Summary of the Key Points
This article, grounded in the theoretical framework of "cultural phantasmology" proposed by British cultural critic Mark Fisher, examines how the indie game *Elysium Disco* uses interactive elements of "fantasy realism" to break through the closedness of contemporary popular culture and the informational cocooning effects of the internet era. It allows players to reconnect with reality within a labyrinth of fragmented thoughts and regain the courage to face life. The game is not just a form of entertainment; it also represents a cultural response to the challenges of a world where the future seems to have been canceled.
I. Mark Fisher's "Cultural Phantasmology": Why Have We Lost Our Ability to Imagine the Future?
In his 2014 book *Phantoms in My Life*, Mark Fisher made a poignant observation: Western society is in a state where the future is being slowly "canceled." In other words, people no longer believe that things will get better in the future and tend to dwell on nostalgia—repeating cultural forms from the past (such as remaking old IPs or using outdated memes).
Why has this happened? Post-war Britain once enjoyed a golden age of popular culture, with institutions like the BBC, independent music, and Penguin paperback books creating a shared aesthetic and set of values among people from different backgrounds. Popular culture served as a public space for social interaction. However, society has since divided, and this sense of aesthetic community has collapsed. Today's cultural works (such as *True Detective*) may appear sophisticated, but they often reduce social issues to personal fears (for example, portraying the conflicts in conservative areas as psychological burdens that police must overcome), completely avoiding real issues. The fact that the conservative regions depicted in *True Detective* later became strongholds for Trump voters demonstrates that these works fail to resonate with genuine social emotions.
Fisher termed this phenomenon "cultural phantasmology"—where past cultural artifacts continue to influence our perceptions despite no longer having their original social context. His own death from depression illustrates the mental distress caused by this loss of a sense of the future.
II. From *True Detective* to *Elysium Disco*: How Interactive Media Breaks Closed Cultures?
*True Detective* exemplifies the typical problems of 21st-century cultural industry: it is sophisticated yet closed off. It creates a self-contained world that allows viewers to temporarily escape reality without addressing any real issues. In contrast, *Elysium Disco* uses interactive elements to break this pattern. The game retains the dual protagonists and themes of personal exploration from *True Detective* but adds interactivity.
For instance, each character you encounter is not a stereotype. Mr. Skullfish, who seems racist, turns out to be seeking certainty in a chaotic world (similar to the ostentatious behavior of some European neo-rightists). The union leader, though manipulative, has genuine desires (such as fighting for workers' rights), and understanding him is essential to progress through the story. These design choices force players to move beyond being mere observers and to explore the complexities behind each character's beliefs.
III. "Fragmented Thoughts" in the Game: Experiencing the Internet Era’s Ideological Labyrinth
What makes *Elysium Disco* particularly innovative is its adaptation of internet experiences. Players encounter 53 different "thoughts"—distorted ideologies, viral phrases, and fragments from classic texts, similar to the various viewpoints we see on social media platforms like Weibo and TikTok. The choices players make determine the paths they take through the game, mirroring the process of selecting beliefs online and shaping our own perceptions.
The game also features a dialogue system on the right side of the screen (similar to chat interfaces on WeChat or Twitter), making it feel like engaging in arguments or discussions online. This interactive design evokes the chaos and rapid decision-making we experience when navigating the internet's vast array of information.
IV. "Fantasy Realism": Using Fantasy to Reveal Contemporary Spiritual Struggles
The game's creators describe their approach as "fantasy realism"—first rooting the story in reality and then using fantasy elements to address issues that cannot be directly expressed in a realistic context. For example, the game's "gray matter" is a metaphor for the ideological crisis in contemporary Western society, where people are at a loss about what to believe.
This technique is inspired by Soviet science fiction writers the Strugaltzky brothers, who used the idea of alien visitors in *The Roadside Picnic* to symbolize deep-seated societal issues (such as the impact of institutions on individuals). In *Elysium Disco*, "gray matter" creates a world in chaos, and people can only rely on fragmented ideologies to make sense of it—just as we use fragmented beliefs to justify our lives within the internet cocoon.
V. The Significance of *Elysium Disco*: Regaining the Courage to Face Reality in a Fragmented World
The game does not provide a clear vision for the future, but it achieves something more important: it encourages players to embrace reality again. For instance, the disco theme in the game reflects how both the US and the Soviet Union promoted disco music in Estonia as part of their ideologies. Despite the disappearance of those ideologies, the disco culture remained, symbolizing that people once tried to live meaningful lives.
Creator Robert Kuwitz stated: "I want to use a fictional universe to express real life and give people the courage to continue living." This game, born from a failed novel, has become a phenomenon because it shows players through interaction that even the most absurd beliefs are driven by individuals seeking meaning. There's no need to hide in an informational cocoon; by understanding others, we can find our way to reality. This is why *Elysium Disco* has resonated so widely—it gives us the courage to overcome cultural despair.
In conclusion, *Elysium Disco* suggests that interactive media (such as games) could be the hope for future popular culture. They allow us to reconnect with reality in a fragmented world and regain our passion for life. Just like the disco enthusiasts in the game, we can find meaning even in an uncertain future, dancing amidst the ruins of outdated ideologies.