Biotechnology and Biological Weapons- The Era of Resident Evil

Recently there is a buzz in the cyber world- scientists have cloned animals and plants including humans, making us feel clueless about what the hell is going on. This is surely going to be a weird kind of subject. We have grown up watching Hollywood movies like Resident Evil. Some of them having a common theme of biotechnological weapons are Blade runner (1982), The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996), Gattaca (1997), The 6^th Day (2000), and The Island (2005).

The biotechnological weapon is a common theme recurring in most of the blockbuster movies. The technologies being used are genetic engineering, cloning or artificial life forms in the creatures they portrait. When these creatures are self-aware or come face to face with the creator, as seen in Blade Runner and most recently, The Island then the movie takes the interesting disastrous mode.

While many studies have found capitalist ideology reflected by Hollywood, the issue of biotechnology brings out a clash between the corporate interests and religious conservatism that has characterized the emergence of the New Right. Most Christian denominations are against biotechnology, especially human cloning. Cloning human is equivalent to going against the god-The creator, for the extremist Christians.

Let’s have a closer look at yet another important aspect of biotechnology based market. The global computer and video game market was worth an estimated $52.5 billion in 2009, and is expected to grow to $86.8 billion by 2014. Consumers have clearly made video games a part of their everyday lives. Due to the growing pervasiveness of video games in leisure and thus in social/cultural experience, it is important that we scrutinize the portrayal of science within them. Several studies have analyzed the portrayal of biotechnology and science in Hollywood movies. Many scientists and academics have criticized the industry for inaccurately portraying facts, theories and procedures, and misrepresenting the benefits and risks of scientific phenomena to humanity.

From all these briefings, we can see that although we have our own ideas and ethics regarding cloning and others methodologies of biotechnology, all the arguments, movies and video games related to biotechnology that are published in the global market are either made in religious and mostly Christian terms or the global capitalism has hit the bottom rock. This debate is hot and when it reaches the senate and parliaments mostly it remains decision less.  Most of the growing countries and developed countries have started debates, arguments and policies, thinking biotechnology and the tools it can create at the center focus. Let’s spread the awareness that biotechnology is for human welfare and Oh God! We don’t want the real Resident Evil to be resurrected.