The cyborgs, sentient AI, directed energy weapons, and robots envisioned by cyberpunk have not yet materialized. Meanwhile gene editing, biohackers, synthetic biology, chimeras, designer drugs, plasma clinics, nootropics, and ridiculously expensive healthcare all exist right now. We don't live in a cyberpunk novel, we live in a biopunk world. How is this genere less popular?
/cyb/ - Cyberpunk Fiction and Fact
Cyberpunk is the idea that technology will condemn us to a future of totalitarian nightmares here you can discuss recent events and how technology has been used to facilitate greater control by the elites, or works of fiction
Anonymous
No.3244
Honestly? I think cyberpunk is engaging because it demonstrates the more fantastic and excessive grit encountered in dystopia. I think that if the anxiety pertaining to mass surveillance, rogue AI, urban sprawl and cybernetic cognitohazards aren't compelling in their own right, it's the nostalgic imagery and retro-futurism that endears an audience to its trappings.
As far as biopunk is concerned, I'd think that all but the most invested cast it aside much like they would dieselpunk and the other disparately related settings. Even steampunk appears to have been in decline, in spite of having some mainstream presence 12 or so years ago.
I think that despite advances in genetic engineering, people would prefer more grotesque imagery like body horror. John Carpenter and David Cronenberg seem more ingrained in the public consciousness than works exploring gene manipulation and biology-warping drugs. That being written, do you know any biopunk novels worth reading?
As far as biopunk is concerned, I'd think that all but the most invested cast it aside much like they would dieselpunk and the other disparately related settings. Even steampunk appears to have been in decline, in spite of having some mainstream presence 12 or so years ago.
I think that despite advances in genetic engineering, people would prefer more grotesque imagery like body horror. John Carpenter and David Cronenberg seem more ingrained in the public consciousness than works exploring gene manipulation and biology-warping drugs. That being written, do you know any biopunk novels worth reading?