THE AI SURVEILLANCE DYSTOPIA:
SPYING, DATA TRAFFICKING, & CORRUPTION
It feels like the entire economy is currently propped-up on promises of “AI,” with some of the largest tech companies in the world realizing that there’s more money to be made surveilling citizens for governments than selling components. Companies like NVIDIA suddenly look not like gaming companies, and not even like data center companies, but instead like Defense contractors; meanwhile, the feckless expansion of data centers means that normal people end up footing the bill for rising energy costs and a destructive wake left as Small Town America is turned into GPU farms. We spent the last 8 months collecting data, tracing leads, and connecting dots across a wide array of stories that serendipitously — or maybe not — share a common theme of global surveillance and data harvesting. Over the next 3 months, GN and GNCA will publish a multi-part series of special reports into what we think is corruption of tech companies and governments, anti-right-to-repair smear campaigns that propagandize voters with fear-first misinformation, and corporate overreach resulting in raids of homes over "unlicensed” electronics. This series will have us traveling the world as we learn directly from those on the ground in a mix of long-form investigations and short-form updates. Now, we need your help to produce this series to the highest possible quality levels, so we’ve introduced backer rewards to fund our effort and get you high-quality items in return.
All orders containing Backer Items will be held until all items within the order are in stock. We are currently in Wave #2 which is estimated to ship between January 15th - March 31st.
THE NETRUNNER moves from one surveillance network to the next. This is our entry-level backer tier for the AI DYSTOPIA Series of special reports and investigations. This tier includes 1 Vaporwave Smiley T-Shirt design, a sticker pack, one pint glass, a USB key with some of the videos in this series on it, and wallpaper digital rewards. Digital rewards and bonus videos are only available through backer tiers.
Includes:
Digital wallpaper pack
1x "Vaporwave Smiley” T-Shirt
1x [REDACTED] Pint Glasses with Nucleation Etching
1× USB MEDIA Copy (128GB) of some videos from this series
1x Sticker Pack of at least 5 stickers each, including “AI Dystopia” themed GPU backplate stickers and case side panel stickers
IMPORTANT INFORMATION & DIGITAL REWARDS
SHIPPING: All orders containing Backer Items will be held until all items within the order are in stock. We are currently in Wave #2 which is estimated to ship between January 15th - March 31st.
SIZES: Tiers with multiple shirts will all be the same chosen size. All shirts in the tiers are cotton.
DIGITAL REWARDS: These will be distributed on or before December 31. We will shoot for an Xmas delivery. These will be distributed via the email attached to your order, so please use a valid email. Please add support@gamersnexus.net and SquareSpace to your filters to ensure it does not end up in spam.
BACKER ITEM (AI DYSTOPIA).
All orders containing Backer Items will be held until all items within the order are in stock. We are currently in Wave #2 which is estimated to ship between January 15th - March 31st.
THE OVERSEER watches the watchers when the watchers are watching the watched, but the question remains: Who watches the watcher-watching watchers? This is our third-highest backer tier for the AI DYSTOPIA Series of special reports and investigations. This tier includes 1 Vaporwave Smiley T-Shirt design, one exclusive bonus video, a brand new “RETRO I/O” coaster pack, a sticker pack, one pint glass, and a USB key with some of the videos in this series on it. Digital rewards and bonus videos are only available through backer tiers.
Includes:
Digital wallpaper pack
1x New “RETRO I/O” Coaster Pack Set (4 coasters)
1x "Vaporwave Smiley” T-Shirt
1x [REDACTED] Pint Glasses with Nucleation Etching
1× USB MEDIA Copy (128GB) of some videos from this series
1x Sticker Pack of at least 5 stickers each, including “AI Dystopia” themed GPU backplate stickers and case side panel stickers
Bonus Video: Steve & the research team who worked to compile nearly 1,000 combined pages of information and evidence across 8 months
IMPORTANT INFORMATION & DIGITAL REWARDS
SHIPPING: All orders containing Backer Items will be held until all items within the order are in stock. We are currently in Wave #2 which is estimated to ship between January 15th - March 31st.
SIZES: Tiers with multiple shirts will all be the same chosen size. All shirts in the tiers are cotton.
DIGITAL REWARDS: These will be distributed on or before December 31. We will shoot for an Xmas delivery. These will be distributed via the email attached to your order, so please use a valid email. Please add support@gamersnexus.net and SquareSpace to your filters to ensure it does not end up in spam.
