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Genshin Impact is actually about communism

Both in the macro and at the micro scale, Genshin Impact is about communism. so we all know how in genshin impact there are archons, gods that are appointed by celestia that rule the 7 nations that currently exist, and there are civilizations long gone. So far we have discovered two celestial nails that wiped out the civilization at dragonspine and the other civilization. we know that the nations that were wiped out were advancing far beyond their capabilities, and potentially looked to usurp celestia's throne. so my theory is that they were smitten by celestia (america) because they were communist. also khaenriah is the biggest example of this, but this is obvious, which is why i did not bring it up until half way into my memerant. additionally, as the traveler we are the witness that can record information even as we go through samsara, which is what i would call Marx and Communists et al. as we saw through the lies of the dominant class to attain class consciousness no matter the point in time during our world's cycle. also in the latest archon quest (spoiler alert for masquerade of the guilty AQ) we learn that focalors was cursed by celestia, so she hid herself and used furina to take over her role as an archon, until she sacrificed herself to stand up to celestia. this is reminiscent of how china is playing with the bourgeoissie in their country to pretend they are capatilism. (end spoiler) also also also we know that there were old old civilizations like the seven sovereigns that existed in what was yet to become teyvat when phanes came and killed or subdued them all representing the settler state of america. actually the world of genshin has discrete periods of time that could potentially represent the well known developments of historical materialism if i cared to stretch the truth enough.

I hope this elucidated the world of Genshin Impact and convinced you that it is Marxist. Please repost to /r/Genshin_Lore

edit fuck turns out someone did this already ironically-unironically on the actual sub πŸ’€πŸ’€

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  • Still can't forgive the lack of appreciable melanin. Like seriously the darkest mf in Teyvat is still Brock-complected and it feels like he gets whiter and whiter with every patch

  • Fellas is it communist to be colorist and extremely orientalist towards all of SWANA?

  • is the game actually any good though? what even is it?

  • "What do you take me for, some sort of bourgeois parasite?" -Comrade Zhongli rat-salute-2

  • If it's about communism, then why are there like four different kinds of currency? Checkmate smuglord

  • Shitpost aside Fontaine is realy cool with all the references to the industrial revolution, the horrible consequences(literal slums in the sewers), I wont spoil the story but it also has heavy themes of climate change, the "ruling" class being looked up to solve a crisis etc.

    If you want the actual shittiest take I've seen about Genshin lore on reddit take this: Inazuma was a reference to Hong Kong independence. Why? Because clearly it wasn't the simplest reference to pre-industrial Japan but rather the resistance to the shogunate is a message about resisting to the SEESEEPEE.

    • ...Hong Kong independence??? 😭😭

      I really enjoyed Fontaine - not as much as Sumeru, but it was really innovative compared to the other regions - but in some aspects it fell flat. Things like: the slums just did not feel like slums and the Corsican mafia was too collaborative with the authorities and did not give me the impression of a mafia at all. I get that it's a kids game and all, so they can't portray it too bleakly, but when they play with the themes they do in the deeper lore, I think it's also expected that they up the ante on the face-value stuff as well (like you can't just portray the mafia so one dimensionally).

  • I mean, it is a a political allegory, considering the Chinese base influences the superstructure or the culture of a society (eg. Game industry of MiHoyo), but for me, it's not really specifically Communist, or specifically Marxist Leninist in its outlook....

    Think about it, there's not much discussion about the economic base, the workings of imperialism on economics and culture, dialectics, or even discussion about the progressive intersection between cultural, economic, and anti-imperialist struggles...

    or dialectics and immanent critique

    (though as the plot advances on, I may be proven wrong or that they were just there all along, since I'm a baby MLenist...)

    That being said, even if it is such a MLenist game, from a meta perspective, it is a Gacha game and my opinion is that the ideology doesn't really matter, in comparison to the base of which it defends (It's financially-funded well-to-do game, probably from the rich cities of Guangdong or Shanghai)

    Taking the note from an essay https://redsails.org/masses-elites-and-rebels/#strategy-and-imagination

    It’s absurd to see people rabidly complaining about, say, BBC’s China reporting being rife with orientalist falsehood, then turn around to make excuses for why the same exact stereotypes must be tolerated or even praised as they worm their way through high-budget entertainment productions. It’s absurd to see communists defend sinking dozens upon dozens of hours into reactionary, soul-crushing media like Breaking Bad or Mad Men or Game of Thrones, then turn around to ridicule and condemn the entire realm of ideological struggle as mere superstructure. A common refrain goes: β€œThe news must be reported correctly, but let people enjoy things β€” artistic freedom is sacrosanct.” I deem this nonsense liberalism. When we do this, what we throw out the window comes right around through the backdoor.

