One night, I pushed too far and took too many risks while playing Death Stranding 2. I was in the middle of an area infested with deadly BTs, aka evil tar ghosts who can kill you. I was running low on battery, meaning my exosuit would stop functioning and all my cargo would suddenly become too much for me to carry. I was properly screwed.
But then, after carefully trekking across one last hill, I spotted a small, glowing shelter not far from my location. I quickly made my way to it and was able to charge my battery, catch my breath, and protect myself for a bit from nearby BTs. As I arrived at this wonderful bit of hope that was created by another player, I smashed the PS5âs touchpad, leaving hundreds of likes for the shelterâs creator in the space of a few seconds. And sometime later, they got a notification that a structure they built had helped someone and received some likes.
I know this because it happened to me many times while playing Death Stranding 2, which is both a video game from Hideo Kojima and the worldâs first totally good and not bad social network.
The Likes Economy Of Death Stranding 2
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach launched last month to mostly positive reviews. I personally enjoyed this very strange open-world post-apocalyptic cargo delivery simulator starring Norman Reedus, even if I found the ending not very satisfying. But while Death Stranding 2 is a game obsessed with delivering packages, connecting in-game NPCs to a larger network, and saving the world, it is also a strange multiplayer experience.
To be clear: You never meet other players directly while playing, but you can see what they build, interact with their creations, and even leave behind holographic signs, structures, and supplies. And all of thisâincluding the mushrooms that grow from the ground when players all pee in the same spotâcan be âlikedâ in-game as if they are pieces of content on your phoneâs timeline.
This is a big part of Death Stranding 2 that you can technically ignore. But good luck doing that. There is something deeply satisfying and rewarding about building a shelter or a funny sign and getting hundreds of likes for your effort. It creates this âLikes economyâ where players work hard to âgo viral.â However, to go viral in Death Stranding 2 means you have done something super helpful.
Unlike actual social media networks like Facebook or TikTok, the only way to go viral and get thousands of likes is by being a good, helpful person. If you place a ladder against a cliff and it leads to nothing, itâs likely that nobody will use it or like it. It will be buried under better, more helpful creations. And you canât even dislike anything, either. You just have to ignore it.
Helpful Spam And No Racism
This âlikes economyâ does lead to many of Death Stranding 2âs hubs and in-game shelters being surrounded by what amounts to spam. If youâve played for even a few hours, youâve likely experienced this when driving into a delivery centre and encountering the dozens of holographic signs that dot the pathway. Or you see that people have left guns, ammo, or healing items outside doorways, cluttering up the space in their efforts to win some likes.
But while this spam is sometimes a bit annoying, it never feels mean spirited or shitty. Itâs just a lot of people trying to be helpful all at once in one singular location.
Compare that to the shit you likely see every single day on social media in the real world, and itâs clear which is better. And as a bonus, Death Stranding 2 doesnât let you leave text notes or voice messages in the world. No racist garbage or awful slurs are sprinkled around. Itâs just people working together to make the world of Death Stranding 2 a better, easier place. Itâs a social network that rewards kindness, empathy, care, and hope. And in 2025, we all need more of that.
Iâm not foolish enough to believe Death Stranding 2âs social network-like features will replace Twitter or Facebook. Nor do I think it will change the world. But it does provide something I thought impossible: A social network that doesnât make me angry and sad every time I use it. And thatâs something, at least.
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