BACKER ITEM (AI DYSTOPIA).
All orders containing Backer Items will be held until all items within the order are in stock. We are currently in Wave #2 which is estimated to ship between January 15th - March 31st.
THE CIPHER works to crack the unending trail of vulnerabilities left behind in data monitoring software. Whether that’s as a whitehat or blackhat is up to you. This is our second-highest backer tier for the AI DYSTOPIA Series of special reports and investigations. This tier includes 3 different shirt designs, two exclusive bonus videos, a brand new “RETRO I/O” coaster pack, behind-the-scenes footage, and more. Digital rewards and bonus videos are only available through backer tiers.
Includes:
Digital wallpaper pack
1x New “RETRO I/O” Coaster Pack Set (4 coasters)
1x "Vaporwave Smiley” T-Shirt
2x [REDACTED] Pint Glasses with Nucleation Etching
1× USB MEDIA Copy (128GB) of some videos from this series
1x "Copyright Takedown” T-Shirt
1x Honeypot Shirt + Playing Card (this product’s profit to e-waste & pro consumer charities)
1x Sticker Pack of at least 5 stickers each, including “AI Dystopia” themed GPU backplate stickers and case side panel stickers
Bonus Video: behind-the-scenes discussion with production team & Steve
Bonus Video: Steve & the research team who worked to compile nearly 1,000 combined pages of information and evidence across 8 months
IMPORTANT INFORMATION & DIGITAL REWARDS
SHIPPING: All orders containing Backer Items will be held until all items within the order are in stock. We are currently in Wave #2 which is estimated to ship between January 15th - March 31st.
SIZES: Tiers with multiple shirts will all be the same chosen size. All shirts in the tiers are cotton.
DIGITAL REWARDS: These will be distributed on or before December 31. We will shoot for an Xmas delivery. These will be distributed via the email attached to your order, so please use a valid email. Please add support@gamersnexus.net and SquareSpace to your filters to ensure it does not end up in spam.
BACKER ITEM (AI DYSTOPIA).
All orders containing Backer Items will be held until all items within the order are in stock. We are currently in Wave #2 which is estimated to ship between January 15th - March 31st.
THE GHOST is rare in their ability to stay off the dystopic net, with their surveilled footprint and traceability minimized. This is our highest backer tier for the AI DYSTOPIA Series of special reports and investigations. This tier includes all physical items, exclusive bonus videos, behind-the-scenes footage, a credit in the Disappointment Build 2025 video [delivered; credits from Jan 23 onward will be in a separate documentary], a bonus pack of 4 Snowflake the Data Pirate coins (featuring GN CEO Snowflake and circuit traces on a metal ‘doubloon’), and an exclusive group Q&A livestream with Steve and other backers of this tier after the wild success of the 14 streams we did for the Black Market top-tier backers. These will be split into small groups to ensure everyone has an opportunity to enter questions into YouTube chat for the stream. Additionally, this includes a GN15 Mouse Mat that will be SIGNED by Steve. Digital rewards and bonus videos are only available through backer tiers.
Includes:
Digital wallpaper pack
1x New “RETRO I/O” Coaster Pack Set (4 coasters)
1x GN15 Mouse Mat SIGNED by Steve
1x "Vaporwave Smiley” T-Shirt
4x [REDACTED] Pint Glasses with Nucleation Etching
1× USB MEDIA Copy (128GB) of some videos from this series
1x "Copyright Takedown” T-Shirt
1x Honeypot Shirt + Playing Card (this product’s profit to e-waste & pro consumer charities)
1x Snowflake the Data Pirate Metal Coin Pack for tabletop gaming (4 alloy coins that visually resemble antique copper, rose gold, gold, and antique gold)
1x Sticker Pack of at least 5 stickers each, including “AI Dystopia” themed GPU backplate stickers and case side panel stickers
Bonus Video: Limited access stream Q&A session with Steve and other backers of this tier [we will hold one more Q&A session sometime after January 23]
Bonus Video: behind-the-scenes discussion with production team & Steve
Bonus Video: commentary featuring clips that didn’t make it into the cut
Bonus Video: Steve & the research team who worked to compile nearly 1,000 combined pages of information and evidence across 8 months
Bonus Video: A walkthrough of Steve’s computer setups at the office, including his ‘desk recording studio,’ not previously shown
Credit: If you opt-in at checkout, your name will be listed in our “Special Thanks” section of the credits for the DISAPPOINTMENT BUILD 2025 VIDEO (first week of 2026) [DISAPPOINTMENT BUILD CREDIT DELIVERED; CREDIT FROM ORDERS 1/23 ONWARD WILL BE IN A SEPARATE VIDEO].
