Several weeks have passed since I finished playing Final Fantasy VII: Rebirthbut there is a scene in which I could not stop thinking. When we visit the Gold Saucer for the first time and the team separates, Cloud and Barret go to the Ghost Hotel and see the special effects used by this amusement park. Barret realizes that the park is spending Mako on ridiculous decorations and reacts with great anger.
If you don't remember the scene, You can see it here.
“Does the planet die from these things? Is that why we are bleeding? Look! Everything is Mako! Different from the vital current! Of your veins! “
The Mako is the main source of energy in the universe of Ffvii. It is a substance extracted from underground rivers and a clear analogy to oil in the real world, But in the game the Mako is also the “blood” of the planet. Mako's massive extraction by Shinra megacorporation is literally killing the world. This work is not subtle in its anti -capitalist and pro -environmentalist social criticism.
Some time later, when we finally return to the open world, we see directly the effects of Mako's consumption of Gold Saucer. The entire area where the modular reactors that give energy to the park have desertified. There are hardly any plants because the Earth does not have the necessary resources to sustain plant life: everything is being consumed to create light effects and move the attractions of the park.
This is exactly what Avalanche fights, the ecoterrorist group to which some of the protagonists belong. Although the game gives space to discuss whether the violent methods of the group are justified and wonders about the consequences of cutting Mako's supply to humanity, he never leaves doubts that the cause of his rebellion is fair. But despite that, The Gold Saucer becomes an apparent “exception” and its relationship with the death of the planet does not mention again after the Barret scene that we saw at the beginning. In fact, it becomes the headquarters of fun and emotional moments that ignore how harmful its operation is.
The Gold Saucer is the enemy
It is clear that this amusement park is a place for the rich. We see visitors arrive by helicopter, enjoying luxuries and spending money, while occasional comments from the poorest areas of the world mention the impossible wishes to go to that place once. Although it does not belong to Shinra, it is the maximum representation of the decline achieved through enrichment by the exploitation of natural resources.
The protagonists are more than happy to enjoy the recreation and comfort offered by the Saucer. The game takes us for a tour of most of its mini -games and asks us to have fun. It is even the place where some of the most memorable moments of the game occur – the appointment and the presentation of Loveless– And that is where we have to go to get most of the Johnny hotel. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth He puts Gold Saucer in a very positive light and wants us to remember him with love. There is even a time when he tries to excuse the damage that the Corel region is desertifying saying that “he stopped using all the reactors at the same time” regardless of that this will not fix the land that is being used.
Discover the truth about the Gold Saucer “ruined” this scenario of FFVII Rebirth For mo. When it was finally time for the appointment – in my case, it was with Aerith – I could not enjoy the “magical moment” because I kept thinking about what Barret said before. All those chocobos made of lights, special effects and paraphernalia … All that is very beautiful, but it is because of those simple distractions that the planet is killing.
How can you have a good time knowing that?
I know what some of you are thinking and I am giving too much importance to a fiction story. It's true. Nothing we do in a video game really matters. What happens is that “Gold Saucer's dilemma” reflects the real world very well.
There is no ethical consumption under capitalism
As well as in the world of FFVII Rebirth Visiting the Gold Saucer is “ethically problematic”, so there are many actions that we take in daily life. Every day consumerism products and services of companies that damage the environment, support fascism or abuse their workers (or all above). Our desire to do things well clashes strongly with the reality of an economic and social model that favors villainy.
Some believe that it is not possible to consume, not even survive, using only non -harmful goods, products and services. We have seen many boycotting attempts, famous “canceled” on social networks and emergence of “ethical brands” that try to make the world adapt to a more idealistic and healthy vision, but have little medium or large -scale effect. As much as it would have been consistent that Cloud and his friends would have refused to participate in Gold Saucer's activities so as not to support Mako's exploitation, that would not have changed anything. The only solution in the game would have been to destroy it, but that brings another set of ethical complications (and would have moved too much from the original 1997 game).
What is the solution then? Flee from society and go to live to the mountain? Avoid visiting the Gold Saucer when we play FFVII Rebirth? Stop doing fun things because in the background we know that everything is harmful? How does that help a society that is suffering from the abuse of megacorporations and the exhaustion of the planet's resources? Originally I planned to finish this column with a bitter note, saying that there is no solution for these problems, but I found an unexpected answer while playing an indie game.
In Mika and The Witch’s Mountain —whose review can read here– We work for a messaging company that abuses its employees in a small town that has become dependent on the factory of a selfish and greedy man to have energy. Although the game says that “things are so and you have to accept them,” we eventually help the people discover that they did not need corporations to survive. We start working not for money, but for helping others and they in response help us. Together we work we repair a mill capable of providing clean energy to the people that allowed them to disconnect from the contaminant factory.
It sounds utopian, but I believe that the solution is community work and investment in healthy and environmental energy generation alternatives. That is not a work that is done overnight, but it is one that is worth doing because the Gold Saucers and Shinras of the world will not change their business model for the good ones.
While the day comes when everything changes, Go and have fun at Gold Saucer “It's just a game after all,” but never forget the cost behind all lights and shows. “
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