The ever growing digital society. An a arena of junk information and clash of so called truths and propaganda. Do we just need to touch grass?
Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001) is widely regarded as one of the most ambitious and thematically complex video games of all time. Among its most iconic moments is the infamous AI codec call sequence, in which the protagonist, Raiden, receives increasingly unsettling and cryptic transmissions from his supposed commander, Colonel Campbell, and his love interest, Rosemary. This moment, occurring late in the game, serves as a profound commentary on digital control, postmodern simulation, and the nature of reality itself.
The AI codec sequence is unique because it disrupts the player’s immersion in the game world. For much of MGS2, the codec calls function as a traditional narrative device, providing mission briefings and character interactions. However, as the game progresses, particularly after Raiden is captured and tortured, these conversations take a bizarre turn. The Colonel begins speaking in non-sequiturs, glitching between nonsensical and ominous statements. The unsettling shift from familiar guidance to eerie surrealism is an intentional disruption, making the player question both the game’s world and their own role within it.
One of the most jarring moments occurs when the AI directly addresses the player, instructing them to “Turn the game console off now.” This moment is unprecedented in the Metal Gear series and was shocking to players at the time. By directly addressing the player outside of the game’s fiction, MGS2 challenges the boundary between the player’s reality and the simulated world of the game.
What makes the AI codec sequence so haunting is its thematic resonance with the game’s larger exploration of control and information warfare. As revealed in this moment, Colonel Campbell and Rosemary are not real individuals but artificial constructs created by the Patriots, the shadowy organization manipulating global events. Their purpose is to shape and guide Raiden, much like digital information systems shape public consciousness in the real world.
This revelation aligns with the game’s critique of how societies are controlled through media and digital surveillance. The AI's nonsensical and recursive dialogue mirrors the overwhelming flow of information in the digital age, where distinguishing truth from fiction becomes increasingly difficult. The Patriots' goal is not just to control Raiden but to control the flow of all information—effectively shaping history and reality itself.
MGS2 is deeply influenced by postmodernist philosophy, particularly the works of Jean Baudrillard, whose concept of hyperreality suggests that in a media saturated world, simulations replace and redefine reality. The AI codec sequence embodies this idea: Raiden, and by extension the player, can no longer trust what they perceive as real. The game blurs the lines between simulation and reality, just as contemporary digital media does in real life.
By placing the player in Raiden’s position, MGS2 forces them to experience a loss of agency, much like how real world individuals navigate a landscape of curated and manipulated digital information. The AI’s distortion of reality serves as a metaphor for how governments, corporations, and algorithms dictate what we see and believe.
The codec sequence, though unsettling, is ultimately a warning. The AI’s monologue about controlling society through selective information is eerily prescient of the modern digital landscape, where misinformation, surveillance, and data manipulation shape public perception. In many ways, Kojima predicted the rise of algorithm driven media, social media echo chambers, and digital propaganda years before these issues became mainstream concerns.
Raiden’s struggle against the AI reflects the struggle of individuals in the digital age: to reclaim their agency in a world where technology seeks to define them. The game does not offer easy answers, but it does leave the player with the crucial question: how much of what we perceive is real, and how much is controlled by unseen forces?
The AI codec call in Metal Gear Solid 2 remains one of the most memorable and philosophically rich moments in gaming history. By breaking the fourth wall, subverting expectations, and challenging the nature of digital control, Kojima created a sequence that transcends mere storytelling and becomes a commentary on the modern world. In an era where digital reality often supersedes physical reality, MGS2’s warning about information control is more relevant than ever. The AI codec call is not just a moment of psychological horror—it is a mirror held up to society, forcing us to question who or what will be or is really in control.