Beware false dreams, Strange Beasts reveals technology’s dark side
Sometimes we can forget how powerful, and how immersive, technology can be and this short film provides a timely reminder.
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Griffin, M. (2017) 'Beware false dreams, Strange Beasts reveals technology’s dark side', 311 Institute, 28 April. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/beware-false-dreams-strange-beasts-reveals-technologys-dark-side/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
Strange Beasts is a dystopian British short film of Netflix’s drama Black Mirror - and it packs an equally strong punch in about a fifth of the time.
The film starts out with a game developer named “Victor” who’s promoting his new augmented reality game that allows players to “create, customise and grow your very own creature.”
Sound familiar?
“We don’t just want to sit around staring at a screen, we want to be a part of our own entertainment,” he says.
Victor then goes on to explain the technology works by superimposing computer generated images over real world objects by projecting a digital light field, something that Magic Leap, the multi-billion dollar augmented reality (AR) start up that’s still in stealth mode is said to be working on, directly into your eye, and he insists the game isn’t dangerous to players’ vision. In fact it’s the opposite, he argues, it gives them a sort of “super vision.”
After meeting Walter, Victor’s virtual pet, we then meet his daughter, Anna, and her virtual pet, and while Victor says Strange Beasts gives players a “friend for life” it’s evident that things aren’t all they seem…
As we use new emerging technologies, like virtual reality (VR) and AR to create new “powerful” experiences the film serves as a stark warning of the future we could end up “living in,” and for my part I’d suggest you watch it and reflect.
Is this the future you want? Arguably, we could all find ourselves marching headlong into this form of techno fuelled “coma” without realising it until it’s too late, and we all need to be careful to not let our humanity slip away.
Beware of false dreams.
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Sometimes we can forget how powerful, and how immersive, technology can be and this short film provides a timely reminder.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 15-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 28 April 2017. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2017). Beware false dreams, Strange Beasts reveals technology’s dark side. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/beware-false-dreams-strange-beasts-reveals-technologys-dark-side/
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