When Hideo Kojima introduced Metal Gear to the world, the game served as a medium to help his career in Konami stay afloat. However, Metal Gear – and soon, Metal Gear Solid – also created an entirely new genre in gaming. Thanks to Kojima’s new approach to games, Metal Gear popularized the stealth genre. Kojima also dabbled into his love for film and military concepts when creating Metal Gear‘s fictional universe.
Some hardcore fans might notice striking similarities between Metal Gear concepts and some things from the real world. These similarities range from concepts or even events that made an impact on Metal Gear‘s world as they did in history. Here are some of these concepts:
10 Nanotechnology, Nanomachines
Throughout the Metal Gear Solid series, nanomachines evolved from being exclusive to special agents to becoming a commonplace feature for soldiers. In essence, nanotech in Metal Gear Solid uses nanomachines to boost the accuracy, endurance, and strength of soldiers. Other nanotech have specific uses as well, such as facilitating Codec-based communications.
The real world also has its own version of nanotechnology, albeit not as advanced. Nanotechnology in the form of nanoparticles mostly finds use in products that carry effective chemicals (e.g., sunscreen), add waterproofing and stain proofing (e.g., furniture, clothing), and administering medicine.
9 Prosthetics, Exoskeletons
Thanks to Venom Snake (The Phantom Pain) and Raiden (Rising: Revengeance), Metal Gear Solid also introduced military applications of prosthetic limbs and exoskeletons. After all, Venom Snake operates in The Phantom Pain with a prosthetic arm. Meanwhile, Raiden unleashes fast-paced assassinations courtesy of an armored exoskeleton. Unfortunately, the real world has yet to reveal its slate of cybernetic ninjas. That said, technology did make significant improvements on the front of prosthetics and exoskeletons.
For instance, people can now 3D-print prosthetics. Advancements in robotics will soon pave the way to nerve detectors, bionic limbs, and brain-controlled limbs that will give users better control over their prosthetics. While military exoskeletons have yet to surface, they do find use in terms of injury rehabilitation and limb-assistance for manual labor.
8 Fulton Recovery System
Fans of Metal Gear Solid‘s recruitment system fondly remember the Fulton Recovery System. In the game, Snake can attach a harness to cargo or an incapacitated soldier without interrupting his clandestine operations. Finally, Snake can activate a self-inflating balloon that carries the cargo to a flying aircraft.
Additionally, the Fulton Recovery System is something that exists in the real world. In essence, the system relies on a ground system that lifts cargo to the air via a high-strength nylon line and balloon. In turn, a plane equipped with a “sky anchor” catches the ground system so it can be boarded onto the aircraft. The Air Force ceased to support the means of operating the Fulton Recovery System back in 1996.
7 Metal Gear Mk. II
Fans who played Metal Gear Solid 4 will fondly remember Metal Gear Mk. II. This little buddy, designed to appear like a miniature Metal Gear, served as a remote mobile terminal that assisted Snake during his missions beginning 2014. In turn, Mk. II has a small frame that enabled it to do reconnaissance and advanced systems to help with item transport, medical assessments, and even transfer data.
Interestingly, real-world militaries and organizations have begun using small-scale robots to do reconnaissance in dangerous and volatile environments. For instance, the US Army’s Army Research Laboratory has been testing a “robo-teammate” that uses LIDAR technology to broadcast changes in the environment to an operator. Likewise, security and rescue teams also use small robots to survey dangerous areas before proceeding.
6 Biological Warfare, Gene Therapy
In Metal Gear Solid, Solid Snake finds himself infected with FOXDIE, a designer virus that forces heart attacks on people it infects. The games also featured the Next-Generation Special Forces, a top-secret black ops unit comprised of soldiers designed to deal with chemical, biological, and nuclear warfare through gene therapy.
Unfortunately, biological warfare exists in the real world, and designer viruses and gene therapy also seem to be ideas becoming reality. For instance, CRISPR technology now allows scientists to alter specific parts of the DNA. These may pave the way for designer babies and eradicating genetic anomalies. Furthermore, forms of “gene therapy” such as stem cell therapy also exist to cure certain conditions.
5 Private Military Corporations
Snake and his colleagues encounter various organizations throughout the Metal Gear Solid series. In the context of military operations, Snake also encountered private military corporations – non-state organizations that allow soldiers to provide paid military services. As of the games, PMCs players become aware of include the Diamond Dogs, Rogue Coyote, and Zero Risk Security.
PMCs exist as a real-world concept. These private companies gain profit by providing security services and armed combat services for various individuals and organizations. In turn, PMCs usually get hired to aid small-scale operations for the police, military, or even government security. They may serve as bodyguards or to protect facilities in hostile areas, and perhaps use similar equipment and weapons to what soldiers also use in their missions.
4 Psychic Warfare
Psycho Mantis from the first Metal Gear Solid game is remembered for his eerie appearance and his iconic gasmask. His unique way of “messing with the Fourth Wall” demonstrated his psychic abilities perfectly. Although the games didn’t expand much on psychics, Psycho Mantis was a welcome representation of military experimentation towards parapsychology.
Throughout the Cold War, both the Soviet Union and the United States were dabbling into new concepts in intelligence gathering. One such project was remote viewing, a pseudoscientific practice. Through remote viewing, operatives can apparently “sense” distant unseen targets and make impressions of what they do, like a more technical version of clairvoyance. This concept nowadays is considered pseudoscience and highly criticized for lack of conclusive research.
3 Artificial Intelligence
In Metal Gear, it’s Peace Walker that heavily explored the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) in military operations. After all, this game elaborated on AI-operated machines that relied on their programming to launch attacks automatically based on certain situations.
Today’s AI has achieved impressive developments; for example, it can defeat skilled players of various games or slowly develop to assist in autonomous operations. However, a “machine-assisted weapon” that entered mainstream attention is the Soviet Dead Hand Project, a defunct Soviet-based system that ensured the USSR can launch a nuclear counter-offensive as soon as their systems detect an attack.
2 The Wisemen’s Committee
The games would soon reveal that the most sweeping decisions in the global atmosphere could trace themselves back to a mysterious group called the Philosophers. The first iteration of the Philosophers called the Wisemen’s Committee formed shortly after World War I. The Patriots also served as a splinter group that formed their own version of the Philosophers. This group used funds called the Philosopher’s Legacy for their vision to unite the world.
The real world has its fair share of “secret organizations” behind the scenes. However, in the context of the Philosophers, authors Evan Thomas and Walter Isaacson elaborate on “The Wise Men.” In their 1986 book of the same men, the two authors share how various government officials in the Cold War led to modern institutions such as the Marshall Plan, the World Bank, and NATO.
1 Metal Gear
The game series’ titular Metal Gear robot originally found its conception as a “mobile nuclear platform” akin to missile submarines. However, characters debate this definition, as missile tanks also exist. In turn, much of the game’s characters refer to the Metal Gear simply as a bipedal nuclear missile platform. For others, the Metal Gear should serve as nuclear deterrents to threaten mutually-assured destruction.
In real life, the closest the military could get to a bipedal nuclear platform would be missile vehicles. However, these often came in the form of multi-wheeled missile trucks or Patriot missile launcher vehicles. Japan is also currently building a Gundam model that walks, though it may hardly fit combat roles – yet, anyway.
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