The VR is meant to represent a detachment from reality, which is further reinforced in MGS4.
Ę̵̚x̸͎̾i̴͚̽s̵̻͐t̷͐ͅe̷̯͠n̴̤̚t̵̻̅i̵͉̿a̴̮͊l̵͍̂ ̴̹̕D̵̤̀e̸͓͂t̵̢͂e̴͕̓c̸̗̄t̴̗̿ï̶̪v̷̲̍é̵͔
The VR is meant to represent a detachment from reality, which is further reinforced in MGS4.
If anything, the games themselves emphasize this. Being closer to "reality" clearly isn't treated as a quality ranking. Look at how much suffering comes from these supposedly authentic identities and roles: Olga, The Boss, Gray Fox, Mistral, and the various Snake protagonists all suffer because of the roles they've been given or the systems they're caught in.
And the memes point goes beyond MGS2. Naked Snake himself discusses the idea in Peace Walker, that things can be passed on through ideas rather than genes. Revengeance later brings that concept back through Monsoon. That's directly relevant to Raiden, whose entire story revolves around questioning what parts of his identity are actually his and what parts were constructed for him.
So I don't think the series is simply saying "real experience good, artificial experience bad." It repeatedly shows that supposedly authentic identities, traditions, memories, and roles can be constructed and destructive too.
That's why "Raiden is fake, Snake is real" is too simplistic for me. The series keeps asking what actually makes someone who they are. Raiden being shaped by VR, becoming a cyborg, or being emotionally different from Snake doesn't make him less legitimate. "Real" describes a relationship to reality. It doesn't automatically establish value.
last edit on
8/23/2026 4:31:23 AM