IMPORTANT INFORMATION & DIGITAL REWARDS
SHIPPING: All orders containing Backer Items will be held until all items within the order are in stock. We are currently in Wave #2 which is estimated to ship between January 15th - March 31st.
SIZES: Tiers with multiple shirts will all be the same chosen size. All shirts in the tiers are cotton.
DIGITAL REWARDS: These will be distributed on or before December 31. We will shoot for an Xmas delivery. These will be distributed via the email attached to your order, so please use a valid email. Please add support@gamersnexus.net and SquareSpace to your filters to ensure it does not end up in spam.
BACKER ITEM (AI DYSTOPIA).
Tried-and-True: We ran a similar campaign for our Black Market AI GPUs documentary, where we have already shipped 80% of the items (with the rest going out actively) despite receiving more orders in a month than we received in most of the year prior. The last few remaining AI GPU Black Market videos are drawing to a close as well. With that process now well under way, we have new ideas to apply to this AI DYSTOPIA series.
Backer Rewards feature bundle packs of GamersNexus store items and exclusive digital content that will only be available to backers of our AI SURVEILLANCE DYSTOPIA series. Exclusive items in various tiers include: A bonus Q&A small group livestream (of only “THE GHOST” backers) with Steve, split into small groups to maximize time with everyone; bonus videos with the production team and research team; wallpaper packs for devices; our new “RETRO I/O” coaster packs; additional T-shirts, pint glasses, USB physical media copies of some of our reports, and other physical items; and in one tier, a credit in our Disappointment Build 2025 video.
Each physical item is available separately, with the exception of the digital rewards (bonus videos) and the Snowflake the Data Pirate coins (which are currently GHOST-tier only). Bonus videos, the live Q&A with Steve, credit in the video, and other digital rewards are only available in the various backer tiers.
OVER 1,000 PAGES OF EVIDENCE, RESEARCH, & PLANNING
Several of our team members have worked independently over the last 8 months to trace multiple stories concurrently, resulting in over 1,000 pages of accumulated evidence, research, maps, travel plans, sources, and information that will be pooled into our upcoming huge series of videos on these topics. The videos will be published over a span of 3 months in addition to our usual content, and will go live on two channels: GN and GNCA, depending on the topic.
FUNDING GOALs
The graphic above will be updated typically daily while the campaign is active.
$10,000: Update our full GPU control timeline free of third-party ads on the website. We published this as a funding goal for the AI GPU Black Market campaign, but there’s a ton of new information to add
$30,000: Add custom-created music to the largest videos within the AI DYSTOPIA series
$50,000: Purchase higher-quality drones and add high-quality drone shots of data center buildout locations
$80,000: Create a custom 3D animation with a ‘gravity’ mechanic to illustrate the expansion and contraction of companies in ‘orbit’ to each other as they play hot potato with billions of dollars
STRETCH GOALS
$100,000: Create written article version of the Palantir x NVIDIA deep-dive story that we’re running as a video as part of the AI DYSTOPIA series. Free of third-party ads, no paywall
$150,000: Road trip to Marble, NC to investigate a data center build-out with curious links to large tech companies
$200,000: Create an exhaustive timeline on the website with major financial exchanges between “AI” and technology companies. With similar formatting and detail to our Tariffs Timeline and our GPU Export Control Timeline, we will catalog the transactions (to-date, at least) with clear sourcing and citations. This will be available free of third-party ads and without a paywall, just like our two linked timelines above, and will hopefully serve as a long-term accessible resource
$250,000: Update the 3D animation to map against the $150K stretch goal with the largest, most important transactions, then embed this on the website with a timescale (via the playhead). This will allow users to see transactions over time as companies grow and shrink while passing money around, with company sizing accurately done by market cap (or some similar daily metric)
SUPER STRETCH GOALS
$400,000: We expand our investigative series of reports for this campaign to include a deep-dive into memory, NAND, and VRAM suppliers. This follows our recent piece on DRAM pricing, but goes more in-depth into the background of these companies and digs deeper into their history, including more extensive look at prior price fixing convictions and allegations alike
We have delivered on about 80% of our prior AI GPU Black Market shipments so far (the rest will be done fairly quickly as, again, we received more orders in weeks than we typically do in months), and we have also delivered on about half of our Stretch and Super Stretch goals so far. As we wrap those up in the coming couple of weeks, we will begin juggling these new goals to continue rolling forward with high-quality content — particularly written, free resources for long-term archival purposes.
