We look at cryonics across 5 video games and series.
When discussing cryonics aka biostasis, the concept of vitrifying (not freezing) people at cryogenic temperatures seems like something straight out of sci-fi. Media such as film, literature and television frequently show possibilities as to how human cryopreservation is used in the future, from cryosleep for deep space travel, or creating powersuits that keep the user at cryogenic temperatures to survive. Another media where this technology can be found is in video games.
Before we go on, major spoilers ahead! You’ve been warned.
The Fallout series, developed by Bethesda Softworks, is a role-playing game set in the atompunk/retrofuturistic United States. In this alternative universe, after the events of World War 2, the world saw a boom in atomics that lasted well into the 21st century. However, after a series of escalating conflicts for resources culminates in the “Great War” of 2077, atomic arsenals of an apocalyptic scale destroy much of civilization. The games take place in this new, post-apocalyptic world.
As a solution to the probability of nuclear armageddon, the company Vault Tech designed public fallout shelters or ‘Vaults’ that could support humanity. However, most of these vaults were designed for secret experimentation. One of these experiments includes suspended animation or cryonics.
Across the series, cryogenic freezing is shown to have multiple functions. In Fallout 3, the Enclave, an organisation described as the self-proclaimed continuation of the United States, uses biostasis to preserve mutant creatures and even human prisoners.
In Fallout: New Vegas, founder of RobCo Industries Robert House (aka Mr. House) was so involved in the development of cryogenic technology, that he built his own cryonics chamber. This device allows the user to connect their brain and consciousness to external computer interfaces. For Mr. House, he is able to link his mind to the mainframe computer of the Lucky 38 Casino, and control an army of Securitron robots.
Finally, we see in Fallout 4 how VaultTec uses cryogenics and preservation in their Vault programs. At the start of the game, the day of nuclear armageddon, the player, along with their family, flees to Vault 111 to escape the bombing. Once there, they are required to go through ‘decontamination’, which turns out to be cryopods! By the time you finally wake up, it’s been 150 years since that fateful day. What happened to your family? What happened to the world in the time you were cryopreserved?
While these are futuristic depictions of how human cryopreservation could be used in the future, some of the principles are similar to what we use today. The large storage devices such as Mr. House’s cryochamber or the ‘decontamination’ pods aren’t too dissimilar to a modern day cryogenics storage dewar. Interesting to note, compared to modern storage devices which store a patient upside down (in the unlikely event of increased temperatures, the brain is the last to thaw), in Fallout, everyone is cryopreserved right side up!
Going from the post-apocalyptic to deep space, the next video game, or in this case series, to feature cryonics is Halo. This sci-fi first person shooter takes place in the 26th century where humanity has colonised hundreds of planets. Through this expansion, humanity encounters a hostile alien known as the Covenant bent on humanity’s destruction. In a series that revolves around space travel and exploration across galaxies, cryogenic freezing plays a significant role.
Cryonics is utilised extensively for allowing non-essential personnel on starships to enter cryo-sleep for long periods of time. In Halo Combat Evolved, Spartan Master Chief John-117 (also known as Chief), starts out in cryo-sleep after having escaped from the planet Reach. The game starts with him waking up from this state before embarking on a deadly journey to learn about the Covenant and the secret behind the Halo rings.
We see this again in Halo 3 towards the end of the game. After activating and destroying another Halo installation, the starship the Chief escapes on, Forward Unto Dawn is torn in half as it enters into slipspace. While one half crashes into the Indian Ocean on Earth, the other half is stuck drifting in space. This is the same half that Chief finds himself on. With the threat of Halo dealt with, and adrift in space, he re-enters cryo-sleep until help arrives.
Here we can see the application of cryogenics in space travel. Cryosleep is something that might be useful in our modern world for space exploration, and is already being researched by aerospace companies for NASA projects. Though it is currently still lightyears away from being successful or close to what we see in Halo.
One thing that is interesting to note, not just in Halo but in other games as well, is the use of glass cryo chambers. These allow people to see the patient in biostasis. While visually cool to see, we currently don’t use this in cryonics. This is because there would be higher heat exchange compared to stainless steel, the material commonly used for cryogenic storage dewars. This would make it harder and more expensive to maintain the cryogenic temperatures necessary to store a patient indefinitely, which is -196°C. Perhaps one day in the future, cryogenic storage containers could look like this but for now, we’re sticking with dewars.
Somewhere in a galaxy far, far away, we see again how cryonics is used for space travel. Of course, the famous scene from the Empire Strikes Back of Han Solo being frozen in carbonite comes to mind. This was considered an early method that spacers would use for long voyages before the invention of hyperdrive. However, we see this use expanded on in the Star Wars universe through other media. Games such as Star Wars: the Old Republic, a massive multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), highlight how cryogenics are used for both the transportation of people, as well as other perishable cargo. This is something that we already do for food transportation, and human cryopreservation.
