The in-game plot mirrors the real-world conflict, with skirmishes between players and the Non-Player Characters reflecting the real-world battles between corporations. It is seemingly the main form of entertainment for average citizens who buy collectibles and pay subscriptions to several different streams. The virtual game world replicates the real world they live in, with accurate details of New Liberty City recreated in the game. From their overcrowded living space, they hold odd jobs, endure nightly power curfews, and stream themselves playing an online game. Mal and her best friend Jessa live in the slums outside New Liberty City, a super megapolis constructed to accommodate climate refugees, but ruled by two warring corporations. Hypercapitalism threatens individual liberty in Nicole Kornher-Stace’s Firebreak, where two megacorporations have all but replaced the American government and control essential natural resources. Science fiction dystopias have often featured authoritarian governments, yet increasingly in the real world, the nation-state is ceding power to privately held corporations.
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