[ExI] RPGs and transhumanism

[Samantha Atkins]

On Feb 26, 2011, at 7:14 AM, Anders Sandberg wrote:

> AlgaeNymph wrote:
>> On 2/26/11 6:10 AM, Anders Sandberg wrote:
>>> I am looking forward to read Jane McGonigal's "Reality is Broken" to see what lessons we can get from the game community.
>> 
>> Interesting you of all people should say this, as I first remember you from the days of Mage: the Ascension.  Any ideas for how today's RPGs can promote transhumanism?
> 
> Eclipse Phase.
> 
> This is my current favorite RPG, a fairly hard sf game. The motto of the game is "Your mind is software. Program it. Your body is a shell. Change it. Death is a disease. Cure it. Extinction is approaching. Fight it." The game setting is the solar system, colonized by various transhuman clades and trying to survive in the aftermath of a bad singularity. It explicitly refers to transhumanism, existential risk - and the extropians is one of the political factions!
> 
> http://www.eclipsephase.com/

"Post-apocalyptic transhuman conspiracy and horror"?  You had me interested until I saw that.   It seems mainly about fighting off various disasters more than actually building positive futures.   OK, it still looks pretty interesting.   But is this really part of a message we want to send about the future?  Definitely looks very worth exploring and more fun than simply talking about various futuristic ideas without end.

- samantha