What can a fictional situation in a fantasy video game tell us about today's issues?
The popular video game Genshin Impact is a fantasy anime role-playing game, where different regions of the continent — called “Teyvat” — take cultural inspiration from different nations and eras in the real world. In the 4.0 update of the game, the main character travels to a nation called Fontaine, which is inspired heavily by 19th century France, also known as La belle epoque (French for beautiful epoch). One of the most memorable phenomena from this time was the popularization of absinthe, an alcoholic drink infamous for its rumored hallucinogenic and aphrodisiac properties. A similar phenomenon exists in Fontaine that is appropriately named “Sinthe,” and this substance plays a major role in Fontaine's politics as well.
Widespread use of psychoactive substances is a common thread that's potentially as old as humanity itself. For centuries, governments have turned themselves inside out to attempt to comprehend, control, and conquer drug use. Whether the situation is real or not, the Sinthe use (and abuse) in Fontaine has plenty of similarities to countless situations in the United States alone. The so-called “war on drugs” has impacted millions, and yet no previous “solution” has stopped it from re-emerging in different forms.
With a little suspension of disbelief, I believe that examining a fictional situation such as Sinthe in Fontaine can provide alternative approaches for enacting humane drug policy. As a result, this website will be presenting a public health plan for the Sinthe abuse crisis to Genshin Impact's Court of Fontaine based on historical drug crises in the United States. It will explain the fictional Sinthe crisis, some real-world drug crises in the United States, and a possible solution centered around public health. However, the content on this website will also reference major plot spoilers for the following main quests in version 4.0:
- Chapter IV Act I: Prelude of Blancheur and Noirceur
- Chapter IV Act II: As Light Rain Falls Without Reason
- World Quests Aqueous Tidemarks and A Fontainian Message