ABSTRACT
His disillusionment with the status quo is easy to see in Fallout, where the scattered survivors of just such a holocaust eke out their existence among the irradiated remnants of an extrapolated ’50s-era society. The war was brought on by foolish, self-serving government officials who afterward fled to a secret location, where they continue to plot against “the people” they allegedly are sworn to serve. Despite its more fantastic setting, we also find dark social themes in Arcanum, a world where racism is rife and mages are forced to sit in the back of trains. Despite the “open-world” dynamics of these games, players are often left feeling powerless despite their own heroism and tireless self-sacrifice. They remain unloved and unwanted even by their own people, who usually turn out to be no better than the ones they’ve been fighting against.
