What is Cyberpunk Culture? In this article we will take a closer look at cyberpunk themed movies, series and games. The concept of “cyberpunk”, which has been heard frequently in recent years thanks to the feature Cyberpunk 2077 game, actually has a very old origin; it is an important culture for literature, cinema and of course the game world today. So what is cyberpunk, how did it come about, what are the best and most popular examples in all fields? We wrote it for you about What is cyberpunk culture?

Basic titles such as science fiction, horror and thriller are determined in order to gather the works under a general genre. However, these titles generally have no meaning for the producers of the work, and therefore sub-genres are formed over time. Cyberpunk, one of the subtypes of science fiction, which is one of the areas with the most sub-genres, has shown a strong rise after its first appearance, so we are now talking about a cyberpunk culture. What is cyberpunk culture?

It is not easy to answer questions such as what is cyberpunk, how did it come about. Because cyberpunk has been a long time from being just a genre. Aside from the manufacturers for Cyberpunk; At this point, it would not be wrong to say that the readers, audiences and actors of the genre have a philosophy of life. Definition and emergence of cyberpunk culture; The effect it creates in literature, music, games, movies and TV series is quite interesting. Keep reading for more answers to what is cyberpunk culture?

What is Cyberpunk Culture?

Basically, cyberpunk; It is a science fiction sub-genre with stories that take place between cities built with advanced science and technology in a dystopian future. In the cyberpunk world, on the one hand, powerful tech companies and everything they can buy with money; On the other hand, there is a dark world where all kinds of illegal things are done. Of course, dirty politicians form the roof of this world. So, what is cyberpunk culture?

Cyberpunk is no longer just a genre; it is a lifestyle, a philosophy of life and a strong subculture. In the cyberpunk world, no authority is liked, nobody likes cool brands, everyone knows about technology. So much so that it is not even possible to make a simple aircraft with items found on the street. Read more about what is cyberpunk culture?

“Cyber”, the first word that constitutes the definition of cyberpunk, refers to technology and determines the science fiction dimension of the word it comes before. The second word “punk” defines the heroes of the culture and their; It expresses their incompatible, excluded, alien, anti-hero, criminal but visionary.

Cyberpunk means: “High tech, low life”

One of the expressions used to describe cyberpunk is the phrase “High technology, low life”. This sentence, which can be translated as “miserable life”, literally expresses the dilemma of the cyberpunk genre. A world where only the rich can acquire unimaginable technologies on the one hand, and a mass of people struggling to survive on the other. Continue reading to get more information on what is cyberpunk culture.

This world creation, which seems quite familiar, describes the state in which the world has been slowly evolving with the advancing technology since the species first emerged. This is the main reason why it ceased to be a genre and became a subculture. A world in which a handful of people are getting richer but the majority of them are getting poorer, is one of the most important sociological facts that the cyberpunk species feed on. What is cyberpunk culture?

Since the emergence of cyberpunk, technology has been on the rise and the quality of life has been decreasing. Underlying Cyberpunk’s telling of our day with the dynamism of the past and showing who the future is shaped for is its courageous reflection of this difference. What is cyberpunk culture?

How did the cyberpunk culture come about?

Cyberpunk began its journey as a literary subgenre, but over time it has grown into a subculture system that influences many different types of art. The term cyberpunk first entered our lives in 1983 with the short story Cyberpunk, written by American author Bruce Bethke. More answers below to what is cyberpunk culture.

Although the term entered our lives in 1983, many works that were later stated to belong to this genre were actually written in previous years. Written by the American writer Philip K. Dick, considered one of the most important names in science fiction literature, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? The publication date of his novel is 1968. What is cyberpunk culture?

The novel in question was adapted to the cinema in 1982 as Blade Runner by director Ridley Scott. Literary productions did not stop after the genre entered the cinema and in 1984, Neuromancer, the first book of the Sprawl trilogy of American author William Gibson, one of the most important names of the cyberpunk genre and considered the father of the genre, was published. What is cyberpunk culture?

