eden: This supercomputer assumed the role of the president of Enclave which claimed they were continuing the chain of command of the past US government before the holocaust. He said he modeled himself after the past US presidents he learned about from the database left to him but I think he also learned a thing or two about the Führer of the Third Reich since he suggested the player to apply some kind of viruses into the water purifier. This would destroy all mutated life forms in the land (including human with slightest mutations) in order to preserve only the non-mutated human genes for the brighter future of mankind.
In my own understanding, the method of Eugenics used in the game Fallout 3 was quite primitive. It involved nothing advanced such as engineering for the best trait but to preserve the cleanest human genes. In the post-nuclear war context of this game, the pure human genetic information regardless of it's quality (race, health, life span) had become the desirable trait itself. But did it work in the game? and do I think this concept of Eugenics would work if mankind really has to face the same fate as portrayed in this game? I'll have to leave it for part 2 of this article.
(To be Continued...)