In addition, cryogenic hibernation capsules or cryogenic chambers are used on spaceships not just for cargo, but also as a substitute medical tank. A person critically injured could be placed inside one of these chambers until they are able to reach a medical facility. Not too dissimilar to how human cryopreservation works today.
Modern procedures use cold temperatures in order to prevent ischemia damage to the brain. But it’s not just in cryopreservation. We can also see this in targeted temperature management. This is used for post-cardiac arrest patients to reduce mortality and improve the neurological outcome of unresponsive patients. Just as a cryogenic chamber is used for medical interventions, cryopreservation and induced hypothermia can help patients in critical conditions.
As well as used for practical purposes like futuristic travel and storage, video games like the Half-Life series use this technology as a plot device. Half-Life is a first-person shooter centred around theoretical physicist Gordon Freeman. After arriving late to work at the Black Mesa Research Facility, he accidentally causes an interdimensional rift, triggering an alien invasion by the Combine.
Throughout the course of the first game, Gordon learns that the portal is actually being sustained by an alien entity which he is tasked to stop. Similar to using human cryopreservation to alleviate the passage of time in space, the Half-Life series uses cryoncis and biostasis for long passages of time between and in game.
By the end of the first game, Gordon is recruited by the mysterious individual known as G-Man to work for his employer. He is then placed into stasis until his next assignment. It isn’t until 20 years later that he is awakened for his new mission, which is the start of Half-Life 2. In that 20-year stasis, the earth has been conquered by the Combine. Not exactly the best future to wake up to, but still, an interesting use of cryonics.
Even after being in stasis for 20 years, Gordon is still able to jump back into the fight. Would this be possible if you woke up after a long sleep? Probably not immediately. The challenges of revival from cryopreservation are something we are currently trying to address. One of these challenges is repairing the cellular damage that can occur during the procedure, as well as any damages incurred from your cause of death. So, if you go into biostasis with a few wounds and injuries, those will need to be repaired before you wake up. Since we don’t know for certain what will happen upon revival, you may need some time after waking up to regain your strength and reintegrate to society.
Finally, we have a throwback to the 1980s. Suspended: A Cryogenic Nightmare takes place in the distant future where the player controls a character who’s in suspended animation. While in this stasis, their mind serves as the “Central Mentality” which is a self-maintaining system used to help control systems on the planet Contra. These systems facilitate activities such as public transportation or even weather. However, everything changes after a natural disaster damages the facility, along with the computers necessary to keep things operating. You must work quickly to repair the damage and restore the systems before a crew arrives at the facility to disconnect your mind and replace it.
This 1980s text-based game, at the time, was one of the first games that focused on a character already in biostasis or suspended animation. Mind you, this was only 21 years after Jean Rostand’s Prospect of Immortality was published. We can see early concepts such as being able to upload one’s mind and consciousness to a computer-generated environment. This is not too different from the concept of the metaverse today. Could it be possible in the future for one mind to power an entire planet? What might that look like?
While the realm of science fiction and video games use cryonics, it’s not always accurate. Granted, some of the games mentioned are set centuries into the future so there is a technological development factor to consider. It’s important to understand that these are artistic interpretations, and sometimes, the actual science behind biostasis is sacrificed for story. While the idea of human cryopreservation after nuclear fallout is a fascinating idea, ethically (and probably legally), it would be impossible for a technology company to perform secretive cryogenic experiments on patients without their knowledge or consent! A single mind and consciousness controlling a computer mainframe of an entire planet seems cool, but would be extremely difficult to replicate at the moment.
If we want to actually achieve this kind of technology, it will require significantly more research, increased professional capacity, and time to perfect this.
Cryonics is featured in numerous science fiction media, however it is something we use today. It’s not a futuristic concept that we are waiting to unlock or put in practice. The industry is still working on developing medical technology to make future revival possible, however, we have already made progress. Cryopreservation’s purpose is to ultimately save lives by putting people in biostasis so that in the future, their cause of death can be treated with advanced technology. Video games, on the other hand, are an interactive form of storytelling that can address some of the ethical, philosophical, and practical implications of new technology. However, at the end of the day, their purpose is to entertain.
We are further along than when early cryonic companies were established in the late 20th century. Imagine how this technology could look in a few decades, or even centuries from now? Maybe a future like we see in video games? Or a future with new cities or more time to enjoy this new world?
While video games are excellent for entertainment, talking about cryonics is something we’re better at. You can also check out our articles at Tomorrow Bio Insight, as well as our ebook to learn more about human cryopreservation. Don’t forget to check our Discord and come chat with the biostasis community!
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