    In reality, entertainment media and news media serve the same propaganda purpose: they target not our reasoned beliefs about right and wrong, but our perception of social risks and rewards. People’s actual rationality, their ability to discern cause and effect, is far too resilient to be tampered with when their own immediate interests are at stake. People’s pride, however, is much more malleable. For communists to refuse to challenge media that makes them invisible β€” or, worse, aggressively humiliates them β€” is to surrender before the fight is even scheduled. And I genuinely believe that we do this every single time we refuse to challenge an Orwellism, or a Nietzscheanism. We have largely failed to create nourishing communist alternatives β€” not only in reality, as with the Black Panther breakfast program, but also as far as the imagination goes. And in the realm of imagination, as in others, nature abhors a vacuum. In absence of social-realist agitprop, Orwellism thrives.

    That being said, it's a good treat for me...

  • Liyue story is about dialectics lol

    • Seriously, show me its appliance. I'm confused as fuck...

      • Liyue story revolves around the concept of erosion, during the main quest we experience the transition of gods rule to peoples rule, an outcome of the historic process of erosion (gods slowly losing their powers).

        Ultimately, zhongli is not a reactionary because he peacefully hands over the baton by faking his own death and thus signing the contract to end all contracts.

  • I've never played Genshin just looked at drawings on twitter/patreon/deviantart.

    I though it was just about a bunch of fellas exploring each other's bodies

  • Yeah, and?

    • Well, you see, the world of Genshin Impact is not only a beautiful and immersive one, but also a complex and nuanced one, that can be analyzed from various perspectives. One of these perspectives is the Marxist one, which views the history of humanity as the struggle between two socioeconomic classes: the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. The bourgeoisie are the owners of the means of production, such as land, factories, and capital, while the proletariat are the workers who sell their labor for a wage. The bourgeoisie exploit the proletariat by extracting surplus value from their labor, creating a system of inequality, oppression, and alienation. The proletariat, however, have the potential to overthrow the bourgeoisie and create a classless society, where the means of production are owned and controlled by the workers themselves. This is the ultimate goal of communism, a political and economic system that aims to abolish class divisions and create a free and equal society. I will attempt to apply the Marxist perspective to the world of Genshin Impact, and show how the various groups and characters in the game can be seen as metaphors for the real-world class struggle, has far reaching consequences that inform our application of the theory in real life. The game reflects and critiques the current state of the world, especially China, where the game was developed. I hope this can give you the closure that you seek on this topic.

      Celestia

      The gods of Celestia are perhaps the most mysterious and powerful group in Genshin Impact. Little is known about them, except that they were part of a war 500 years ago that destroyed the landscape, they appoint archons, and they give visions to those with great ambition. The gods are an obvious parallel to the bourgeoisie: a powerful, untouchable class that is able to do basically anything with impunity. They live separated from the rest of their world, on a floating island, which could be seen as a parallel to the mansions and private jets of the richest bourgeois. Additionally, they appoint archons, who are allowed to rule their nation in whichever way they please. They also give visions to those that they deem worthy, including those with the greatest ambitions among humanity.

      The gods of Celestia are the ultimate exploiters of the world of Teyvat. They use their power to manipulate and control the archons and the people, and to maintain their own supremacy. They are also the ultimate oppressors, as they have waged war against any nation that dared to challenge their authority, such as Khaenri’ah, a civilization that was destroyed by the gods for attempting to create a godless utopia. The gods of Celestia are also the ultimate alienators, as they have created a system where humans are dependent on their whims and favors, and where humans are divided by their visions and elements. The gods of Celestia are the enemy of the proletariat, and the obstacle to the communist revolution.

      The Archons

      The archons are lesser gods, and rule over the seven nations in whichever way they please. The gods of Celestia must have a motivation for appointing each of these archons. I believe that this motivation is to make sure the proletariat does not rise up against Celestia, like Khaenri’ah did 500 years ago. I am uncertain if this is confirmed in official lore, but it seems very likely nevertheless. In return, the archons get almost unlimited power over their territory. Despite this, the archons never appear to be happy. Barbatos faked his disappearance because he was disillusioned with his power as an archon, Morax started losing his memory and decided that it was time for the people to rule themselves, Baal suffered the loss of her sister during the Cataclysm, surely causing some ire against the gods that instructed her to do so, Nahida had to come to grips with her life being stolen from her by her own people as they distrusted her incarnation in this current samsara, and finally, and most directly, Focalors suffered at hand of Celestia due to their curse laid upon her for daring to overstep her divine authority against the Heavenly Principles.