Other names who have made important studies on cyberpunk are writers such as Bruce Sterling, Pat Cadigan, Rudy Rucker, John Shirley and Lewis Shiner. “We started writing cyberpunk because we had a general dissatisfaction with the status quo in science fiction and society in general,” says Rudy Rucker. explains clearly the reason for the birth of the species. What is cyberpunk culture?

William Gibson said, “I wanted to make a place for anti-heroes.” He describes the heroes we see in cyberpunk culture. Paolo Bacigalupi, one of the authors of the genre, says: “Science fiction was stuck in a dead end in the 1980s. The future was strange and threatening, and also strangely real. ” says. Accelerating technological developments and class divisions that are beginning to be noticed; It begins to be narrated under the framework of science fiction, with the cyberpunk movement.

The world of cyberpunk has always been William Gibson’s “The future is here anyway, it’s just not evenly distributed.” the possibilities mentioned above focused only on the problem of unequal distribution. The biggest reason why the cyberpunk trend, which has been in our lives for many years, has become more known today, is that this problem has become more and more painful. What is cyberpunk culture?

It is explained by people who produce high technology with simple items that this disturbing situation is not caused by ignorance. In the Cyberpunk works, we see extremely extraordinary inventions such as a computer operating with a steam system, a spacecraft in which oxcartes work, a different cutting device used in surgery, a broadcast system that operates a coffee machine, but which are obviously made by humans. Additional answers to what is cyberpunk culture below.

The meaning of “high technology, low life” expresses exactly that. If there is a technology existing in the world and these opportunities are not offered to humanity equally on the coast, this technology cannot be hidden from anyone thanks to the presence of information. A genius who receives knowledge will continue to produce technology even in miserable conditions of life. Cyberpunk also emphasizes that the mind is inevitable in this aspect. Continue reading to get more answers below to what is cyberpunk culture.

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Cyberpunk in literature

We have told you that the birth of the cyberpunk genre started in literature. This term entered our lives with Cyberpunk, the short story of the American author Bruce Bethke, published in the Amazing Science Fiction Stories magazine dated November 1983. When the genre’s roof was formed with the term, it was seen that some novels written before were also included in this genre.

In literature, cyberpunk has always been a bit grotesque and American. This is normal when the starting point is considered to be the United States. This is why maladjusted, alien, macho, rebellious and sometimes perverse characters that can easily appear in the complex culture of the USA are the main heroes of the cyberpunk. Some writers like Lewis Shiner don’t want to be called cyberpunk. This is because they don’t want to see themselves in the subculture.

The cyberpunk movement, which got stronger with many examples in the 1980s, was not effective in the 1990s, like many trends, and a limited number of new examples emerged. Cyberpunk, which never disappeared although it was not very effective, and showed itself in the works of writers such as Richard Kadrey, Kathy Acker, Greg Egan, Kim Newman, Neal Stephenson, Jeff Noon, Jack Womack, has continued to maintain its popularity today.

Cyberpunk themed books:

Neuromancer – William Gibson
Count Zero – William Gibson
Mona Lisa Overdrive – William Gibson
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? – Philip K. Dick
The Penultimate Truth – Philip K. Dick
Woken Furies – Richard K. Morgan
The Diamond Age – Neal Stephenson
The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow – Cory Doctorow
Altered Carbon – Richard K. Morgan
Ready Player One – Ernest Cline

We have included some of the modern and classical works that best reflect the cyberpunk theme. The works in the list are a guide for readers who do not read books with a cyberpunk theme and beginners. There are many more works with this theme by different authors on the list.

Cyberpunk in movies and TV series

Cyberpunk movement in the cinema world, Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? We can say that it started with Blade Runner, the 1982 movie Ridley Scott based on the novel. From this point on, many different cyberpunk books have been adapted for cinema and television at different times, sometimes with different names. What is cyberpunk culture in movies and TV series?