Anti-Consumer Propaganda
After GN Steve’s presence was requested in Washington, DC for a separate story, the GN crew ran into these vans for RevUp America that dedicate themselves to spreading anti-right-to-repair propaganda. This will be one of our upcoming reports.
Search & Seizure
GamersNexus has exclusively obtained evidence indicating corporate overreach and cooperation with governments in the search & seizure of electronic development devices which were obtained legally by private citizens.
On the Ground
The easiest way to learn about data center development impact on actual people is to talk to them. We’ll be embarking on roadtrips to visit planned data center sites in America, this time, to learn about the impact
All orders containing Backer Items will be held until all items within the order are in stock. We are currently in Wave #2 which is estimated to ship between January 15th - March 31st.
This 100% cotton, black T-shirt features our Vaporwave, unhinged smiley with censored speech box. We designed this with a Dystopian slant in mind, using digital Cyberpunk-style icons and assets scattered around the artwork. It uses vaporwave colors of white, purple/pink, and a light blue.
This T-Shirt will directly support our AI DYSTOPIA multi-part series of content digging into global surveillance and the part of large tech companies in it. Despite referencing the “AI Dystopia” we live in, this art was made by humans on our team using Blender. We need your help to make these deep-dive, multi-part investigations and special reports happen in the future, and that’s best done through our store. The artwork features an “unhinged” smiley face with a zipper for a mouth, a blocked text speech block, and a loading or power-up bar. Like many of our shirts, this is printed in Vermont in the US with water-based inks.
SHIPPING: All orders containing Backer Items will be held until all items within the order are in stock. We are currently in Wave #2 which is estimated to ship between January 15th - March 31st.
BACKER ITEM (AI DYSTOPIA)
The GamersNexus ‘RETRO I/O’ 3D Coaster Pack (Set 3 of the series!) features 4 custom drink coasters. Each pack of coasters includes the 4 unique designs detailed below, all made of a soft rubberized material that serves as a spill guard for use with drinks and a catch for condensation. These coasters are made of extremely high-quality materials that are ultra flexible yet durable. The coasters have thick borders and individually-placed components (that we hand-model in Blender) to balance drinks and cans evenly, catch condensation, and just look cool. The coasters have good texture and are easily cleaned under running water while using light scrubbing and soap. They rinse quickly.
The designs in this pack include:
A retro computer front panel with 5.25” drives represented, a floppy disk in one of the slots, knobs and dials, LEDs, and buttons, all represented in 3D. We even asked the factory to match the light gray to retro PC cases
An IBM Model M-inspired numpad with curved/sloped borders, large rubberized “keys,” and a blue color accent
A retro themed controller with classic red/gray/dark gray colorway, featuring face buttons, a D-pad, and dual thumbsticks
A GN logo with 80s & 90s PC case front panel design elements incorporated, including the ridges, 5.25” drive-inspired slots and LEDs, and hard lines
GN Coaster Pack Specs
100x100mm (4” x 4”) and 8mm tall at the highest
Spill-proof, slip-resistant rubber material
4 unique designs in every pack (listed above)
Easily washable under running water in a sink with a brush and dish soap. Do not heat dry. Do not place in a dishwasher
Optional combo with discount
7-Year Warranty
This is the [REDACTED] GN Unhinged Smiley pint glass design, suitable for all drinks — beer, soda, water, you name it. This glass is a 16 oz. clear glass with a censored, blocked GN logo, and [REDACTED] logo text. We use laser-etched grooves in the base of the glass to provide gentle agitation to give your drink some bubbles, typically referred to as “nucleation” or a “nucleation base.” The print is resilient to washing and highly durable, printed by a supplier that knows quality from its work with real bars. This is a high-quality glass with a perfect weight to it, with vibrant, detailed print and colors. The design is fully made in-house by GN and includes our UNHINGED SMILEY logo from the Vaporwave T-Shirt, using a zipped-up mouth in a face ID scan outline to fit our AI DYSTOPIA theme.
