Running on the edge. Mapping the future screens of Night City digital life and urban spaces

This paper aims to develop an ethnography to examine the dynamics of Cyberpunk 2077's Night City, an immersive metropolis, through the lens of “Future Screen” technologies. Anchored in the broader discourse of the creative, cultural and entertainment industries, this study explores how emerging screen-based technologies reshape the relationship between space, audience and content within a speculative urban environment. Night City, as a fictional but meticulously realised digital world, provides fertile ground for investigating the social and individual impact of future screen technologies on immersive storytelling, spatial reconfigurations and community interactions. Firstly, this ethnography analyses how Cyberpunk 2077 reimagines physical and virtual spaces. Night City's spaces are both dystopian and interactive and embody the fusion of technology and urban architecture. These spaces not only redefine geography and mobility, but also trace the material culture and distinct styles of the city's different neighbourhoods. From the opulent City Center to the industrial grit of Watson and the nomadic Badlands, Night City's urban zones are an expression of the values, aspirations and survival strategies of its digital inhabitants. Secondly, the paper analyses the implications of these technologies for the urban life. The behaviours and styles of Night City's inhabitants, from corporate elites to rebellious punks and street mercenaries, further illustrate the interplay between identity, technology and material culture in future screen environments. These cultural markers, encoded in character design, clothing and cybernetic enhancements, underline the narrative richness enabled by emerging media technologies. The study also aims to emphasises the decentralised and participatory nature of creative practices in future screen environments. The aesthetic and cultural distinctiveness of Night City neighbourhoods, shaped by the behaviours, aesthetics and technological adaptations of digital inhabitants, offers an interesting case study of how future screens can inspire innovative narrative structures and hybrid creative communities, as well as stimulate reflections on physical reality and the idealistic realities within it. Cyberpunk 2077's Night City exemplifies the transformative potential of future screen technologies to reconfigure urban spaces, narrative practices and community interactions. Fusing speculative design with cutting-edge media technologies, the game invites critical reflection on the social impact of immersive media and its ability to blur the boundaries between reality and simulation. This ethnography contributes to the understanding of the Future Screen as a catalyst for innovation, highlighting its potential to redefine the relationship between space, audience and content, and create new imaginaries. It also highlights the value of mapping the material culture, behaviour and style of digital inhabitants as a lens for understanding how screen-based technologies mediate and reimagine our interactions with urban life in increasingly hybridised digital-physical landscapes.