      The archons are a complex group, and can be seen as both allies and enemies of the proletariat. On one hand, they are allies, as they have shown sympathy and compassion for the people, and have sometimes rebelled against the gods of Celestia. For example, Barbatos freed Mondstadt from the tyranny of the previous Anemo Archon, Decarabian, and gave the people the freedom to choose their own destiny. Morax established Liyue as a prosperous and independent nation, and entrusted the people with the responsibility of governing themselves. Baal, despite her authoritarian and oppressive rule, is also trying to protect Inazuma from the wrath of the gods, by collecting all the visions and creating a barrier around the nation. The archons are also seen as the arbiters who grant visions to the people, which can be seen as a way of empowering them and giving them hope.

      On the other hand, the archons are also enemies, as they are still part of the system that exploits and oppresses the people. They are still subordinate to the gods of Celestia, and have to follow their orders and rules. They are also still the rulers of their nations, and have the power to impose their will and ideology on the people. For example, Barbatos, despite his benevolence, has also created a chaotic and anarchic society, where the people have no security or stability, and where the Knights of Favonius and the Church of Favonius have to maintain order and faith. Morax, despite his wisdom, has also created a capitalist and materialistic society, where the people are obsessed with wealth and commerce, and where the Qixing and the Adepti have to balance the interests of the mortal and the divine. Baal, despite her courage, has also created a totalitarian and isolationist society, where the people are deprived of their freedom and individuality, and where the Shogunate and the Resistance have to fight for the future of the nation. The archons are also the ones who take away visions from the people, which can be seen as a way of controlling them and crushing their dreams.

      The archons are therefore a contradictory group, and can be seen as both the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. They are the bourgeoisie, as they are the owners of the means of production, such as the gnosis, the visions, and the land. They are also the proletariat, as they are the workers who sell their labor for the gods of Celestia. The archons are the potential leaders of the communist revolution, but also the potential traitors of the communist revolution.

      • The Seven Nations

        The nations are the seven regions that are ruled by the archons, and are the main settings of the game. The nations are Mondstadt, the city of freedom and the wind, Liyue, the harbor of contracts and the earth, Inazuma, the nation of eternity and the thunder, Sumeru, the land of wisdom and the dust, Fontaine, the city of justice and the water, Natlan, the land of passion and the fire, and Snezhnaya, the land of snow and the ice. The nations are the main representatives of the proletariat, as they are the people who live and work in the world of Teyvat. The nations are also the main victims of the exploitation, oppression, and alienation of the gods of Celestia and the archons.

        The nations are diverse and unique, and have their own cultures, histories, and ideologies. However, they also share some common characteristics, such as the presence of class divisions, social conflicts, and political struggles. For example, Mondstadt has a class division between the nobles and the commoners, a social conflict between the Knights of Favonius and the Fatui, and a political struggle between the Church of Favonius and the Abyss Order. Liyue has a class division between the rich and the poor, a social conflict between the Qixing and the Adepti, and a political struggle between the Liyue Harbor and the Fatui. Inazuma has a class division between the vision holders and the visionless, a social conflict between the Shogunate and the Resistance, and a political struggle between the Electro Archon and the Fatui. These examples show how the nations are not only oppressed by the external forces of the gods and the archons, but also by the internal forces of their own societies.

        Due to their diversity, nations may also share some common characteristics, such as the desire for freedom, the need for change, and the hope for a better future. For example, Mondstadt desires freedom from the tyranny of the gods and the archons, and seeks to create a society where the people can choose their own destiny. Liyue needs change from the stagnation of the old order, and strives to create a society where the people can govern themselves. Inazuma hopes for a better future from the despair of the present, and fights to create a society where the people can regain their freedom and individuality. These examples show how the nations are not only passive and submissive to the external and internal forces, but also active and rebellious against them.

        The nations are therefore a diverse and unique group, and can be seen as both the oppressed, as they suffer from the exploitation, oppression, and alienation of the gods of Celestia and the archons, and also as the oppressors, as they exploit, oppress, and alienate each other within their own societies. The nations are the potential revolutionaries of the communist revolution, but also the potential counter-revolutionaries of the communist revolution.

  • I played quite a bit of it when it got big around release and the first like 20-30 hours or whatever were pretty fun but as soon as the gacha crap started kicking in it ruined all the fun. Downloading it again to check out what single player stuff I've been missing here's hoping this 80gbs isn't for nothing.

