[LINK] How Deus Ex: Human Revolution predicted PM Justin Trudeau

[rfmcdonald]

The National Post's Daniel Kaszor had a nice article noting how the 2011 Montreal-designed cyberpunk computer game Deus Ex: Human Revolution predicted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Deus Ex showed a future world 20 years in the future (16 now) where people live as augmented cyborgs, a giant super city looms over Hong Kong … and Justin Trudeau is the Prime Minister.

[. . .]

Near the end of the game, you pick up an email indicating that the Liberals have come back into power, and that Justin Trudeau is now the Prime Minister of Canada. And that his wife is a bit of a diva. What isn’t clear is why she would be staying at the Chateau Laurier instead of 24 Sussex. Maybe Trudeau finally allowed the much-needed renovations on the house he grew up in.

Some of the details aren’t quite right (in real life Sophie Gregoire, for example, kept her last name. She’s not Mrs. Trudeau). But it’s a fun easter egg in a game filled with Canadiana.

Earlier in the game one of the missions takes your character to Montreal, where you have to infiltrate the offices of Picus Communications, a sort of evil journalism/propaganda mill. Surprisingly, it looks like Picus has taken up shop in a renovated Olympic Stadium. The mission even includes a ride on the stadium’s funicular.

Additionally, in the future history of Canada, the booming Northern economy outstrips a flagging U.S. one. The economic disparity culminates in a shoot-out between Canadians and illegal U.S. immigrants who are crossing the B.C. border.