What is cyberpunk?
The term “cyberpunk” became popular in late 1983 when writer Brunce Bethke used it in the journal Amazing Science Fiction Stories. However, it gained widespread recognition when Gardner R. Dozois, an author of Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, mentioned it in an article to describe a novel.
In simple terms, cyberpunk refers to a movement that encompasses works depicting characters and a world living in a dystopian future where cybernetic implants are pervasive. Megacorporations hold power above the law, there is a vast wealth disparity, and the main characters are either cynical antiheroes or notorious criminals in search of glory.
Cities in cyberpunk often portray inequality, crime, and consist of towering buildings alongside impoverished slums. Mercenaries, corrupt policemen, “corpos,” and netrunners (individuals capable of tracing information on the internet and hacking people with implants) are common within these cities. However, it is crucial not to confuse cyberpunk with dieselpunk, which features retrofuturism.
Originally there was Neuromancer
Cyberpunk 2077 is closely tied to the cyberpunk genre, not only by its name but also its origin: the Cyberpunk 2020 role-playing game created by Mike Pondsmith in 1988. This game was inspired by the cult book Neuromancer, written by William Gibson and published in 1984. It possesses all the typical cyberpunk elements, including an ultra-capitalist futuristic world, megacorporations, widespread drug use, and cybernetic augmentations. The trilogy consists of two additional novels: Count Zeo and Mona Lisa Disjoncte.
Gardner R. Dozois used the term cyberpunk to describe Neuromancer, which popularized the term even further. Within the novel’s world, “cyber cowboys” journey through the connected virtual space known as the Matrix, seeking information at any cost. However, AI surveillance and formidable firewalls pose deadly dangers. This narrative takes place in Conurb, following the footsteps of Henry Dorsett Case (Sandra Dorsett in Cyberpunk 2077 is a direct reference), a cowboy who gets caught in a double-crossing scheme. Following a betrayal, he encounters a new group promising him access to the Matrix, leading to risky adventures reminiscent of V and Johnny Silverhand.
Neuromancer, released in France in 1985, birthed a sub-genre of science fiction, and many elements from the novel influenced Mike Pondsmith’s Cyberpunk 2020 role-playing game. For example, the concept of passing through firewalls, named La Glace, is inspired by the book. Without Neuromancer, it is unlikely that Cyberpunk 2020 and 2077, as well as works such as DeusEx, Judge Dread, Tron, Matrix, Ready Player One, Shadowrun, System Shock, or the technological approach of Final Fantasy VII, would exist. This universe continues to inspire various creative endeavors.