    I quit right before Zhongli was added I believe, is there more fun single player stuff to do that doesn't require dropping money now?

    Also I like to call it Henson Jimpact because I'm a dumbass.

    Edit: Good lord my team is ass what have I done.

    • I quit right before Zhongli was added I believe, is there more fun single player stuff to do that doesn't require dropping money now?

      Holy shit you're gonna love it. They added like 3 whole nations worth of content. Just take it slow and savour it lol

  • Interesting theory, though I don't think the Reddit Genshin crowd would take it well.

    I think what I've noticed in Hoyoverse games isn't the presence of any explicit ML themes, but rather the absence of explicitly liberal ones. That's the one distinctive facet of their storytelling that often leaves the impression that there's something different between their themes and Western media tropes.

    The most plain example of this isn't in Genshin, but in Honkai Star Rail. There's a moment in the first planet of the game where the land is near collapse from environmental disaster, on the brink of civil war due to an apartheid regime and badly demoralized about the future. The authority figure, who is ideologically compromised to put it mildly, is deposed and the new leader decides to refrain from publicly broadcasting how compromised the previous government has been. They choose to do this because it would badly shake confidence in the planetary leadership and because knowing that the past authority purposefully exacerbated the world's class segregation would inflame tensions towards civil war. Revealing to the public the nature of the past leadership would do nothing but harm at a critical moment, especially when the planet was finally offered an opportunity to rebuild by resolving the environmental crisis.

    Let's just say the Reddit crowd did not take this well. One of the hallmarks of liberal storytelling is the importance on individualist moral purity towards core liberal values. The ultimate deontological anti-utilitarian mentality. In a context like HSR's, you are meant to tell the truth, no matter how destructive it might be, and damn the consequences. The liberal mindset loves to bash utilitarian "end justifies the means" decision making, but their "means justifies the end" reverse calculus is far more destructive. Walking away from a fire you gave the spark to is worth the moral absolution of having stuck to your "principles."

    In other words, although the surface rationale for this principle is "democratic accountability to the collective," the result of valuing the means over the end means that the true intent is that individual self-gratification is more important than the collective common good. Wthholding the "truth" from their perspective is a massive sin, and the idea that someone could commit a sin for the sake of the betterment of the community is completely anathema to the liberal worldview. There are stories like that of HSR's dilemma in liberal Hollywood and Video game storytelling, but it is always baked in a overarching thematic emphasis that what the character did is wrong or at best, indicate to the audience through a whole song and dance that the story is self-indulgently bathing itself in "grey," "complicated" themes. HSR simply has the leader character make the decision in an aside and then the story moves on. The player character gets to make a dialogue choice to blurt out "a lie is always a lie" HBO Chernobyl-style liberal outburst, but it's a comestic line and the leader ignores the player's input. This is not their decision to make.

    The story was flamed on Reddit for revealing Hoyo's Communist roots to detractors on one end and with the most favourable interpretation being that the government forced Hoyo to insert "pro-authoritarian" propaganda themes in the story. They can't fathom the idea that "leaders withholding societally damaging information" is a fact of human governance rather than a trait of the West's designated adversaries. The West simply puts a bow on it and calls it "classified information" or "national security" to dodge their surface claims of "democratic accountability." They always mentally masturbate to their fantasy of the Soviets not fully disclosing about Chernobyl and never reflect on how they were led by the nose to the Iraq War by an administration that openly lied about WMDs, by consecutive governments that openly sponsored programs like MKUltra, by endless lies from their leadership ranging from the Vietnam War Gulf of Tonkin false flag to the Nicaraguan Contra war crimes. None of those crimes by their own leadership was ever punished and yet the liberal theme that "the truth will always come out and lies will never last" is still odiously and hypocritcally pervasive.

    This is what I've noticed that Hoyoverse's storytelling has. Not a presence of leftist themes but an absence of liberal ones.

  • um yeah okay i'll incorporate this into my belief system as the only thing i know about Genshin Impact

  • Genshin Impact is communist because it's extracting wealth from the Imperial core and redistributing it to China.

  • Genshin is just geared towards presenting the feeling of an idyllic life. Whether that spells communism to you or not depends mostly on your own interpretations.

  • the honkaiverse genshin is set in features great woman theory. the recurring personalities that they use to justify expys implies some people are special and destined to do impactful things. unless you interpret the imaginary tree to be a metaphor for material conditions at large resulting in certain inevitabilites such as class conflict.

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