Cyberpunk theme is a controversial issue, apart from classic books and movies adapted from them. A work with cyberpunk inspirations in it is not exactly cyberpunk, there are those who defend and say the opposite. For this reason, it can be difficult to say that “this production belongs to the cyberpunk genre” for both literature and the world of cinema and television. What is cyberpunk culture in movies?

For example, known books and movies such as 1984 book and movie, A Clockwork Orange book and movie, Terminator movie series, Matrix movie series may not be considered directly belonging to this genre, although they have cyberpunk elements in them. The reason for this is the contradiction to the cyberpunk culture we mentioned earlier. Works that do not fully reflect this rebellion are controversial.

Cyberpunk movies and series:

Altered Carbon 2018 ‧ 2 seasons
Ghost in the Shell 1995 ‧ Animation
Blade Runner 1982
The Matrix 1999
The Terminator 1984
Upgrade 2018
Akira 1988 ‧ Animation
Johnny Mnemonic 1995
RoboCop 1987
Ready Player One 2018

The movies in the list are a guide for those who are just starting to watch movies and TV series with cyberpunk themes. As we mentioned earlier, there are discussions of whether the movies on the list are exactly cyberpunk, apart from adaptations. However, it is clearly seen that each one has cyberpunk elements and bears the inspirations of this culture. More answers below to what is cyberpunk culture.

Cyberpunk in games

It would not be wrong to say that especially today, the worlds of play, cinema and literature are intertwined and even influenced by each other. As such, it is possible to see the effects of cyberpunk in the ever-developing game industry.

Apart from games such as Cyberpunk 2077 that directly announce that they belong to this genre, it is also possible to see games that contain many elements belonging to the cyberpunk genre. Some of these games, like Blade Runner, have been created by adapting or inspired by classic cyberpunk creations.

We can say that we saw the cyberpunk theme late in the game world because the number of gamers who want to experience different adventures in this world, which is enjoyable to read and watch, is not at all. For this reason, it is thought that many more games that we will see cyberpunk inspirations will take place in the market in the upcoming years. What is cyberpunk culture?

Cyberpunk games:

Cyberpunk 2077
Observer – The Year is 2084
Invisible Inc.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
System Shock 2
Blade Runner
Shadowrun: Dragonfall
Gemini Rue
Syndicate
2064: Read Only Memories

Each of the games on the list are games with a cyberpunk theme or with powerful cyberpunk elements. It is possible to encounter cyberpunk inspirations in different versions of these games, which are produced for different game systems such as computers and game consoles. The games on the list are a guide for those who are just starting to play cyberpunk-themed games. What is cyberpunk culture?

Cyberpunk in music

We mentioned that cyberpunk is a culture, not just a genre. Music is also included in this culture. Many musicians influenced by the cyberpunk culture have referred to this movement with the lyrics in their band songs or have become the voice of this world with the contrary notes they use in their music.

Cyberpunk-themed soundtracks are often created as the soundtrack of a movie of this theme or as the soundtrack for the game with this theme. However, there are still many highly successful songs that were produced only to be the voice of the cyberpunk, without being produced for the background of any piece. What is cyberpunk culture inside music?

Although it is possible to see cyberpunk inspirations in many different music genres, we often see that cyberpunk-themed songs are produced over rock music and electronic music genre. The reason for this is that both music genres are thought to have an infrastructure that is open to contradictory and experimental studies, and that they are the most suitable genres for the cyberpunk world. What is cyberpunk culture?

Cyberpunk songs:

The music in the list is a guide for those who are just starting to listen to music with a cyberpunk theme. Of course, there are many different songs on the list that have the cyberpunk themes or inspirations of different musicians. While reading a cyberpunk book, the music you want to play in the background will consist of songs similar to the one on the list of What is cyberpunk culture.

We told you what you need to know about cyberpunk, which emerged as a science fiction sub-genre, but transformed into a subculture that affects the worlds of literature, music, cinema, TV series and games by creating its own culture. By reading, watching, listening and playing, you can have much more different thoughts about cyberpunk, which gets deeper and deeper as you get into it.

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