Bridge Babies and Rebuilding America: Reproductive Commodification in Death Stranding

Abstract

Hideo Kojima's 2019 video game Death Stranding has sold over 10 million copies since 2022. The game's plot features a post-apocalyptic United States where female bodies become commodities to produce babies, which the government utilizes as equipment to rebuild the country. The purpose of this paper is to analyze how the government's, the terrorists’, and the player character's words and actions reinforce or reject traditional patriarchal views about reproduction. I first establish a background in post-apocalyptic narratives by synthesizing themes from The Handmaid's Tale, The Road, and The Walking Dead. Using feminist post-structuralism, I analyze how reproductive commodification is prioritized over ethics by the government, rejected in favor of general destruction to the greater good by the terrorists, and is used only when absolutely necessary by the player character. I finally argue that commodification narratives are typical within post-apocalyptic narratives, are harmful, and have the potential to influence real-world politics.