Washing & Care Recommendations
Do not use in microwave. Wash well before first use. Hand-washing is recommended. The glass itself is top-rack dishwasher safe; however, hand-washing will offer the best protection of any prints or trims over long periods of time.
The “Unhinged AI Dystopia” sticker pack includes 5 high-quality stickers, mostly made using a die-cut process. The die-cut “Snowflake Pirate” sticker is sized to fit most modern video card backplates so that you can sail the high seas (also appropriate for a home NAS!). The Vaporwave Yellow Smiley can go anywhere that could use a feeling of just generally coming unglued, which is probably most things lately.
Stickers are in production now. The images shown are final art files and renders.
Stickers Included
Unhinged Vaporwave Smiley
Unhinged Yellow Smiley
Snowflake the Pirate (Cat Jolly Roger)
Video Unavailable Copyright Strike Takedown
GN [REDACTED]
All orders containing Backer Items will be held until all items within the order are in stock. We are currently in Wave #2 which is estimated to ship between January 15th - March 31st.
We all know what it feels like to get bloomberged at least once in life, and this shirt helps try to encapsulate that feeling. This 100% cotton, black T-shirt features our most beloved graphic to wake up to: The YouTube Copyright Strike and Takedown, with its pastel colors and totally respected text stating “Video unavailable.” We designed this shirt to pair well with our Vaporwave Smiley T-Shirt, both with a Dystopian slant and censorship in mind. This shirt is our take on the Video unavailable graphic that you can wear for peak irony.
This T-Shirt will directly support our AI DYSTOPIA multi-part series of content digging into global surveillance and the part of large tech companies in it. These deep-dive special reports and investigations will publish over a span of months and require funding to pursue, which is why we made these shirts and other backer rewards for the multi-part series. Like many of our shirts, this is printed in Vermont in the US with water-based inks.
SHIPPING: All orders containing Backer Items will be held until all items within the order are in stock. We are currently in Wave #2 which is estimated to ship between January 15th - March 31st.
BACKER ITEM (AI DYSTOPIA)
The GN15 All-Over Component Mouse Mat is a large mouse pad offering a full mouse & keyboard surface for your desk. The mouse mat features our GN15 logo, blue, black, and yellow coloring, and PC components across the mat. The components depicted include blower GPUs, axial coolers, fans, CPUs, and small surface-mount devices. The underside uses a bright yellow rubber to match the top-side accents, with the edges utilizing a fray-resistant vibrant blue stitching for extra endurance and visual ‘pop.’ These are available in both standard (unsigned) and signed/autographed variations in the drop-down.
GamersNexus GN15 Component Mouse Mat Specs
Dimensions: Approx. 36” W x 12” L (91cm x 30cm)
Thickness: 3mm
Stitching to prevent fraying at the borders
Non-slip yellow rubber bottom
High-quality microfiber cloth surface material
Easily rolled for travel
Yellow rubber underside
High-resolution print design with all-over PC components
Cleaning Guide: We recommend hand washing using a gentle soap and warm water, and allowing it to air dry without applying any heat. To be safe, it is recommended to first test any washing or cleaning solutions on a small portion of your product to ensure it does not cause any damage. Some customers use a washing machine to clean their mouse pads; however, if you choose to do this, then we recommend only using cold water on the gentle, low spin cycle. The mouse pad should always be allowed to hang / air dry, and heat should not be applied to it.
TIMELINES & OUR OBLIGATIONS
SHIPPING: We will begin shipping items on December 1st. We expect to clear all prior remaining Black Market items in this window and will begin AI Dystopia items next. We expect to complete all shipments by January 31st. In the event of high volume, we will update the top of this page with information for a second shipment wave.
SIZES: Tiers with multiple shirts will all be the same chosen size. All shirts in the tiers are cotton.
DIGITAL REWARDS: These are only available via the Backer Tiers, not if purchasing items individually. Our goal is to deliver these by December 31st via email, but possibly before December 25th. These will be distributed via the email attached to your order, so please use a valid email. Please add support@gamersnexus.net and SquareSpace to your filters to ensure it does not end up in spam.
If you’d prefer to donate rather than buy items from us, you can do so using the following button. We sincerely appreciate donations of any amount.